3 Shoe Trends Every Woman in L.A. Is Wearing This Fall

Angelenos are masters of the wrong shoe theory—a casual flipflop with a suit, say, or a cold-weather shoe with shorts. The latest example of this tendency: suede knee-high boots. They include slouchy styles, a cowboy core boot profile and cool-girl 1970s zippered designs, all of which I've seen all over the city, from the dressed-to-impress Beverly Hills shopping crowd to the tapping-on-my-laptop creatives in Echo Park. What’s nice about suede as opposed to thick calf leather is that it’s softer on bare skin—so no tights or high socks are needed in warm weather.

In a more walkable version of Taylor Swift’s Mary Janes with socks trend, I’ve been seeing ballet flats all over town with shorts, skirts and wide-leg jeans. In both strapped and classical ballet iterations, these shoes hit the SoCal sweet spot of way casual and also a bit boho. The socks are thin—sorry hiking fans, you’ll need to leave those thick athletic socks in the drawer—and the color combo of the sock-shoe matchup can be a conservative, monochrome pairing or a more raucous clash.

Bohemian? Comfy? All those dependable style watchwords for Angelenos go out the window when it comes to fine dining in Hollywood and Beverly Hills. When dusk falls, the ladies of L.A. climb up onto stiletto heels embellished with flowers, rhinestones and lately, bows. Big bows tying the shoes to the foot, smaller bows adorning straps, it’s all trending. Designer names including Louboutin and Amina Muaddi can run over a thousand dollars, but there are plenty of more affordable options I’ve found. Be sure to wear an above-the-knee skirt if you’re balancing atop these babies—you want to flaunt these confections.