Need to find shoes to go with this skirt...

Yesterday I ordered 2 summer skirts from Boden:

http://www.bodenusa.com/en-US/.....GroupID=13

The Boardwalk Mini, which I ordered in the yellow, is on backorder for another 5 weeks, so I'm not too worried about that one yet. However, the Swishy Skirt has already shipped. I ordered it in the Sea Lion Palm because the reviews indicate it's kind of a taupe color, which I love and have quite a bit of in my wardrobe. I thought it would be versatile, and I love the colorblock aspect and the pattern for a fun summer skirt--very Academichic! However, when I took stock of my closet, I realized I have no idea how to pair it with footwear. I used to have a lot of brown in my wardrobe, but I've been finding it hard to locate brown dress trousers these past couple of years, and so my brown footwear has dwindled as well. I now only have 2 pairs of brown shoes left, both of which have seen better days and would really bring a skirt down with their battered appearance. The rest of my shoes are black, gray, plum or a cognac/tan color.

Ideally, I would like to find heels (up to 2 1/2 inches) that go with both skirts, and they should really be on the business-appropriate side for the office (I'd like to steer clear of sandals or peep toes and keep the look more on the conservative side, even though they are fun summertime skirts).

Any suggestions, especially in terms of color? Everything seems wrong to my eyes except for taupe, bone, or brown, but I know my imagination is limited here.

15 years ago

Anonymous

I have a linen tunic in that brown color from Boden and it looks good with pewter metallic shoes.

Rosie

Veteran

I'm a little confused about which color the Sea Lion Palm is...I don't see it, but I see a taupey color with palm-type fronds on it, so I'm assuming that's it!

It actually seems like you could wear a lot of different colors! Plum, yellows (certain tones), turquoise/blues/greens, pink... you could try all kinds of things if you stick to a conservative style for your office.

That said, I'm not sure I'm looking at the right skirt!

Queen Mum

I would love to see this skirt with a fun color sandal!

these are all from the YLF store

http://www.zappos.com/naya-tim.....al-leather
http://www.zappos.com/clarks-c.....ry-leather
http://www.zappos.com/indigo-b.....ge-leather

edit...duh, sorry... I didn't read your specifications when I posted the links... but still, I'd go with a fun color!

Claudia

I can see this taupe skirt, which is so neutral by itself, going with a lot of different color shoes. Really just about any color should work nicely. I can see both pure colors and more muted colors working equally well.

So much depends on what colors you'll be wearing on top, accessories and such. And when you see the skirt in real life if the taupe tends more towards the warm or cool side -- and if you want to play that up and bring out the warm or cool tone of it by what colors you wear with it.

Elizabeth

Active Member

What price range are you thinking?

I know you said no peep toes, but what about these shoes (in tan):
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....rchresults

here are some colored pumps..

http://www.zappos.com/ecco-han.....ho-leather
http://www.zappos.com/geox-d-adele-3-red-camel
http://www.zappos.com/perlina-.....-kid-suede
http://www.zappos.com/bandolin.....-synthetic

but honestly, I'm having a hard time picturing that first skirt with pumps. I can't get past fun yellow sandals with that skirt. How long will it be on you?

Nice picks on these pumps, Queenie. I love these! (For myself, too!).

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/30.....uct-_-Auto

Are these too casual?

Nordstrom's is having a big sale right now, I'm sure you're aware of that already. You should be able to find some cute pumps online at a good price right now.
I love your choice of skirts too.

Lisa

I think any metallic is a safe bet.

Frances

You ladies are too much! It's amazing--I post an inquiry, jet off for an appointment & some groceries, and when I finally stumble home from Trader Joe's, I find you've all done my research for me! Thanks so much to all of you for your many great suggestions. Anne, I love how taupe is a reliably consistent color in Boden's lines. I have a linen summer jacket from 3 seasons ago in that color, as well as one of their double layer tees. I suspect you and Lisa are dead on about pewter metallic, and sadly, one of the battered pairs I mentioned in my earlier post is just such a shoe.

Rosie, I'm pretty sure you identified the right color skirt. Claudia, you're right of course about what I'll be wearing on top and how I'll be accessorizing, and I don't even want to think about that yet because it might entail more shopping and spending. I definitely need to replenish my summer wardrobe. San and Elizabeth, your shoe picks are lovely, but I wouldn't feel comfortable wearing peep toes to my office--skirts alone are pretty adventurous there!

Queenie, we have similar tastes in shoes! I've been eyeing 3 out of the 4 you selected and even tried on that very pair of Eccos. The comfort level on them is HEAVENLY! I wound up buying a slightly different style of the Hannas in plum macau (http://www.zappos.com/ecco-han.....cau-patent) and I love them to pieces. I will test them out with the taupe skirt when it arrives to see how they do. And I will definitely keep an eye out for some sandals I can pair with the skirt for weekend wear, assuming it fits properly and I get to keep it. I'm still pretty vanilla when it comes to pairing bold color shoes with a neutral outfit. Sigh. I need to revisit Angie's how-to posts on this.

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