Ask any shoe sales person what the top three selling colors of shoes are and you'll get the same answer: "Black, Black and Black!" It's true, the most commonly sold color of shoe is black. Why is that? It's versatile, sure. It's safe, sure. But how many pairs of black shoes do you have in your closet? How many times have you looked at a fun color pair of shoes and then defaulted to black because you think you'll get more use out of them? If you can relate to this scenario, you are not alone!
We understand this, but girls - we deserve to have some fun! Think of an outfit that you love and then think of the jewelry you'll wear with it. Did you think of the shoes? Why not? Shoes are like jewelry for our feet! People don't stop looking at your outfit when they get to your knees - they take it all in. Your shoes can blend in or be a statement! Don't get me wrong - sometimes black is the best option for your shoe choice, but sometimes switching out the black shoes for a fun color can change the entire look of our outfit!
We chose twelve of our most popular styles and asked women to wear them in black and also in another color - wearing the same outfit with both - just to show how treating our shoes as jewelry for our feet can change the vibe! We aren't asking you to go pitch your trusty black shoes, but we are challenging you to consider opting for a metallic color, a leopard print or a tie-dye.
Once you've checked out what these lovely ladies chose, we encourage you to take the challenge and select a pair that has you stepping outside your neutral zone! Oh, and please let us know what you chose by sending, posting or tagging us in your pics - you never know what kind of surprise you may get from us in return!
ANDRA
A self-proclaimed tom-boy, Andra is most comfortable in a pair of gym shorts and sneakers - but she does have fun dressing up to go out with her friends to dinner, a concert or a dance club. For her first shoe, Andra is wearing the Cam sandal. This sandal is very basic, and easy to wear. Comfortable beyond belief, it's easy to understand why customers are snatching these up in several colors. Andra shows us here that her black halter and jogger style stripe pants look great with the basic black Cam, but how fun are they when she swaps out black for the rose gold color!
Andra, wearing Cam in Black Leather and in Rose Gold Leather.
Andra is petite and wears a size 4.5 medium shoe and she is maybe 5" tall! Adorable in every aspect, she does enjoy adding some height with a platform heel now and then. However, suffering for a few extra inches in height is not something Andra is willing to endure, so she positively loves the Porsha platform sandal because it includes our super-cushy Tiny Pillows insoles, ensuring her feet will feel great! Her flowing, fun dress looks fab with this sexy sandal in black, but isn't it awesome how fun it looks when she switches over to the silver pair!
Andra, wearing Porsha in Black Glitter Leather and in Silver Glitter Leather.
JENNIFER
Versatility is the name of the game for Jennifer, and she is always one for a fun colored shoe! When we asked her to be part of this, she was all for it, because she has a closet full of amazing clothes and loves to complete her look with jewelry for her feet! For her first outfit, Jennifer chose a fun, gauzy summer romper with high slit legs. As you can see below, the Pool sandal, from our Comfort Cradle line in black multi leathers and a black suede heel looks fabulous! However, changing it up with the cork Pool certainly makes the interesting gold flecks in the cork pop against the fun flowing pant legs and complements the lovely lace cami Jen is wearing with this lovely outfit!
Jennifer, wearing Pool in Black Multi Leather with a Black Suede covered sole, and then in Cork with Gold Flecks and a Cork covered sole.
Jennifer lives on a lake, so heading down to take a sunset boat ride is something she and her husband love to do! The Dash sneaker from our Metro+ Collection is perfect to quickly slip on and grab a cooler with some snacks and a bottle of wine to head down to the dock. The basic black Dash with its white sole is one of Jen's favorite go-to sneakers, but when she opted for the tie-dye version, her white cover-up took on a total summer spirit!
Jennifer, sporting the Metro+ Dash sneaker in Black Stretch Fabric,
and in Tie-Dye Stretch Fabric.
LAUREN
Whether sporty or dressy, Lauren always loves completing her look with an eye-catching shoe! The Metro+ sneakers are some of Lauren's favorites because the extra cushioned insoles are so comfy! Worn here with a fun t-shirt dress and zip-up hoodie, the Dylan sneaker in Black Snakeskin Fabric with Black Leather is a great athleisure look. But switch out basic black for this Iridescent Silver leather pair and Lauren's look suddenly has pop of pizzaz - without sacrificing any of the comfort because it's the same shoe in a different color!
Lauren looking snazzy! Dylan in Black Snakeskin and in Iridescent Silver Leather!
The little black dress is always a great option and this swingy little number Lauren is wearing would literally look good with just about any shoe! Styled in a totally classic manner, Lauren selected our popular pointed toe pump, the Samantha in Black Patent Leather. However, taking a walk on the wild side is always something Lauren is ready to do, and the same pump in Leopard Print Calf Hair Leather does the trick!
Lauren's LBD looks great with the Samantha in Black Patent and also with the Leopard Calf Hair Leather pair!
