Fall Shoes

Women's Hottest Fall Shoes for 2008

The menswear-inspired footwear trend really started catching last Fall, but this year, heeled oxfords are hotter than ever.

I'm seeing lots of open toes, cutaway sides, two-toned uppers and most excitingly, some non-neutral colors, like purple and golden yellow.

Despite the fact that brightly colored shoes became all the rage this Spring, purple shoes were few and far between. I guess they were being saved for this Fall because now they're everywhere, and everything from booties to evening shoes can be had in the royal shade.

Purple is great for pairing with grays, black, and blues -- and it's also good for adding a splash to rich earthtones and neutrals.

If you're a fan of heels, don't worry, it's not like flat boots have totally taken over, but those of you who prefer a more foot-friendly style will be happy to know that tall flat and low-heeled boots are out in abundance this season. Partially fueled by the popularity of brands like Frye, flat boots are all the rage, and they can be had in styles ranging from casual to dressy.

A bit of a trend-in-the-making at this point, all you fashion-forward women may want to snap up some fringed footwear for Fall. The obvious choice would be to grab just about anything from Minnetonka, but if you've no desire for fringed boots, don't worry, fringe is topping sandals and booties this year as well.

No surprise here, since booties (or shooties as some call them) have been one of the leading trends in Fall footwear for the past couple of years. This year's top styles include menswear-inspired oxfords, low-cut fronts, gathered uppers and fold-down collars.

Last Spring brought us lots of booties with open toes, cut-out tops and sides, and even open backs. This cutout bootie trend is still gaining momentum, and it's a great way to squeeze more than one season out of those booties.

Another trend I'm seeing in the shootie/bootie department is styles that feature multiple materials or colors in their uppers -- like suede booties with patent accents, and ivory booties with black toe caps.

Not that heeled mary janes are really ever "out," but this season they'll be more accessible than ever, with pointy-toed and round-toed styles available in abundance. If you prefer your mary janes without the side order of high heels, don't panic, there are plenty of flats to be had as well.

Quarter Strap shoes fall somewhere between an ankle strap and a mary jane, and there's a fine enough line that I often see them lumped into one category or the other. But basically, the strap is higher than it is on a mary jane, and instead of wrapping all the way around the ankle, it attaches to the part of the shoe that sits behind the heel (the quarter).

Now that we've got that behind us, let's get to the fun part: quarter-straps are hot. I particularly like styles like the ones shown here, in which the front strap is wide, and it's joined at the side by buckles.

Whether you prefer your skins to be faux or genuine, you'll have no trouble finding reptile styles to slip into this Fall.

While booties and pumps are obvious choices for cooler temperatures, there are also lots of sandals that can be worn well into the Autumn as well. Styles like the ones shown here are really mult-seasonal, since they offer fuller coverage than their skimpy-strapped counterparts.

Shoes that gradually shift from one shade or color to another are hot this season, and the trend is continuing into fall, with reds and earthtones being especially prevalent.

The nice thing about ombre shoes is that they're more subtle than color-blocked shoes, while still being more versatile than single-hued styles.

I've been hearing rumblings that grunge is on its way back, though it's sort of hard to gauge, since for some of us, it never really left.

It's still early days on this one, so there's no need to go change your whole wardrobe or anything, but if you miss Jordan, Rayanne, Ricky and Angela as much as I do, then you'll be happy to know that it's nearly time to dust off those Doc Martens.