ShoeperWoman to the Rescue! What shoes to wear with skinny jeans?

ShoeperWoman comes to the rescue to answer the question: what shoes to wear with skinny jeans?

what shoes to wear with skinny jeans?

What shoes to wear with skinny jeans? All items: ASOS

Skinny jeans have become a staple item, both in stores, and in many people’s wardrobes. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re always easy to style, though, and one of the most common search terms visitors to the site use is “What shoes to wear with skinny jeans?”. Well, I’ll get onto that shortly, but first, it can be useful to know which shoes NOT to wear with skinny jeans…

WHAT NOT TO WEAR WITH SKINNY JEANS…

Taste is subjective, so these should in no way be considered “rules”: if you can make these looks work, then wear them with pride! If you’re wondering what shoes to wear with skinny jeans, however, I’d recommend avoiding the following:

  • CHUNKY PLATFORMS

platform shoes with skinny jeans

Cute shoes, sure. (They were from Topshop, last year: you might still be able to find them on eBay, though!) But the clumpy, chunky shape of the shoe against the super-skinny leg of the jeans throws the proportions of the outfit totally off and creates that “hoof” effect that looks great on horses, but a little bit comical on humans. This kind of look certainly draws attention to your shoes, but it can also make your feet look at least three sizes larger than they are, and out-of-proportion to the rest of you.

skinny jeans with flatforms

shoes: ZARA

  • FLATFORMS

Flatforms and skinny jeans will make you look like a golf club, period. Unless you have a fairly edgy style and/or the confidence to pull off looks which aren’t conventionally flattering, this is another one that’s probably best avoided.

WHAT SHOES TO WEAR WITH SKINNY JEANS

Now that you know what NOT to wear with your skinny jeans, here are some shoe styles that almost always look good with them:

  • POINTED OR ALMOND TOED PUMPS

pointed pumps with skinny jeans

jeans and shoes: ASOS

The skinny leg of these jeans works best with a similarly slimline shoe style: rounded or squared toed can look clumsy when paired with a skinny leg, so look for pointed or almond toes instead. One word of warning: if you’re choosing a pointed toe, go for a short point rather than an elongated one if you don’t want to exaggerate the length of your feet.

  • BARELY-THERE SANDALS

strappy sandals with skinny jeans

ASOS

If you’re having trouble working out which shoes to wear with skinny jeans, what could be easier than shoes that don’t draw attention to themselves? Barely-there sandals require extra attention to your pedicure, but they work with almost anything: skinny jeans included.

  • PEEP TOES

peep toes with skinny jeans

TOPSHOP

Peep toes can also be a good choice with skinny jeans, because the open toe makes your foot look smaller, thus helping to eliminate the “golf club” effect mentioned above.

  • ANKLE BOOTS

ankle boots with skinny jeans

BUY

Ankle boots are incredibly popular with skinny jeans, although they can be slightly tricky to style, and will create a bit of bunching at the ankle if you’re not careful. To avoid this, look for styles that have a close fit around the ankle itself, and consider cuffing your jeans (or finding a cropped style) that will hit at ankle level. Both dress boots and more casual, lower-heeled styles will work well, however: it’s just a matter of finding the right boots!

sneakers with skinny jeans

BUY

Sneakers have been having a resurgence in popularity lately, and can look good with jeans for a causal, comfortable look, although low-profile styles, like Converse, say, will look better than the type of sneakers designed primarily as sportswear.

  • KNEE BOOTS

knee boots with skinny jeansTOPSHOP

Skinny jeans could almost have been designed to be worn with knee boots: assuming your boots aren’t too tight, they’ll fit perfectly over the jeans, for a great autumn/winter look. If you feel like trying something different, over-the-knee boots can also work really well with skinnies, and can have a wonderful, leg-lengthening effect, into the bargain!

  • BALLET FLATS

ballet flats with skinny jeans

TOPSHOP

There really isn’t much that the good ol’ ballet flat won’t work with. If you’re worried about the “stumpifying” effect flat shoes can have when worn with skinny jeans, however, go back to the first point and look for flats with a pointed or almond toe to create a similar, elongated effect on the leg.

 

This is by no means intended to be a definitive guide to what shoes to wear with skinny jeans, and as I said, taste is subjective, so your answer to this might be completely different. Tell me, then: what shoes do YOU like to wear with skinny jeans?

2 Comments

  • I am loving flat shoes this Autumn and have been wearing ballet pumps and brogues, as well as my knee high boots with my skinny jeans. I bought some lovely cream brogues which give a different look than I would usually go for but it seems to work. Loving your guide, I would definitely steer clear of platforms and I’m liking the pointed pumps suggestion, might have to try that one for dressing my skinny jeans up.

  • I can’t wear half of the recommended shoes (heels and barely there sandals give me no support and I can’t walk in them) and skinny jeans are not my favourites so it’s platforms and ankle boots for me. Horse hooves all the way

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