4/17/2012

Answer to a reader question...

I would like to find some ballet flats/kitten heels to wear with jeans. My wardrobe is mainly aqua, purples, blacks/grays, white. What color shoes would go well with these colors, but not be too "matchy-matchy"? Two colors I was thinking were a salmon color, and a leopard print; but I didn't know if either of them would work.

And where is a good place to get cute, but inexpensive shoes?

Cap toe ballet flats were noted in the Lucky magazine as being the "it" ballet flat for spring, so you can keep that in mind when shopping. I personally am a big fan of the bows, but the cap toe looks very classy too! My favorite color with aqua is coral red and favorite color with purple is yellow. For blacks, grays, and white, I love red.

So for the colors you wear, I would recommend going more coral than salmon, but salmon will definitely work and is perfect for spring. And leopard print is always great. It's a neutral and will go with everything.  
Charles David, 70% off for $79 at 6pm.com

Michael Kors - $83 at 6pm.com - and this is an animal print that would work for spring/summer because it has a peeptoe!
These are so cute and perfect for summer! They are only $23.70 from 6pm.com

Type Z from 6pm.com for $22.50
Gabriella Rocha at 6pm.com for $32

The colors of this shoe are so happy! I love it! It is $79 via zappos.com

 Another suggestion would be to try an espadrille flat. These come in a variety of colors and styles like what you see above. I found that most of these styles were by Naturalizer for $59 via zappos.com
I can't resist a yellow shoe! I have a yellow ballet flat that surprisingly goes with most everything in my wardrobe. This one is Nine West for $59 via Piperlime.com

This is a nautical inspired espadrille which is another great option. It's Tommy Hilfiger for $49 via Piperlime.com

As for where to find inexpensive shoes, use the above examples as inspiration and look for the same styles that are discounted at a large shoe store like DSW. Go straight to the back of their store to check out their clearance section. I find some amazing deals there on good, quality, designer shoes.

I also go to Target, Macy's, Dillards, and JCPenney and find some pretty good deals in their clearance sections, especially if I'm shopping at the end of the season.

I highly recommend, however, online shoe shopping. The search engines are so detailed, you don't have to spend hours sesarching, but most importantly, most online shoe stores offer free next day shipping and free returns. That means you can purchase 20+ shoes online, receive them all in a day or two, try them all on, pick out what works best, and ship all the rest back that you don't want. The only price you'll be stuck with for that service is the one pair of shoes you bought. These sites also are usually running promotions where you can get even more discounts. Be sure to check out their clearance shoes, too.

Online shoe sites that offer free shipping and returns are http://piperlime.gap.com, http://www.endless.com, and http://www.zappos.com . I'm sure there are others, but those are my go- to sites. For really great discounts, go to http://www.6pm.com. They offer free shipping, but not free returns. Another great selection for shoes that offers free shipping (not free returns) is http://www.nordstrom.com . 

Hope this helps, and happy shoe shopping!

2 comments:

  1. The very first pair of ballet flats I ever bought were tan with a black cap-toe and trim and I've found they go with EVERYTHING.

    In this case, I think yellow shoes would brighten up all-neutral outfits but also bring some spunk to aqua and purple.

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  2. Thank you so, so much! This was very helpful. I love the idea of some red shoes too. :-)
    Yay for some cute shoes!

    ~Erin

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