If there are people out there who can roll out of bed, grab the first thing they see in their closet and head out the door, looking so darn put together on the fly, I'm definitely not one of them. (Do these people exist? I feel like they do!) While an "effortless" look may be seen as the coolest, in reality, of course it takes effort—we just want the appearance of easy breezy.
When we have those crazy rushed mornings (so rare in my life, so rare, haha! 😳), the best way to win is to have a go-to look. (You might already do this without realizing it.) So here's a way to simplify your morning routine and up the ante for any outfit: invest in a good-quality, wear-with-everything pair of shoes. Sounds like a no-brainer, but for real! If you choose one area of your wardrobe to splurge a bit, to buy investment pieces, go for shoes. When you have even one well-made pair of black ankle boots for winter (or a great pair of plain leather sandals for spring/summer), you can throw them on with the simplest outfit on those rushed mornings (like black pants and an oversized button-up shirt) and you've automatically got a cooler vibe. Go for a pair that looks sleek enough for night, too, and you're golden. 🔥
A few tips before you splurge:
1. Go for a classic style over a super trendy one. That way you can wear your shoes for years to come and they won't suddenly seem "over" or "outdated." (The horror!) Also, you'll feel more comfortable wearing them almost every day if they're more on the minimalist side. (If you follow me on Instagram, you know about my obsession with the boots above. I definitely wear them all the time. The fact that they don't have any buckles or studs or eye-catching details means they're easy to wear a lot and they pretty much blend into my look in the best way.)
2. Go for walkability. In this case, forget about heels. I can walk all over the city in the boots above and that's why I love them. Plus, the more walkable the shoes, the more you'll...
3. Wear them A LOT. When I buy new shoes, it's super exciting and I tend to want to save them for special occasions, but then I realized: Wait, I paid a good deal of money, so I'm going to wear them every week and really get my money's worth. If you're making an investment, put it toward a closet staple that you're going to wear all the time, because then it really justifies spending a bit more—and you'll need something that's well-designed to stand up to daily wear and tear.
The key here is that you don't need to spend hundreds of dollars or buy something designer. In fact, I would say avoid doing those things in this case. You could go for flat ankle boots, like I focused on here, or maybe sneakers are more your style, or maybe you're dying for warm weather, so you're looking for the perfect sandals... Go with what you're drawn to. A couple of favorites:
Suede booties, side-zip leather sneakers, strappy flat sandals, satiny mules, pointy-toe loafers.
Xoxo, Heather
Photographs by Tom Schelling.