Shoes I’m Into This Spring

Want a super easy way to freshen up your wardrobe this season?  SHOES.  I currently have a spring wardrobe that I love full of staples, older pieces, and a few newer pieces (shown HERE).  But, I remember when I created that list I kept thinking, “The tan ballet flats work with almost everything, BUT a blush pair of lace up flats (like THESE) would really, really make my basics look current–and they go with so much!”  

It is it quite amazing how much just changing a pair of shoes can impact your outfit.  They can take an outfit from casual to dressy just by going from flats to heels.  An outfit ordinary can become classic-with-a-cute-twist by switching a pair of neutral flats for colored flats.  Amp up jeans and a tee by swapping old sneakers or even a cute basic flat for a more current sneaker or a flat with more character.   Or, make an outfit full of older basics kinda trendy, just by swapping shoes!

It’s on my list to create a post illustrating this, but in the meanwhile just trust me that shoes can really make a difference.  For today Nordstrom asked me to share some of my favorite spring styles, and I chose to feature shoes because I’ve been loving their shoes!  I want to focus on 3 shoes that will make your style look current and fresh, but are also practical, comfortable, and will have longevity.  (Well, at least 2/3 of them I’m positive will have longevity!)  

Sneakers

Both athletic and sleek slip-on sneakers are getting a lot of attention, and I LOVE it!  You can be comfortable and have good support while still looking current and stylish.  You’ve seen me in my white and black slip-ons, but it’s taken a while to decide on which athletic sneakers to get.  I’ve narrowed it down to a few, and this pair was one of them! 

New Balance sneakers were my go-to shoes about 10 years ago.  I wore them with blouses and even a blazer, and somehow it worked back then even though I don’t think I was on-trend at all, haha!  I love love love loved them, so when I saw New Balance sneakers gaining attention lately in such stylish ways, I was like “YESSSSS!” with a praise hands emoji.  

One tip I have for choosing athletic sneakers for everyday wear is to either choose one with two neutral colors (black/white, grey/white, white/gold, tan/white, etc.) OR with a neutral + a color that you have a lot of in your closet (grey/green, maroon/white, grey/pink, white/blue, etc.)  That’s not a rule of any sort, rather it’s the easiest place to start because they’ll go with more of your clothes.

Today I styled these for casual everyday wear because I think that’d be the starting place for most of us.  Cute, casual, and comfy all around.  I’ve also seen people look stylish in these with athleisure, jeans and a tee, leather jackets, and jeans with dressier tops.  More versatile than you’d think!  

The pair I’m wearing (HERE) is more than the two-color tip I said above, but a great, great, great alternative is a classic grey/white pair HERE.  I also tried grey/white Nikes (HERE), which is a cool sleek sneaker.  They were nice and lightweight, but sadly the arch was too high for me.  I’m normally size 8.5-9 and the 8.5s fit me for both New Balance and Nikes.  

I don’t think this trend is going away anytime soon, so don’t be scared to get on board!  Especially because this one is so comfortable!  

Wedges – Cork, Wooden, or Espadrille 

Any wedge with a cork, wooden, or espadrille heel is great for spring.  My personal favorite is the pair above (found HERE).  I’ve already talked gushed about them, but to reiterate, they are expensive but they are the most comfortable pair of wedges I’ve ever set foot in.  I ran errands in them on Wednesday and didn’t feel slowed down ONE BIT, despite the heel.  It makes me so happy that a few of you told me you got them and love them too!

See them worn 3 ways HERE, and another outfit HERE.  I’m normally 8.5-9 and both worked, but I kept 8.5.  

This is another style that’s not going away because I don’t think it’s actually a trend.  I think these kinds of wedges are spring staples and will be around for years and years.  

More below that I love!  Most of them come in multiple colors like tan, black, and white.  

Lace Up Flats

These are particularly trendy right now, which is not the reason I care about them.  Most of my friends don’t give a crap about trends, so I get no cool points for wearing trendy things.  I care about them because they’re CUTE!  Knowing that they’re trendy has actually made me slower to buy any because I don’t know how long it’ll be until they’re outdated and I didn’t know how much use I’d get.

But like I said earlier, when I was making my spring wardrobe list I just kept wishing I had blush lace up flats!  I saw a number of different outfit possibilities and saw how a pair of these would amp up any of my pieces.  So, I went for it!  Blush is a pseudo neutral and goes with a surprising number of colors because it’s soft and like nude.  I paired them with a blush top above, but I’m ready to wear them with green, olive, navy, grey, coral, white, mustard–anything really!  I also posted them in another outfit on Instagram last night HERE.  I got three compliments on them the first day I wore them, and even Benson keeps telling me how much he likes them!  

I linked a few different lace up flats from Nordstrom that are quite popular.  I really, really like THIS grey pair too.  Unfortunately the ones I linked below are on the pricier side, between $60-$90, because they’re the ones with better reviews.  Lower priced pairs had worse reviews, though one solid pair under $50 is these cute laser cutout ones in black or blush (HERE)!