I bought a pair and I love them.

I love my nude patent pumps and nude patent pointy-toe flats. They are wonderful for spring/summer. I went to a wedding last August and while we were waiting for the ceremony to start, several of us noticed that almost every woman sitting in our row had nude patent pumps on! We ranged in age from mid-20s to 40s. And we all had different color dresses on! It was a fun moment.

I would wear a nude pump with an almond toe for a special event. I have often gone out shoe shopping for a wedding fully intending to finally purchase nude pumps. I have never come home with a pair. I do have a pair of bronzey gold sandals that I love for dressing up which nicely bookend my hair. My skin has golden undertones and trying to find nude pumps that I like, match my skin and are comfortable has never happened. I wish I could find them. They make your legs look long, long and long. I love them. I hobble on heels but I would sacrifice for the perfect pair.

Mine are for my more formal &/or conservative occasions because they are higher than I normally wear. They are also on the blush side of nude. They really filled a gap in my shoe wardrobe.

I have a patent pair on the blush side of nude that I really like, although I've only worn them about 3 or 4 times. I'm just not a pump person for my everyday life, so that's actually par for the course as far as frequency of wear.

A couple things:

a) I don't like patent for myself in any color. Mainly it's for reasons of durability, because in the past my patent shoes have always ended up looking a little ratty, no matter how I tried to take care of them. And they don't really suit my style/personality, which is earthier and more practical, less blingy, so I've now got a 'no patent' rule.

b) I tend to think of nude patent pumps as a little...tarty. I dunno why, exactly, they just tend to be worn by ladies who are wearing tight and scanty clothing not always in the best taste. Not that the people on YLF are doing that, it's just what I've observed out 'in the wild'.

c) I have come around to nude-for-you shoes as a good tool in one's wardrobe, after hating the idea of them, but because of the above I would tend to look for a leather or suede option rather than patent.

I'm feeling a bit as though nude patent pumps have played out, but maybe that's just in my mind's eye and I haven't really seen any in newer styles. Plus, I am wary of patent due to comfort concerns as well as pumps because they don't stay on my feet. But really, I think what is fueling my negativity is that so-called *nude* is only nude if you have light pinkish skin and I've never seen anything out there remotely close to my skin tone. I've been searching for slightly warm, barely olive *nude on me* shoes, sandal, and booties for years, and it is like my search for matching foundation makeup.

I do agree that patent can be less comfortable as it seems to give less.
So I guess I think of nude pumps generically and not restricted to patent.

If nude is getting stale for some, what is the New Nude? Red? (!)

Ingunn, I think there is trend and then there is staple. Nude, for me, is not trend, it's staple, because of the bookend effect. When I stop coloring my hair and eventually go gray/white/silver, my new staple might be gray/white/silver instead!

Right now it seems to me black footwear is the trend, so I have been totally jonesing for adding black shoes, but they have to be super strappy, like cage heels, or with low vamp, for it to work for me (other than winter when it's boots and black skinnies tucked in). Not a staple so I won't be filling my closet with investment black footwear. Just a select shoe or two.

As for your medium brown hair, the plus is that you could easily adopt either the nude trend OR the black trend with ease. But, what is your staple? I have to imagine it's brown, not black not nude. And bronze would be your staple metallic.

Brown shoes do seem to be easy enough to find but as a trend.... hmmm... I think it's been about 10 years since I've seen that? Which means your time is coming up soon. So I predict, in another year or two, brown footwear will be the next big thing.

I don't think I'm a nude patent person. A year or two ago I got a pair of nude patent peep toe slingback heels, but I never enjoyed them the way I thought I would.

I do have a pair of nude pumps though. They are pointy toed and the leather is a fine snakeskin texture. They have gotten a lot of love on the forum and I find them indispensable for putting together bare-legged looks.

Can't wait to see yours!

Great questions and was so glad to read Angie's and everyone's replies. A year and a half ago I finally found "my" nude heels in a peep-toe, sling-back, mid-heeled patent. As I don't have an extremely large number of dress up occasions, they have earned their place as the only dressy heel I own, having purged other uncomfortable/unstable ones. Being fair-skinned and low-contrast, they work with patterns and virtually all of the colors in my wardrobe. And, most importantly, because they are Cole Haan's, they make my fussy feet happy! Good luck in your quest. I think you will be so glad to have them!

