Nude shoes with dark pants- re- thinking/ nay - YouLookFab Forum

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Nude shoes with dark pants- re- thinking/ nay

unfrumped

Veteran

I wear black or dark gray pants a lot and so try to jazz things up by trying to find not- black shoes . I'm a can of nude shoes with skirts and dresses for longer leg line, especially since I seldom am in a heel.

I observed lots of stylings of nude footwear with black pants and so said, hey, that's what I need to do.

Funny thing is, after wearing several versions of black or charcoal with beige or nude shoes, it feels so NOT me. Not a poison- eye, but not right.
Now, I haven't tried with very cropped pants , which might work more like a skirt.

Do you think this is just an aspect of my eye expecting more Bookending with my dark hair? I find even a light- colored top does not help me " like" the effect.

I DO love medium- toned or mixed not- black footwear with dark pants, so that's where I'm looking--grays, burgundy, tweedy, the right reptile tones.
For the rare times I can find work pants in much lighter colors, I think nude footwear will be great.

Anyway, this just surprised me because this approach was going to be a way to "summerize" dark pants.
Instead I see a kind of wardrobe hole for medium-toned, closed- toe, comfortable shoes that go with trousers but somehow don't look as

wintry. Also i had thought i depersty needed nude booties for the same purpose but now I' re- thought that.
I've tried some of the cut- out
booties-did not find the right fit, but something like that could be great, and my 2- toned loafers or other " combo colors".
Anybody else have a HEWI for summer workwear footwear that is not too light or too casual ?

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from rabbit

kkards

Veteran

i'm also a little conflicted regarding nude colored shoes with dark pants (even posted a which shoes with a new pair of dark grey flares a couple of weeks ago). often i end up wearing black sandals or my dark okala's. i bought a pair of mushroom color shoes that i thought would be perfect, but just this morning i decided to return them because the heel is about an 1 or so higher than what i really like. and i bought a great pair of grey, but even before i wore them, the color is coming off, so those are going back as well.

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Joy

Veteran

Try a metallic like pewter or bronze. I find it works well with dark pants but seems more summery. The light colors with dark pants may feel too leg shortening to you, while with skirts your nude extends the leg.

Alexandra

(website)

Veteran

Skin color is not everyone's nude, according to this article: http://www.12blueprints.com/nu.....2-seasons/

I've never been able to pull off the so called nude shoes, but black always looks right.

jazz69

I feel the same way with dark pants and nude shoes. It has to be at least medium toned,mixed print or I like Joys suggestions pewter or bronze.At least now you realized what you really need and like!

BethL

(website)

Veteran

I feel the same way, unfrumped. Nude shoes with dark pants gives me a bit of a pause when I look in the mirror. I've used Joy's suggestion of a metallic, and I really like that effect, especially with sandals. I have to say, though, I just recently wore slouchy black ankle length pants with a slouchy black and cream striped sweater with these light gray oxfords, which are cuter and slightly more gray than pictured. I was away, and these were the best shoes for what I was doing. I wasn't sure about the look at all, but my SO really liked it, and he doesn't usually say much.

Maybe it's because we're so used to seeing dark shoes at the end of dark pants?

ETA: Links should work now.

always trying

Veteran

I had the same problem with wanting something different with black pants. the pewter and bronze and others have said, but also what I am liking are the two tone shoes, cognac and what I call camel tan works better than the nude biegy tones, as there is too much contrast.

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Nude shoes with full-length dark pants gives me pause too. I wore medium grey trousers with my nude shoes a while back and that worked, but it's a lower-contrast look. I agree with the others that a metallic or even a color would work better and look more intentional.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Makes perfect sense with dark hair and wearing lots of dark pants with non-light tops.

JAileen

Veteran

Since I learned of the bookending concept (thanks to YLF, I should add) I jumped onboard, especially since I have silver hair. I now have several pairs of metallic footwear and love them with black.

Gaylene

Veteran

My "solution" came when I found a light-colored sandals with black accents and a skinny black ankle strap. The touches of black seemed to pull everything together, yet the overall effect looks much lighter.

deb

Veteran

I am with you on the nude shoes. I have tried and tried and I just o not feel they work for me. And I have blond hair. I do like my pewter and silver shoes.

Vix

Veteran

Hi Unfrumped --

You sound a LOT like me in terms of preferences [cough hangups cough], and I'm betting you need to take the advice of looking for a mixed-tone shoe that has light shades but reads primarily dark.

I could be wrong, and certainly keep experimenting.

But 99% of my spring/summer shoe wardrobe is either taupe, pale pink, or cool-toned metallics -- and I don't think even darker metallics are going to make you happy with anything darker than charcoal.

Even when I incorporate a print with light tones to help connect the pale or metallic shoes to navy or black pants I'm not thrilled. [See photo #1 below. Somehow my black patent pumps didn't seem like the right choice - -- so I brought the taupe ones off the bench.]

However, I *do* love my pewter shades with dove-to-charcoal pants. And since you're cool-toned they'll look great with your skin for skirts/dresses, too -- even flat and Grecian-inspired they're not too leg enstumpening work with all dark above. [See photos #2-4]

So let me help you rationalize THAT potential purchase as well as the mixed-tone one.

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unfrumped

Veteran

Good to feel I'm not losing my mind (not on this, yet, anyway).

Two-tones or combo colors are very appealing to me. I think that's why I liked the RL loafers which were all black except for the top of the shoe, which is ivory. So it looks less harsh against the top of my foot, but "reads" dark.
Also combo tones--even subtle shadings of a dark color--act as a bridge for me--not nude, but not totally black and opaque.

If is also good to get more focused or more expanded, depending on your perspective. Meaning, I've quit looking at nude (however you want to call that range of colors) but opened up to more options in the mid-ranges--it's not the precise color , it's the tonality.

rabbit

Veteran

I'm a winter and I've never found a 'nude', tan, or even a white shoe I liked -- and I've tried. I agree with a lot of the points of the article Alexandra posted. Like Vix -- pinks, cool metallics, grayish taupes, or a mixed tone shoe all just work better on me and look happier with my legs.