11 comfy dress shoes you can swap with your painful heels (2024)

Uggs are another Y2K obsession we cannot seem to get enough of. Chopova Lowena debuted embellished Uggs for their spring/summer ’24 and so did Ashley Williams who chose pins and stickers, giving the boots a DIY feel. Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lopez and Ashlee Simpson were already sporting the much beloved boots earlier this year and now Gigi Hadid and Barry Keoghan were seen wearing their Venture Daze clogs last month.

Cowboy boots

Much before we heard Miley sing ‘I could be your doctor, and I could be your nurse’ on the Louis Vuitton fall runway, the cowboy boot was spotted multiple times in the summer ’24 shows. From neon green with pink print boots at Ahluwalia, to more pop variations at Gunther, this shoe has stomped its way into being a summer essential. A classic interpretation of the shoe design was spotted at Sankuanz, while it looked like the shoe had literally been out in the wild with a dirty red variation at Enfants Riches Déprimés. Celine and Philipp Plein channelled the sensual energy of the boot through glossy or buckled versions.

Crocs

These shoes have always been polarising, however with a strong history of collaborating with fashion brands like Balenciaga of MSCF, and even bringing out cowboy boots last year, before it became a trend. One of the most popular Crocs collaborations to come out this spring/summer ‘24 was Simone Rocha’s pearl and crystal embellished crocs. Taking accessorising crocs to another level, some of these iconic shoes also had an added platform. ACT N°1 channeled the dystopia of everyday life through tied-up crocs. Balenciaga once again worked with the brand to bring out a pair of black and smoky blonde faux fur mules for spring ‘24. Crocs remain an extremely popular streetstyle shoe for many. They’ve also been embraced on red carpets as seen on Francesca Sloane and Yinka Bokinni and now the Crocs Getaway Platform Flip has been recently seen on Ashley Tisdale, Olivia Culpo and Skai Jackson.

Wedges

It was not just the front row at Chloé who signaled the revival of boho chic and along with it, wedges. Over the years, designers have been bringing out their own iterations of the wedge and the spring/summer ‘24 runway was no exception. Roberto Cavalli transformed the bohemian wedge to a sensual shoe for a night out as Chloé extended the heel seamlessly into a wedge, without any added platform for their open-toed sandals. This sleeker version of the wedge was also seen at Alaïa, Aaron Esh, Luar, Rokh, Zomer, Ferragamo and Matty Bovan, while at Victoria Beckham, a tiny heel was added beneath the wedge, to create the illusion of a full heel.

Ballet flats

These are perhaps the shoes that exemplify girlhood the most, currently. Simone Rocha embodied this in her bow and pearl embellished flats, GCDS through bejewelled ones and Zimmermann through flower ornaments. Designers focused on the basic elements of these shoes and reworked them. Marni, Sandy Liang and Palomo Spain worked with the essentials of the shoe and brought them out in pop colours, while Alaia gave them an edgier turn with fishnets and lambskin. As Dries Van Noten and Fendi returned to the design of the classic ballet flat, N°21 combined it with another trend – pointy heels. Versace added another feature of the heel and transformed the flats to open-toed versions. Kiko Kostadinov’s collaboration with Marc Jacobs on a ballet sneaker, giving edgy athleisure.

Texture trail: Spikes and fur

Taking the spirit of embellishments on the shoe forward, from the concert-going punk rock energy in Ashish’s platform boots to grunge Mary Janes at Collina Strada, spikes are back. Think Lady Gaga walking to her recording studio in 2010, in spiked heel-less boots. A spirit of rebellion is evident in Stefan Cooke’s spiked boots and Rave Review’s spiked open-toed sandals, while a single spike punctuates Jordanluca’s silver sandals. Bally and Maje Paris bought out spiked ballet flats. Charles Jeffrey Loverboy added their signature claws to their platform Mary Janes and mules. Of course, the goth interpretation of spikes was not missed as Namilia channeled their inherent sexuality through their spiked boots and sandals.

Fuzzy shoes

Shoes that sweep the floor have been frequenting the runway since the past couple of seasons and the summer collections too cannot seem to let go of the fuzz, as was seen at 16 Arlington and Roberto Cavalli. Oversized shoes were also seen at The Attico, Simon Cracker and Shuting Qiu who followed larger-than-life campy accessorising on shoes, covering them with tulle and shaggy material. Feathered flip-flops were at Balenciaga while calf-hair ones were brought out by Dries Van Noten. The shapes of the fuzzy material took an ethereal form at Edward Crutchley, Christopher Esber and Vivetta as the material transformed into whimsical forms around the shoe.

The Sambas

This shoe which was seen on Bella Hadid, Kendall Jenner, Hailey Bieber and Gigi Hadid heralds a sleeker turn to athleisure footwear, with their minimal design giving schoolgirl energy. After their Wales Boner collaboration last year, they are now launching their shoe collaboration with Messi, which comes in brightly tinted colours, including pink. Other than the Samba, there are other variations like the Adidas SL 72, which Bella Hadid was spotted in earlier this year or the Gazelle, which has been seen on Emma Watson during Fashion Week, Gigi Hadid and I.N of Stray Kids or the Puma Speedcat seen on Emily Ratajkowski. Closer home, Onitsuka Tiger’s sneakers which were seen on Uma Thurman in ‘Kill Bill’ are the shoes of the summer, with a similar streamlined design. Their bestselling Mexico 66 was seen on Kaia Gerber last week.

Flip Flops

Continuing on the road of comfortable girl summer, flip flops have entered the building. While Wales Boner, Dries Van Noten and Aaron Esh played with angular cut-out structures, girlhood came to play at Sandy Liang with bow accessories on the sandal, as MSGM paired it with knee-length socks. It was a corporate retreat to the beach at Miu Miu, with colourful knotted flip flop straps. The sandal was elevated at Private Policy with a platform and Proenza Schouler added a heel. Diesel brought the party with shimmery and colourfully printed variations, while Dsquared2 worked with the essential design of a flip flop, exuding casual comfort and boy next door.

Mary Janes

If girlhood and schoolgirl were combined in one shoe, it would be the Mary Jane. Rebellion was embodied in unfinished heart buckles and locks instead of normal buckles at Chopova Lowena, while Vivetta transformed the shoe’s band into a heart. Marc Jacobs went the doll route, finishing the shoe with an exaggerated tip and a platform. At Christopher Esber, the classic band of a Mary Jane was added to a traditional pointy heel, while Mrs Prada combined the ballet flat’s inherent softness with the sleekness of a Mary Jane. Tod’s, Tory Burch and Loewe experimented with playful transformations of the classic shoe.

Mules

Among other fervently disliked shoes that are back from the past with a new-found admiration, is the mule. Think Barbie stepping out of her glittery pink mules to stand on her toes or Jennifer Lawrence and Margot Robbie in Manolo Blahnik’s Jaradona mules last year. This season many designers channeled the classic design of a formal shoe or a ballet flat into the mule, like Victoria Beckham and Dries Van Noten zipper and Ottolinger who fashioned their shoe into a twisted Converse-like mule. The shoe took an edgier turn at Courrèges, with an added zipper, as McQueen turned out sexy and glossy ones. Stella McCartney created the illusion of a scarf tied around the shoe into a bow, giving boho chic, as Prada’s design shaped the mule akin to a house slipper, which was what the mule was intended to be, at an earlier era. Transforming the open-toed mule, a single signature keyhole was added to the front of the shoe at Schiaparelli.

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