As a Creative Director, I've held photo shoots in all sorts of places! Whether in a studio, a home, a park, an office, the steps of a courthouse, the farmers market or a restaurant (to name only a few), variety has kept things fun! I've been doing this for over 30 years now, but I've never had the experience like I did during the round of photos you are about to see! Having this mother-daughters photoshoot was great because we could do it all in one place on the same day. Our unexpected bonus was that we had live entertainment - and boy did that make it easy to keep these next three models smiling!
Tate and Maely provided musical entertainment during the photoshoot!
While their mom, Gigi and aunt were modeling, Tate and Maely kept things lively by playing their guitar and ukulele! As the photographer, I was instructed that before I began shooting, I was to announce "lights, camera, action - and music!" That was the dynamic duo's cue to begin playing and they continued through each set!
LAURA
Life is always busy for this mother of two (our musicians seen above) and first-grade teacher! Laura loves a basic jeans and t-shirt look and chose the Nella thong sandal because it's easy to slip on and run out the door, but the super cushy insoles make it so comfy to run around in all day. Worn in the Black Accordion leather, it is a no-brainer kind of outfit. Treating these sandals as jewelry for her feet, Laura chose the gold Nella's to add some subtle bling!
Laura's jeans and tee look great with the Nella in either Black Accordion Perfed Leather or Gold Accordion Perfed Leather!
Having two small children to keep up with doesn't mean Laura isn't going to get dressed up for special events - what it does mean is that she won't wear uncomfortable heels that will hurt her feet! Lucky for Laura, the Liza sandal is exactly what she needs. She knows she can't go wrong with Black Micro, and it's definitely a timeless look. But her silver necklace certainly pops with the addition of the sexy Silver Snakeskin Leather version of this comfortable city sandal!
Laura loves both the Liza's! Black Micro on the left and
Silver Snakeskin Leather on the right!
JANE
One Facebook comment this photo received was "Jane always looks so cute and stylin'. I love the gold!" Sometimes it takes seeing someone else wear a less-than-basic color to help inspire us, which is exactly why we did this feature! The Comfort Cradle sandal, Phoebe isn't exactly basic in black, though, as it is made of a pebbled black patent leather with a bold, oversized buckle. But notice how the gold tones in Jane's paisley skort are accentuated when Jane switches to the Phoebe in Gold Crackle Leather!
The Phoebe's both look great on Jane - either in the Black Pebbled Patent Leather, or the Gold Crackle Leather!
A feature Jane likes in shoes is some extra arch support, and the Metro+ collection (whether the sneakers or the sandals) have just what she is looking for! The Hudson sandal is a great option as it's easy to just slip into and go! Worn here with white capris and a pretty floral top, Jane shows that plain black can be jazzed up by some bling when she switches from the Hudson in Black Leather/Nubuck, to Black Nubuck with Silver Crystals - now we are really talking jewelry for your feet!
Jane's loving both the Hudson in Black Leather/Nubuck and the
Black Nubuck with Silver Crystals!
Before we get to our last model, Elissa, I'd like to introduce a future Walking Cradles customer/model. Not only was Miss Maely behind the scenes, providing musical ambiance, she decided that Aunt Elissa needed a little coaching on how to model. So, prior to Elissa's shoot, Maely showed her how to do it - then also decided that Jane's Hudson-2 sandals with the crystals were her favorites!
ELISSA
If ever there was a spokesperson for our most popular shoe, the Orleans, it would be Elissa! A long-time fan of this Metro Collection sneaker, Elissa took the opportunity to show how different one shoe can look in a different color/material. The Black Perfed Nubuck is a great summer option because the perfed material provides natural "air-conditioning" for the feet. It looks great with a plain black tee and a long necklace. But, as we have seen previously, changing up your shoe can change your look, which is what Elissa did when she chose the Tan Metallic Camo Orleans as her colorful option!
Elissa is wearing Orleans in Black Perf on the left,
and Tan Metallic Camo Fabric on the right.
Deciding what color shoes to wear with a colorful floral dress can sometimes be tricky. If there is black in the dress, oftentimes we opt for a black shoe. As we can see here, Elissa's dress looks great with the Black Micro Lettie sandals. But to shake things up, she also chose the Tan and Rose Gold color, which accentuates the similar tones in the floral pattern of her dress.
Elissa, wearing the Lettie in Black Micro and Rose Gold Multi Leather.
So, there you have it! Twelve examples of how switching out black for metallic, leopard, camo, tie-dye, bling or just another color can change up the look of your outfit! The next time you are shopping for shoes, consider stepping outside the neutral zone and buying a pair in something besides black - or better yet, buy one of both - then you'll have options!
We hope you have enjoyed our week-long feature on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest, nicely rolled into this blog recap. We thank our models, our entertainment and our customers! Many times we introduce a new color or material because we have had requests, so if there is something you're wanting to see in a Walking Cradles shoe, please let us know!
Please enjoy FREE shipping all weekend long with code: Neutral at checkout!
Comments will be approved before showing up.
