A Guide to Wearing Holiday Shoes This Season
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With office parties, fancy dinners, friend reunions and neighborhood get-togethers in the air, ’tis the season for holiday dressing.
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While we love a sequined dress or feather top as much as the next party goer, a pair of holiday-focused evening shoes can go a long way in transmitting holiday cheer to your fellow revelers.
Unlike footwear for regular, everyday life, holiday shoes are meant to be a little extra. They can allow for less practicality and more extravagance, given the right time, location — and weather situation. And even if the weather outside is cold and frightful, a decked out boot or pair of decorative stockings can still be simultaneously cozy and festive.
Though they can be full of bells, whistles and embellishments, holiday shoes also tend to be a bit less trend driven, since the materials and embellishments often carry over year after year. The best way to think about holiday shoes is to treat them as if they are part of your overall holiday decor. Those home decorations come back out year after year, and so, too, can a pair of festive heels. They are, essentially, ornaments for your feet.
Here, seven tips on choosing the right pair of festive footwear this holiday season.
1. This is the time to go all out
Love the feel of lush velvet? Fancy a crystal chandelier or two? Feeling feathery? The holiday season is the only dependable opportunity each year to go a little wild with footwear. From embellished kitten heels and slippers to that pair of sky-high heels that only allow for a few hours of wear each year, this is the time to pull them out — or to look for something special to gift yourself. Depending on the event, the tendency for holiday parties and dinners to be held indoors means that precious footwear can be better protected — and will be well displayed among festive decorations.
Christian Louboutin Condora Queen Plume Sandals
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Brandon Blackwood Harlo Platform Mule
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2. When choosing a pair of statement shoes, keep everything else minimal
Since the most festive of footwear does tend to have a lot of bells and whistles (Velvet! Feathers! Crystals! Glitter! Satin!), the best bet when choosing statement shoes for the holidays is to keep the rest of the ensemble simple. Think a classic LBD with colorful or textured footwear, with varying hemlines depending on the shoe style. Try playing with texture mashups, such as a pair of satin pants with feather mules, or a sequin dress with velvet pumps. Stick to solid dark colors for garments (black works best, but also navy or aubergine) in order to make statement shoes shine.
Malone Souliers Maureen Mesh Floral Pumps
$675$88324% Off
Saint Laurent Lee Slingback Patent Leather Pumps
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Calzedonia Glitter Fishnet Tights
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3. Don’t be afraid of color or texture
The aforementioned materials and textures seem like a lot, but they are holiday classics that come back around with the season each year, so footwear can be treated the same. Don’t be afraid of a velvet shoe, or a bit of crystal detailing. This is also the time to work in decorative hosiery that might feel like too much the rest of the year. Fishnets, honeycomb weaves and glittery stockings can all be paired with statement shoes — just make sure the full look isn’t too busy.
Jimmy Choo Maryanne Velvet and Patent Leather Slingbacks
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Calzedonia Glitter Fishnet Tights
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4. If you can’t do heels, find a festive flat — or slipper
This is important: Party shoes do not have to be high heels. The past few seasons in fashion have proven that the old expectation of wearing heels to be fancy no longer holds, as designers have gone up and down on heel heights. While fall ’23 collections tried to push the return of the classic stiletto pump with a pointed toe, the pendulum is already swinging back in favor of a flat or a shorter heel. The current ballet flat trend offers plenty of inspiration for a dressed-up holiday flat, from crystal-covered mesh and fishnet styles to classic velvet Mary Janes that can easily be paired with hosiery or a quaint sock. Another option, particularly for a holiday party that’s more casual or rustic, is to bring a pair of plush slippers and add a festive sock.
Tory Burch Crystal Ballet Flats
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5. Take a cue from the red carpet and try a winter white
As Hollywood gets back to red carpet dressing after a year of labor strikes, one prevailing trend is winter white. The key to the look is wearing it with plenty of flourishes and lush embellishments to convey the idea of an evening instead of something that is more daytime appropriate. This trend can be more easily achieved with a pair of white evening shoes, such as a crystal embellished mule or even a dressed up white boot. Paired with a black cocktail dress or a tailored black pant, white footwear offers an unexpected pop of contrast.
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6. If conditions are less than ideal, dress up a boot
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but if we are being honest, it’s also the time for inclement weather, which might not make for the most ideal environment when it comes to party heels. If weather is frightful, make a game time decision and pick a pair of cozy boots. The latest crop of knee boots for winter come in both classic black and brown leathers but also in fuzzy materials such as teddy shearling, bouclé or faux fur. Even a dressier boot can offer more protection from the elements, especially if it’s just plain cold outside.
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7. Go beyond red, green and gold or silver and blue
Sporting Christmas red-and-green or Hannukah’s blue-and-silver color palettes are tried and true, but unexpected evening colors in jewel tones can do a better job standing out in a crowd (if that’s what you want). Instead of the usual holiday palette, try a royal purple, almost-black navy (especially in a velvet or satin) or even 2024’s new color, “Peach Fuzz,” in silk or satin for a unique option that can also live on past the holidays — or at least for New Year’s Eve.
Aquazzura Bellini Beauty Plateau 130 Sandals
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About the author:
Shannon Adducci is the Style Director at FN, reporting on runway and fashion weeks, trends, celebrity style and fashion’s role in pop culture, diversity and inclusion, sustainability, gender identity and women’s equity issues. She also directs FN’s cover shoots and visual packages, contributing to the publication’s video direction. Prior to Footwear News, Shannon held positions at Departures, Billboard and Modern Luxury, was a celebrity stylist and specialized in fine and estate jewelry. She is an avid collector of vintage fashion, shoes and jewelry.
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