3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Cosmopolitan
5 mini dress and shoe outfit combo ideas for making the most of bare leg weather
We're officially in late summer, which means – even when we're slapping on the SPF and sweltering on the bus into work – our minds are skipping ahead into autumn.
For fashion fans, it's a moment to ponder how, exactly, to get more mileage out of our fave summer items. When it comes to mini dresses, perhaps the most versatile of the bunch, one of the major sticking points is, well, shoes.
How exactly do you break free from the mini-dress-and-heels mould which restricts your fave teensy-tiny dresses to club wear or the sunniest of sunny days? Well, thankfully, we've just come back from Copenhagen Fashion Week, where the girlies were making their mini dresses work, transseasonally, with a whole host of footwear options.
Surveying the top trending footwear styles for autumn, we've pulled together our top five mini dress and footwear combos for making the most of bare leg season while tapping into the biggest shoe trends of the coming season. Enjoy!
The end of summer calls for the ultimate duo: mini dress and boots. Specifically, we recommend biker boots, which are going to be everywhere this autumn. This is good for giving a slouchy, Sienna Miller in the 2000s (or, dare we say it, Serena Van Der Woodsen) vibe: pair your best boho chic, floaty mini with the boots and an oversized bag and you are good to go!
(Want to pair your mini with boots but not the biggest fan of the biker boot trend? We've got your cheat sheet to diff dress + boots combos here)
If you're looking for an alternative to ballet flats but find loafers a bit too stiff and formal, you'll want to try the boat shoe (AKA the deck shoe). Traditionally, these shoes are made from canvas or leather and have a non-slip rubber sole, so they're pretty durable. This summer they made a sneak comeback, becoming a hit as a casual, go-to. Pairing a mini dress with a boat shoe gives off a preppy, eclectic vibe but is also practical as these shoes tend to be good for walking in.
Warning though (for here, and throughout the next three combos!) the most trending way to wear boat shoes + a mini dress rn is with ankle socks, as the statement white, lacy ankle sock of the late 2000s – worn with a contrasting shoe – is very much back.
Ah, the ballet flat. You may have thought we reached peak ballet flat but now, with the aforementioned 'statement sock' revival, there are a whole new bunch of ways to wear the style. Wearing a mini dress + ankle sock + ballet flat is a sure-fire way to keep the coquette flame burning. However, if you're less into micro-trends and more into classic looks, a mini dress and ballet flat is also a good option: an easy to pull-off, always chic style.
So, slingback heels with a gorge little kitten heel are going to be taking over come September. The shoe is going to be paired with this summer's staples (from capri pants to culottes) to give a refresh to our most beloved clothes. When it comes to a mini dress, this is a good neutral shoe, allowing you to make your mini appear more or less casual depending on the other accessories at play (big slouchy bags = more casual, smaller, more structured bags = more formal).
This one is a classic for a reason! To make your mini dress more daytime appropriate, pair with a set of sneakers so you can pound the pavement at leisure, without worrying about your feet pinching. Now, we'd recommend opting for a low profile pair of sneakers (ie low top sneakers with a low sole, which fits closely to the foot) such as the Puma Speedcat.
So, there you have it!
Megan Wallace (they/them) is Cosmopolitan UK's Former Sex and Relationships Editor covering sexual pleasure, sex toys, LGBTQIA+ identity, dating and romance. They have covered sexuality and relationships for over five years and are the founder of the PULP zine, which publishes essays on culture and sex. In their spare time, they can be found exploring the London kink scene and planning dates on Feeld.
