The perfect cocktail outfit is not only about the dress you wear. You may have picked out a beautiful dress for your next cocktail party but the outcome won’t amount to much if you pair it with the wrong shoes. To ensure your outfit looks flawless and stunning, it's important to put a good deal of thought into the shoes you’re wearing. 

From shoe color to comfort – many factors come into play when it comes to matching the right pair with your dress. For instance, neutral shoes make your legs look elongated so you can pair them easily with a short dress; whereas stilettos can look gorgeous with just about any dress but might not be comfortable for many. 

Here’s an easy guide to help you find the perfect shoes for your cocktail dress!

Types of Shoes to Team with a Cocktail Dress 

From pumps to stilettos – here are the types of shoes you can choose from to flaunt your attire:

Peep Toes 

If you’ve chosen a cocktail dress that is either short or knee-length, you can easily match a pair of peep-toes with it. If you’re not looking forward to wearing stilettos, you can choose a stylish and comfy pair of peep-toe wedges instead. 

Pumps 

If your dress oscillates more towards a chic appeal, pumps can lend a gorgeous style to your overall attire. Whether you’re wearing pencil skirts or short dresses – pumps can help you flaunt a classy, urban look.

Stilettos 

Pumps and stilettos aren’t very different from each other. Everything in the high heels category falls under stilettos and pumps are simply high heels that are closed. If you love high heels, stilettos are a great option to add a sleek style to your look. 

Small Heels 

Small heels are a perfect answer to, “how to look stylish without having to wear high heels?” In other words, they offer a comfier way to spruce up your cocktail attire and give you that smart, elevated look. When shopping for small heels, go for shoes that have a little bit of heel and complements your cocktail dress. 

Booties

Sure, boots can be a major style savior during the winters and sync beautifully with autumn’s backdrop. But they’re not just limited to the cold seasons. You can pair these ankle-length shoes with dresses of all lengths and flaunt them at any time of the year.

How to Pick the Perfect Shoes? 

Shoes have a massive role to play when it comes to completing an attire. Here’s your mini guide to finding the perfect pair for your cocktail party: 

Go for a Color that Compliments your Dress

Unlike the 80s, fashion today doesn’t demand you to match every element of your attire. The easiest way to pick the perfect shoes for your gorgeous dress would be to go for the color that complements it. For example, if you’re deciding to rock the evening in dark blue, feel free to pick a pair of orange shoes to infuse an added drama into it. 

Shoes are usually the best way to ace your contrast game. The color of the shoes you pick decides whether your outfit would look stylish, whimsical, interesting, or even subtle. If your dress shows a combination of beautiful colors, pick the color you want to stand out and your shoes can be of that color. 

Tried several options but still not satisfied with the results? Neutral colors are always here to save the day by offering the versatility you need.

Comfort Comes First

As much as you might want to look picture-perfect for your cocktail party, skimping on your comfort can just easily turn your evening into a nightmare. The perfect shoes are always the ones that can keep your feet happy all evening or night. One way to ensure that is to get your fitting right. 

To make sure your shoes don’t come in the way of your comfort during the cocktail party, you can first test them out several days before the event. 

Consider the Season

From strappy evening sandals to those gorgeous open toes – there are countless shoe options for nice, warm weather. But when it comes to weather that is not so ideal, it's important to put a good amount of thought into what shoes you’ll be wearing. 

As stunning as they look, satin uppers or high heels simply don’t work when there is freezing rain, snow, or ice to deal with. Instead, a pair of booties would look perfect and keep you comfortable throughout the party. 

Let the Dress be the Highlight

If you’re about to shop for shoes, a golden rule to remember would be: either the shoes or the dress should be heavily embellished. 

If your dress is beautifully bold, don’t let a pair of sparkly or equally embellished shoes take the attention away from it. Instead, team it up with a pair of neutral shoes. The subtlety of neutral shoes is perfect to balance any dress with prints, jewels, fringe, or other embellishments. 

If your dress is all about elegant simplicity, feel free to put on a pair of statement shoes. Glistening or shimmery shoes, for example, can add a tasteful flavor to just about any basic cocktail dress. 

Time to Dazzle in your Attire!

Shoes are truly a woman’s best friend. But with countless options available out there, it can be easy to get confused with your choice. When choosing the shoes for your next cocktail party, keep things like – the color and embellishments of the dress, the season, and the degree of comfort you want your shoes to offer – in mind. 

Before finalizing any pair of shoes, make sure you first test them out. The perfect shoes will not only complement your dress beautifully but will also allow you to walk comfortably and confidently. 

You may be trying to find the perfect shoes for your cocktail party, but have you finalized your cocktail dress yet? If not, let us tempt you with several collections of unique and jaw-dropping cocktail dresses to help you dazzle at the event. Take a trip to NewYorkDress’s website to find the high-end statement dress that you will love!