Nude Color Heel Crazy!

by Alisha
(Canada)

I've been loving the new nude heel craze going on recently and I was wondering if you had tips or could make a full article about how to buy the right shade of nude for you and what to stay away from, etc.

I've seen other articles talking about how you have to match the shade of nude with your skintone and I can understand that. I'm biracial (black & white) and I have Rihanna-like colored skin. All's well and good there but the problem is I don't want to get brown-ish colored heels, as the articles strongly suggest. I fell in love with the color of Jessica Simpson's shoes and I want to know if I could pull it off. I mean, if it doesn't completely match my skintone couldn't I just wear it as if it was any other kind of shoe?

Also, I'm going shopping in the states soon and would like nothing more than to find a cheap pair of plain nude pumps like in the picture. I'm a teenager so I was hoping to find something at Forever21 or WetSeal but I havn't had any luck. Do you know of any stores (US or Canada) that have cheap 20$-30$ shoes? (Please no online stores)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I'm sorry it was so long! D:

I love your website, I check up on it all the time and just wanted to say your doing a great job! (:

Have a fantastic day!


Alisha, thank you so much for the feedback. You're a sweetheart! :-)

I would really like to check out the articles you read that from! Do you remember the link?

Fashion-wise, it is the contrast that makes the outfit look interesting to look at. It makes the pumps stand out a little (:

Plus, it can really bring out the beauty of your bronzed skin. It's like wearing white to accentuate tanned skin. If you wore white with pale skin you won't completely see the difference.

Miranda Kerr via justjared, Beyoncé via celebutopia, Sandra Bullock via gettyimages, Eva Longoria via wireimages


It depends on your height and length and width of your legs

Nudes look definitely best when they are a different shade than a person's skin tone, but that's my personal opinion.

I'm not (I ate my words - I now love the look!) really a fan of the 'I'm naked' look, however I do believe that if you're petite and/or have short legs, thick ankles, you'll benefit from wearing nude colored shoes that match with your skin tone because they elongate your legs and make you look taller.

Take Eva Longoria as an example - she's 5'2 need this type of styling compared to Rihanna who is a 5'8. Wearing heels that contrast with the color of her skin will easily chop several inches off her short frame.

How to Wear Nude Colored Shoes

Select the right nude color for your complexion

Matching it with your skintone or not, I think the single most important thing you should have in mind when choosing a nude piece, is buying the right nude undertone. Ideally, the undertone of the nude color should match the undertone of your skintone (this is where the color analysis comes into the picture).

Since you're mixed, I'm assuming you have a warm skin tone. The Jessica Simpson nude pumps you selected have a golden/bronzed undertone that will make you shine ;-)

By the way, I've already written tips on how to find your nude color in the spring 2010 fashion trends-report.

There is a wide variety of nudes, and I usually sort them in 'warm' and 'cool' groups. Like for example, sand and cream are both considered to be nude; but sand looks more green and 'cool', while cream is more peachy and warm:




Selecting the right undertone is especially important if you're wearing nude close to your face but I can also confirm that even though you wear the color on your feet, it can make your legs look a bit pasty.

Here's an example of Kim Kardashian who has a warm-deep complexion wearing sand-based (which is considered a cool color) nude pumps, making her and her legs a little off (you can also see that snow white grays her complexion):


Kim Kardashian via x17online

I don't think they really mash with her overall complexion.

Cutesygirl might have some nude colored pumps since they offer a wide range of shoes, but all of their stores are located in California. You should try your luck at Target and Payless.

If anyone knows where to buy $20-30 nude pumps give us a shout! :-)

Have a fabulous day, Alisha!