I love them so much! I had a peep toe pair that were so comfortable a few years ago (Etienne Aigner) and I wore them out! I have never had a dress or skirt that didn't look better when I out those shoes on!

I have a pair of nude patent Calvin Klein wedges I have worn and worn and worn this summer. They are my summer wear-all-day shoes for work - and play. They go with, and look good with, everything! I've worn them with pants, my VC tube skirts, my off-white Gap pants; they also look great with my regular jeans, my BFs and dress up a pair of cobalt just above the ankle jeans. I LOVE them!!! Nude will never get stale for me, it makes my legs look so much longer (I'm 5ft 4")

I haven't read all the responses, but I bought a pair of Michael Kors nude patent pumps with pointy toe last year:

http://www.zappos.com/michael-.....ims_p_ab_1

I too like the fact that the patent makes the shoe obviously different from your foot. I liked these because they have a pointy toe and so elongated my small frame, plus the color was a warm nude color and not a cool one. I had also tried on a pair of Franco Sarto nude patent pumps from DSW (almond toes, maybe?), but they were more of a cooler nude, kind of like champagne.

I can't tell you how comfy these are, because I bought them last fall, right before cold weather hit, so I haven't had a chance to even wear them yet! I think they run pretty true to size. I wear a 6.5 normally, but often a 6 in heels, and I took a 6 in the Kors pumps.

I am dark-haired and don't know what they will do for bookending...but I was mainly wanting them for outfits where you don't want to break up the leg line, or where you don't have anything that's going to be a suitable color. All of my shoes are dark colored, except for this pair, so I consider this pair as my "springtime" lighter-colored pumps.

Am blonde and soft complex/no contrast girl so, I can't do without them in spring/summer/fall! I always have some for dressier occasions. Now I have 3. Two are dressy, one 1,5 inch block heel patent balerinas with a gold metalic and chuncky patent bow on front, and one matte 2,5 inch daintier heeled ones with a small strípe bow (and brushed silver finished beads on therir ends) embelishment on front. The nr. 3 is a suede leather wedged peep toe sling back, I use for casulas all the time. But I do have a range of light grey and gold summer sandals/pumps which also reads like kind of nudes on me depending on things I wear.

But Princess Kate is not blonde, and still wears her tan/nude shoes exceptionally well. I find a tan shoe always sophisticated and almost no brain/easier to do with a dress/outfit of any color/for any occasion. If not for it's bookending then for the leg lengthening and blending smoothly in the outfit feature for sure!

I have just bought the following as I wanted a heeled shoe to go with my Spring and Summer outfits. Here is the link:

http://www.marksandspencer.com...../p22277704

As you can see they are cheap because they are not leather. I sent for them even though it was a risk as they are wide-fitting. I don't normally need the latter but patent synthetic fabric, I thought, would need it. And I was right. The fit is great.

The colour is darker than I expected, or wanted, so I shall will still be on the lookout for the perfect pair. Last year I tried and failed. This year I am starting early.

I am puzzled as to what colour stockings/tights to wear with "nude" shoes?

I love all my nude shoes (and all are patent because I find non patent nude to remind me of human skin and that awful fairy tale where the shoe elves made shoes out of skin. Ugh) I do have taupe suede booties that is almost my nude.
I wear them nonstop in spring and summer because for me they bookend, they elongate my look and don't distract and they go with anything and everything.
I have ballet flats from Nine West (Augustina) which are a little caramel
I have round toe wedges (Jessica Simpson bought at TJ Maxx)
I have pointy toe loafer flats from Boden
My favorites are my Ted Baker Peony 2 which I found at NYC Meetup at Century City. Gorgeous. Ted Baker nudes are quite pink toned and almost blush.
I vote for comfort above all. Since they are normally worn sans socks make sure they are not rubbing, but I use footglide or squishy dots if that happens.