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If I See You Wearing One of These 6 Specific Shoe Colors, I Know You're a Fashion Person

By Swedan Margen

If I See You Wearing One of These 6 Specific Shoe Colors, I Know You're a Fashion Person

One of the signature hallmarks of fall is the sudden onslaught of new fashion trends—from knitwear to outerwear to footwear, every foundational item is given a seasonal update. Given the many different ways, or rather trends, one can adopt during this time of year, it's no wonder one might feel the need to focus on finding one thing that can shift their wardrobe into the new season. But if you're left asking, "Where exactly does one start?" you're not alone. After much research, we found that the answer is simpler than any of us would have imagined: shoes. The most stylish people always build the foundation of their cold-weather wardrobes from the ground up (quite literally). Footwear has remained the favored route for stepping into the next season among fashion people, because it lets them dip their toes into new trends without trying too hard. On top of that, there's another harsh reality that makes buying shoes a far more strategic long-term investment: tight shopping budgets.

After all, you'll need to put something on your feet every day; the same cannot necessarily be said for statement coats or the season's hottest bags (sorry to break it to you). But if you find the idea of investing in shoes to be, well, a bit boring, then there's another way you can make this "functional" buy feel far more fun—ahem, embrace color. Frankly, there's no better way to make your footwear trend-forward than merging the season's biggest color and silhouette trends into one singular purchase. It's slowly become the fashion crowd's secret to making any outfit formula seem far more fall-coded. However, if you're curious which exact shades are trending this season, you've come to the right place. Ahead, we're sharing 7 shoe color trends for fall 2025 that have already gained cult status among the style set. If you were unsure of how to make the basics in the back of your closet or your footwear feel exciting again, trust that adopting any of these color trends will surely do the trick.

Crisp Whites

shoe color trends for fall 2025, specifically crisp white, shown in a collage of women's outfits with an influencer on the top left wearing a black sweater with a black maxi skirt and white tabi shoes; on the top right wearing a gray suit with white loafers; on the bottom left with a leather jacket and black trousers and white pointed heels; on the bottom left with a woman wearing a black leather blazer, white thank top, black trousers, and white cutout peep-toe heels

Contrary to style "rules," the one color that has cemented its status with the fashion crowd in recent seasons is crisp shades of white. Forget rules of seasonality, friends! Both runway collections and recent social posts have proven that white can be a year-round color—at least when you opt for seasonal staples in this shade. While we might not all have the courage to wear head-to-toe white during the wintertime, shoes are a "safer" way to embrace this "risky" trend. Whether you choose to opt for a pair of knee-high boots, loafers, or retro sneakers in this shade, you'll find that wearing them isn't as transgressive as you might have thought initially. We'd go so far as to say you might even come to think of them as the blank canvas (or rulebook) for all your fall outfits.

Patos Slingback Flat

Tory Burch

Patos Slingback Flat

Tory Burch strikes again with these sleek white slingback flats.

Marc Fisher LTD Cecile Leather Pumps

Marc Fisher

LTD Cecile Leather Pumps

Found: exactly what your work wardrobe has been missing!

Billy Penny Loafer

Khaite

Billy Penny Loafer

We can only imagine these loafers feel like a cloud.

Lander White Leather Boots

Steve Madden

Lander White Leather Boots

White boots are the basic you didn't even know your winter wardrobe needed (until now).

Slingback Kitten Heel Pump

MANGO

Slingback Kitten Heel Pumps

Chocolate Brown

shoe color trends for fall 2025, specifically chocolate brown, in a collage of women's outfits. On the top left, a woman wears a white trench coat, gray turtleneck, silk shorts, and chocolate brown loafers; on the top right, a woman wears a white turtleneck, brown leather skirt, and brown heeled mules; on the bottom left a woman wears a blue navy button-down, wide-leg jeans, and brown flip-flops; on the bottom right, a woman is wearing a denim jacket over a white button-down, brown wide-leg pants, and brown suede heels

If the idea of wearing white shoes in the dead of fall or winter makes you cringe, trust that there's a color trend out there that will cater to your palate—enter, chocolate brown into the chat. Although it's not necessarily a "new" shade, it's become a steadfast part of the diet of fashion designers and influencers alike in the last few seasons (for a good reason). By embracing shades that resemble an espresso martini, we can sample other neutrals without entirely shifting our sartorial choices or, for that matter, our closets. It's no wonder, then, that fashion people can be spotted from a mile away wearing various forms of chocolate-brown footwear, as it's become the fastest way to indicate you've got taste.

Benson Loafer

Country club membership not required.

Aldy Boot

Oh, these chocolate-brown boots are decadent.

Hinted Pointed Toe Flat

Jeffrey Campbell

Hinted Pointed Toe Flat

You can wear these with everything in your closet—sweater dresses, relaxed denim, cigarette trousers, leather shorts, the list could go on for days.

Valfurva Walnut Naplak Leather Pumps

ATP Atelier

Valfurva Walnut Naplak Leather Pumps

The scrunched leather on these pumps is sublime.

Blanca Knee High Boot

Vagabond Shoemakers

Blanca Knee High Boot

Riding boots always look expensive, but in shades of chocolate brown, they reach a whole other level.

