7 Summer Shoes and What to Wear with them

Even if you were born with the “style gene”, it’s tricky to figure out what shoes to match with what. This summer put your best foot forward, as we bring young 7 of the hottest shoe styles, plus ideas for how to pull an outfit together around them.

1. Ballet  flats

Simple and chic, the ballet flat can be a great look great with skinny jeans, a nice flowing knee-length skirt or walking shorts.  Ballet flats are perfect for travel especially if you are going to be doing a lot of walking. Look for the soft leather ones or the elasticized fold up type that slip easily into the corner of any suitcase.

2. Sandals

The less dressed you are, the less shoe you need. That’s why airy flat sandals,work best with full-blown summer looks that says casual and relaxed. Pair sandals with breezy sundresses,  maxi dresses, shorts, or loose linen pants. Steer away from boring brown or beige run of the mill sandals. Instead choose sandals that say “now”. Metallic colors, like this pair add a little glitz or shine. They are considered a neutral and work with almost anything. The rope detail gives these a summer nautical feel.

3. Gladiator Sandal

Don’t let summer pass you by without a sexy pair of gladiator sandals. They’re hip modern and look great with pretty much anything. A neutral shade like this looks fabulous with all white, which is very much in style this summer, or with any other color.

4. Wedges

The wedge is the perfect shoe to update your wardrobe with. It looks youthful and fresh and works with almost everything from shorts to skirts, capris and pants.  An added bonus- wedges are soooo comfortable to walk in!

5. Platform

Platforms are great, especially for shorter gals. They add height, yet are still relatively easy to walk in. Platforms can go from casual to dressy depending on the shoe. Stay away from platforms that are too heavy and clunky or you’ll end up looking like your teenage daughter. The thinner the platform the classier the look. This pair comes with the platforms built right into the shoes so you don’t see them on the outside. If you want to attract attention, just wear a platform with an A-line shirt, cotton shirt and fitted jacket, and enjoy the compliments.

6. Dress shoes

Never underestimate the power of a shoe-especially a dress shoe. Take a simple summer dress, match it with flip-flops and you have one look. Then pair it with some killer summer heels and you totally change the feel of your outfit. This season you can bring out a touch of your wild side by stepping out in shimmering snake-embossed wrapped heels from Michael Kors. They are a great way to jazz up an outfit or dress. Don’t forget to get a good pedicure!

7. Sporty casual (running shoe)

To look youthful, you’ve got to look current. So dump those boring heavy, white workout sneakers and experiment with trendier, sporty shoes. The Privo Ardea flat is a good choice.  Cutouts detail the vamp of this sporty flat. You you can wear them with walking shorts, khakis, a nice sweat suit or perhaps a lightweight colorful straight leg jean. They be great for traveling when you go walking around Europe.

For more help picking out the perfect shoes try Shoes-o-matic. Shoes-o-matic is a really fun tool. Just enter in your specifications, and up will pop an applicable suggestion. Click here to check it out! All shoes above from Nordstrom.

Fashion Flash: Over 40 tips on diet, shoes, beauty and more…

If you haven’t noticed, every Monday we host a wonderful post called The Fashion Flash.

This week we would like to introduce you to are “flashy” experts who specialize in over 40 topics. We hope you will pop over and visit their sites and feel free to leave a comment!

Here they are:

Female Fat Loss Over Forty:

Are you puzzled by your ever present belly? Want to get rid of it for good? Check out what female fat loss expert Shawna K has to say about belly fat and saying good by to it. Here’s her blog: Female Fat Loss Over 40

Can Colorful Shoes Make You Look Young and Modern? Part 1

It’s been a long time since shoe buying has been so much fun. This spring’s shoes are colorful and crazy and many of you have told us you want to buy a pair.

So what’s holding you back? Are you unsure about whether colorful shoes are age appropriate after 40?

If you’ve come close to buying a pair, but turned back from the cash register counter at the last moment because you thought you’d better stick to something neutral and safe, then read on.

Here’s our take on this season’s rainbow of shoes, with ideas for what to wear them with so you look hip and chic!

WEDGES

When you want to go high, but be comfortable, wedges are a good bet. This cute red patent shoe with its striped wedge has a slightly nautical feel to it. So why not pick up on that theme?	This wedge shoe would look great with a navy, black, white or a cheery yellow sundress like this, that is lighthearted and summery.
Electric blue is popular this season, but can be hard to wear because it sometimes comes off as heavy and harsh. This shoe captures the color trend without being overpowering. Love the combination of blue washed snakeskin and a rope wedge which makes this shoe modern and interesting.	One of the easiest and prettiest ways to wear the new blue is to pair it with something white like this tidy linen blend scoop neck dress by Elie Tahari. Add jewelry, like some chunky blue and silver beads, and you are all set.

Spring Shoes To Go With Spring Dresses!

We recently showed a little sneak preview of some Spring dresses that you will be seeing in the stores soon. When a reader, quickly wrote us…”I love these dresses, can you please show us the shoes that will go with them!” So to follow up on her question, here is our pick for some great new spring shoes!