The Four Summertime Shoes You NEED this Summer

 

At the age of four I was obsessed with The Wizard of OZ. It was a colorful fairytale with the beautiful Judy Garland as its protagonist who wears the cutest blue picnic dress (um hello current 2018 trend of picnic dresses!). But most of all, it's plot loosely focuses on the ownership of a gorgeous pair of ruby slippers that held magical powers beyond just making my young self drool on the couch. As most little kids do, when there's a character you love, it's inevitable that you will be dressing as that character for Halloween. And that is exactly what I did. But most importantly, I remember having the ruby slippers of my dreams, which I believe has evolved into my unexplainable LOVE for shoes!

 

 

I find trends so interesting. How do they catch on and spread so fast? Who decides what the next trend will be? How is it possible to predict upcoming trends? (Hmmm, maybe I should do my research and make a post getting back to you on all of those questions...) With all of those unanswered questions, there is something I know for sure: cheetah print is BACK!!

 

While some of you wonder if it ever was out of style in the first place, let me tell you it doesn't matter anymore because it's here and hopefully it's here to stay. Not gonna lie, I pride myself on the fact that at the young age of 3 my great aunt bought me a faux fur coat that was entirely cheetah print. But anyway, I found these cheetah shoes at the thrift store I practically live at for only $10! They're Audrey Brooke and in nearly perfect condition, I don't know how anyone could've given these babies away!

Through trial and error, I've discovered that they go great with skinny jeans and a plain tee or button up. The best way to rock these is by letting them have all the attention they demand. They're a staple item and when paired with mostly basics, they stand out and do their magic. Although, I've also enjoyed pairing them with my high waisted kaki shorts because it makes me feel like I'm on a safari.

Next on the list is yet another trend within the blogging world. Although I can almost guarantee mine are significantly cheaper than others.

These are the shoes I've worn most this summer. Not only are they comfortable and easy, but they go with everything! As shown above, the Gucci pair are $695 while an off brand replica at Target are only $11.48. That's a $683.52 difference! So obviously I went with the cheaper version because they give the same look and I won't have the guilt of investing in a pair shoes.

 

If you're like me and adore the business casual style, these are the shoes for you! Honestly, I can't live without them.

 

 Fun Fact: I was in a women's a capella group at school. And if I'm being honest, what I loved most about the group was our varsity sweaters and the fact that we all had to wear red heels. (Ah the perfect excuse for me to get a grown up pair of ruby slippers hehe)

I love heels don't get me wrong, but oh my gosh they hurt my feet after a while. Sometimes it's worth the pain, but when it reaches the unbearable point, I throw them off my feet as fast as possible and consider burning them. That, however, is NOT the case with these shoes. I opted for a lower and thicker heel in order to avoid the living hell involved with wearing heels, but I thought these were still fancy and even a little retro, which I'm all about!

Last are a pair that was more of a trend last summer but is still going on today: mules! Again with a low heel for comfort, these shoes can go casual or fancy depending on the outfit you match them with. They're comfortable and I find that they definitely make your calves look slimmer. All I can say is, I'm a fan!

Please leave a comment telling me what shoes you've been loving this summer and why! Thank you so much for reading!

Sarah Grace xoxo