Bougie Burgundy

shoe color trends for fall 2025, specifically burgundy red, shown in a collage of women's outfits. On the top left, a woman wearing a black leather jacket with a black pencil skirt and red pumps; on the top right a woman is wearing a gray hat, a gray maxi coat, a gray sweater dress, red pointed wedges and a red bag; on the bottom right a woman wears a red leather jacket, a red leather skirt, black tights, and red pumps; on the bottom left, a woman is wearing a red leather jacket, a white t-shirt, tan trousers, and red ballet flats

Over the last few seasons, we've seen bolder shades become so popular that they could be considered a "neutral" in their own right; such is the case with burgundy. First spotted on the S/S 24 and F/W 25 runways, we saw varying degrees of dark red across the collections of Gucci, Khaite, and Ferragamo. These rich shades quickly ravaged the fashion world, becoming the color of choice to elevate "simple" staples, silhouettes, and, of course, shoes. Even as other color trends have recently surfaced, burgundy has remained relevant for two reasons: versatility and wearability. Not only can you now find almost every type of shoe in this shade, but it can be styled effortlessly with everything in your closet. Burgundy has proven that it deserves to be considered a neutral, or at the very least a bougie alternative to other colors in your arsenal.

G.h. Bass Lennox Tassel Weejun

G.H.BASS

Lennox Tassel Weejun Loafers

It's giving, "Ivy League graduate" without the student debt.

Wide Heeled Boots

You'll look like a tall glass of wine in these merlot-hued knee-high boots.

Le Monde Beryl Luna leather ballet flats

Le Monde Beryl

Luna leather ballet flats

You can pair these burgundy ballet flats with denim and a crewneck sweater in the fall or a white maxi dress and tote bag in the spring.

Marilyn Wedge Mule

Reformation

Marilyn Wedge Mules

Not your typical pair of wedges.

574 Core Sneakers

New Balance

574 Core Sneakers

We have a feeling Princess Diana would have loved these sneakers.

Cushion Pump

Bottega Veneta

Cushion Pump

Icy Blue

shoe color trends for fall 2025, specifically pastel blue, in a collage of women's outfits. On the top left, a woman is wearing a cream coat with a pastel blue turtleneck, white jeans, and suede blue loafers. On the top right, a woman is wearing a black blazer with brown trousers and blue ballet flats; on the bottom right, a woman is wearing a red leather bomber jacket over a yellow slip top with gray trousers and baby blue pony hair heels. On the bottom right, a woman is wearing a blue button-down, gray trousers, and blue flats.

Burgundy red isn't the only shoe color trend to heat up in recent runway collections, as we saw another shade become one of the hottest (or in this case coldest) of the season: baby blue. Like frost covering the grass on a chilly morning, this color blanketed the S/S 25 and F/W 25 collections of many brands—including, most notably, Acne Studios, Miu Miu, Louis Vuitton, Sandy Liang, Chloé, and Tory Burch. With so many examples of this pastel-hued shade, it was only a matter of time before it popped up in the real world, too. Over the past few months, we've seen the style set warm to icy shades of blue, particularly in the form of footwear. From supple suede sneakers to pony hair pumps, we've spotted every type of shoe imaginable in this shade on the style set, proving that this color trend won't be thawing out anytime soon.

Adidas Gazelle Lo Pro Sneaker

Adidas

Gazelle Lo Pro Sneaker

Calling all sneakerheads: these baby-blue kicks are the stuff of dreams.

Proenza Schouler Glove Leather Stiletto Pumps

Proenza Schouler

Glove Leather Stiletto Pumps

We wouldn't judge you if these pumps made you start singing, "Ice Ice Baby".

Alohas Sway Leather Ballet Flats

Alohas

Sway Leather Ballet Flats

It's the bow that sold us.

By Anthropologie Ankle-Wrap Kitten Heels

Anthropologie

Ankle-Wrap Kitten Heels

You could wear these for so many different occasions: winter weddings, holiday parties, or just everyday life.

Repetto Michael Moccasins

Repetto

Michael Moccasins

Ice-blue loafers? Say no more.

Leather Zip Ballerina

Bimba y Lola

Leather Zip Ballerina

We will not zip it about these icy-blue ballet flats (they're that good).

Slate Gray

shoe color trends for fall 2025, specifically slate gray, shown in a collage of women's outfits. On the top left, a woman is wearing a red draped gown with slate gray slingback heels. On the top right, a woman is wearing a gray fur coat with matching jeans and gray ankle boots. On the bottom left, a woman is wearing a gray cape trench coat with gray trousers, gray suede heels, and a black bowler bag. On the bottom left, a woman is wearing a gray turtleneck, a gray skirt, and gray knee-high sock boots

While icy blue has become even more popular than ever, it's not necessarily everyone's cup of tea (looking at you, minimalists). If you're picky about your closet's color palette but still want to adopt a new trend, look no further than slate gray. Arguably just as cool as pastel blue, we've seen variations of light gray surface in the collections of Tibi, Calvin Klein, and Bottega Veneta. What makes this shade distinct from other neutrals is that it can make the most "basic" staples feel sleeker, shoes included. It's no wonder then that this shade has become beloved among minimalists and maximalists alike, as you can style this shoe color trend with anything for any occasion. Whether you pair them with a burgundy dress you bought for a holiday party or go for a head-to-toe tonal look for casual weekend plans, you'll find that wearing slate gray shoes can be as comforting as drinking a cup of tea.

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If I See You Wearing One of These 6 Specific Shoe Colors, I Know You're a Fashion Person - Vanity Fair Fashion