FW24: women’s footwear buyer’s guide

If the years of the ‘work-from-home’ Covid-19 pandemic taught us anything about women’s shoes, it’s that flat and comfortable footwear can be just as stylish as 7” stilettos. Indeed, for the FW24 season, designer sneakers, ballet flats and Mary-Janes will continue to check. But with a return to the office, music festivals, award shows and other gatherings, there are some alternative key styles that coordinate with the forthcoming season’s fashion trends.

Slingbacks

First made popular in the 1950s, shoes with backstraps go in and out of style. Due to the recent popularity of Y2K and ‘naughties’ fashions, they are back. They mostly will have a pointed toe but heel shapes and heights are varied, including flats, kitten heels and wedges. Materials include lambskin, snakeskin, metallics and patent leather.

High vamp pumps

A pump with a high profile, where the vamp covers more of the upper part of the foot, is another vintage style coming back into fashion for 2024. They can be plain, embellished or have high-shine finishes. The heel tends to be of low or medium height and ranges from skinny to curved.

Western boots

There is a renewed interest in the ‘Wild West,’ as witnessed in the recent Louis Vuitton show and last year’s Coastal Cowgirl/u>trend. For FW24 look for tooled Western boots. The shaft can be straight or crumpled, can have a double layer, a distressed finish or rendered in mixed materials.

Stacked heel tall boots

Taking over from the more ostentatious over-the-knee boot, is the shorter up-to-the knee boot with a smallish stacked heel. It is copasetic with the ongoing ‘Quiet Luxury’ trend. Hell heights will tend to be moderate and stacked or cube shaped. Look for subdued embellishment.