Let’s Talk About Shoes
Do you love shoes? Are a shoe girl?
Can you wear any type of shoe to work? More specifically heels. I love heels, I live in them every day, they make me feel like I can conquer the world and boost my confidence. But are all of your gorgeous shoes meant to be worn to work? Here is a guide on what heels you can wear to work.
- Let’s start with your work environment.
Some companies have moved to “come as you are,” for most people this means jeans and a cute top, however; if you like wearing heels your options are almost endless, which could include your classic pair of pumps, even some with a little embellishment or different colors. Stay away from platform (people refer to these as stripper shoes) shoes and neon colors. For my trendy ladies right now high shine is very in and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere; just make sure if you wear these shoes to work just make sure they are not too shiny, I myself have worn my silver shiny shoes to work. You don’t want people to be so distracted by your footwear they can’t focus on their work.
For companies that have stuck to business casual keep the shoes monotone and heel height under 3 inches. On Fridays if you have casual day you can play with your footwear a little more.
Lastly if you work in a corporate setting (lawyer, wall street): very conservative, suits to work everyday stick with a classic pump in a neutral color (black, navy, tan, and nude).
2.Color and Textures
Are spiked shoes appropriate for work? Are your new glitters heels appropriate for the office? Again, take your environment into consideration. If you truly don’t know take it a step further and ask your manager. You never know they may accept the glitter shoes, the neon, not so much.
3. Heel Height
If yall aren’t aware by now my ideal heel height is 4 inches and above, I love a good stiletto, but that does not mean they are appropriate for every setting at work, if at all. A casual Friday where you are not meeting with a client and sitting at your desk would be the perfect time to display your new shoes. Heading a board meeting or presentation is not the place for your sky-high Jimmy Choo Anoucks, leaving your audience to wonder how you are standing on stilts.
Also note on rare occasions there are companies that do not allow open toe shoes, including in the warmer seasons. On one of my assignments there was another contracting company there that did not allow their employees to wear open toe shoes, your feet were to be fully covered.
Business casual 3 inches or less, more conservative company 2.5 and lower.
If you don’t know where to start looking for shoes start with a budget. Figure out what you can afford and start looking at your basic color shoes, we don’t want to fall in love with a pair of shoes we can’t afford. Starting with affordable options Zara and Asos, they have a great variety of shoes, Zara even has leather options. Looking to up the ante a little bit Banana Republic and J Crew offer gorgeous mid heel options for work, that will surely keep your work wardrobe interesting, but not over the top. Prices for their heels start around $138. If you are looking for quality hand crafted, I suggest M. Gemi, they are beautifully made and all Italian leather. Quality does come with a price, their shoes start in the low 2s.
Thank you for reading and have a great evening!