Ombre Shoes

Ombre shoes (or shoes with multi-shaded uppers) have become quite the footwear mini-trend lately, although nobody seems quite sure what to call them ... shadowed, faded, gradient, graduated color, shaded, color-dipped, dip-dyed.

I've also seen them referred to as having "degrade" uppers, but that's my least favorite term for the effect. It sounds odd, and makes it seem as if shoes have been humiliated in some fashion.

There's something about this effect that's a little too reminiscent of "Dynasty" and other 80s fashion trends for my liking, so it's not my favorite trend in the world.

But done well, these shoes do have several things going for them: they're more versatile than they're single-shaded counterparts, they're visually interesting; they have a certain built-in sex appeal; and they're a great way for the patternphobe to break away from solids without commiting to a print.