Fall might be associated with cooling temperatures, but that doesn’t mean you have to tone down your footwear looks. Plenty of celebrities like Chappell Roan, Paloma Elsesser and Katie Holmes have recently stepped out in looks that showcase fresh and unexpected ways of styling shoes for fall, from layering your heels to tucking your jeans into boots.
Whether it’s an unlikely pairing of pumps and shorts or a color combination that just works, find five shoe styling tricks for fall below.
Layer Pants All the Way Over Heels
Elsesser went on the “Today” show on Tuesday ahead of Sunday’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in a layered look featuring tight black leather pants which extended over her pink pumps. Not only did this look showcase an unusual way of wearing pumps — with the shoes partially covered such that the toe and heel were still visible — but it also proved how footwear can add a jolt of color to an ensemble. Elsesser wore the slouchy leather pants underneath a black and white dress featuring delicate lace.
Combine Casual Looks With Formal Pumps
Daisy Edgar-Jones, busy promoting “Sense and Sensibility,” added an unexpected formal footwear element to an otherwise casual-leaning outfit on Monday. She wore a white version of Jude’s Fame pump with lace-trimmed icy blue satin shorts and an eagle-emblazoned baseball T-shirt hailing from Chloé’s spring 1999 collection designed by Stella McCartney. Where a sneaker or flat might’ve kept the outfit in the casual realm, the trendy pump silhouette elevated the ensemble a notch.
Give The Socks and Pumps Trend an Edgy, Textural Twist
Roan was one of many celebrity attendees at National PrEP Day at The Abbey in West Hollywood on Saturday. The musician, who DJ’d at the event, wore a bold Christian Cowan look made with Vex Clothing, which specializes in latex pieces.
The latex did not end with her beige and red striped minidress and matching over-the-elbow gloves — she also wore red thigh-high socks in the high-shine material, which were layered with black satin pumps. The layered effect made her footwear all the more noticeable with the black and red color combination.
Tuck Pants Into Boots Like It’s the ’80s (or 2010s)
Holmes recently stepped out in New York City wearing knit chocolate brown knee-high boots from Vivaia paired with jeans and a gray sweater. Rather than style the shoes with a tight pant or a skirt, or wear wide-leg pants over the boots, she tucked her dark wash jeans into the shaft — bringing back a popular trend of the ’80s that also had its moment in the 2010s. Style icon Princess Diana was known to tuck her pants into her boots, and the look still exudes a sense of effortlessness, a casual take on equestrian fashion.
Add a Neutral Boot to a Colorful Skirt or Minidress Outfit
The combination of knee-high boots and a minidress or skirt is a longtime favorite, but the look can be interpreted in vastly different ways depending on silhouettes, materials and colors. Bella Hadid, for example, leaned into a bold-meets-neutral color palette with a transitional weather look in New York City in September. She wore the orange 3/4 Sleeve Boat Neck Dress from Los Angeles brand Oddli with what looked like Sergio Rossi boots in brown leather.
The shoes served as a warm and subdued complement to the bright color of her dress, and still stood out with a sharp toe and stiletto heel. Her look also included a beige corduroy jacket, orange-tinted sunglasses and red gingham bandana in her hair.