I’m a Stylist – These are the 12 Color Shoes to Pair with Red Dresses | ShoeTease

Whether worn as a holiday outfit, a daring date dress or an evening look, one thing is for certain: we ladies love a bold red dress still in 2024! Am I right?

But the dress selection is the easy pick. Since the dress color is so bold, deciding what color shoes to wear with red dresses–and accompanying purses colors–can be tricky.

I'm Cristina, your ShoeTease stylist with 20+ years of experience crafting fashion looks! In this dress guide, I'll help you select the best shoe color to complement your crimson frock & give suggestions on what heels for red dresses work best.

At the end of the post, I'll also suggest which shoes not to wear with red dresses, too!

If your dress is a burgundy, poppy or a pink tickled-red hue, the shoe colors in this post apply. They're all the best color shoes to wear with most red dresses or outfit. That means any red dress, no matter the red tinge.!

If your dress is a darker wine-red, be sure to read my post on the best color shoes for Burgundy dresses!

12 Best Color Shoes to Wear with Red Dresses

1. Gold Shoes for Full Glam

I absolutely favorite footwear to match a red dress is a metallic gold shoe. Whether a warmer or cooler toned heel, sandal or flat, gold definitely reigns supreme.

This is one of the best color shoes to wear when pairing with a gown for a formal and a fab color shoes for a cocktail dress and great shoes for lace dresses.

A flat, minimalist strappy sandal in this rich color also looks great with a casual or bohemian style red dress.

If you're looking for a wear-with-everything gold sandal, check out Sam Edelman's Yaro. Out for a pump? Nordstrom's Abilyn pump with a chic strap is a great contender.

Looking for a strappy party heel? Check out these Sam Edelman Alisandra sandals, which are amazing!

Purse Styling Tip: black, white or matching gold purse.

(Related Post: How to Wear Red Shoes)

2. Nude, Beige or Blush Shoes

What color shoes to wear with red dresses? Beige to taupe to blush hues! These neutral footwear colors look fabulous with red & are likely easily accessible from your shoe closet.

However, a red dress and nude shoes & heels (no matter what your shade of “nude”) is a fan favorite! Which is surprising to some, but believe me when I tell you that these are neutral color shoes that go with everything!

It really makes the red outfit stand out & a Nudist-type sandal is a great way to let a more intricate red dress speak for itself.

Stuart Weitzman's Nudist sandal & the designer's new satin Square Nudist which is all kinds of amazing! A less pricey alternative is Sam Edelman's perfectly minimal Patti Strappy Sandal.

I'd opt for a shade close to skin-tone for the maximum shoe diminishing effect. But whichever your skin color is, beige is fantastic paired with any red dress outfits!

Although I don't always like a blush tone as it's usually too ‘pinkish' for red, it can often work.For a more casual look, a beige chunky heeled ankle boot would look amazing!

Purse Styling Tip: gold, rose gold, white or matching purse.

Favorite Nude Heels – Each Available in Various Tones:

3. Black Shoes for Drama

Ah, of course, black shoes: they go with almost, if not, every color & type of dress, am I right? I love the stark contrast they create compared to the red color & if your dress is one solid shade of red, you get an instant color-block effect between frock & shoes.

I love how Zara paired black oxfords with a simple mini-dress (left), giving it a quirky spin! Opt for strappy sandals for instant glam.

Chunky heel boots look great with a red sweater dress & are a definite contender for a simple, yet sexy no-nonsense style. It's a great, “I'm not trying too hard” look that's great for more laid-back first or second date, as the Topshop image on the right illustrates so well.

Looking for black sandals? Stuart Weitzman’s NudistSong strappy sandals (available here at Nordstrom) is a great choice. Or if you’re looking for a lower price, Steve Madden makes a nice minimal sandal called Stecy that you can also buy here. 

Sam Edelman makes a great, simple but comfy pointed pump called the Hazel. It comes in many hues and & you can take it from the ballroom to boardroom and then to the bar!

So yeah, if you want an all encompassing choice of shoe color to wear with your scarlet dress, black is a solid one!

Purse Styling Tip: white, matching black or metallic purse.

4. Silver Shoes for Sparkle

When looking for shoes to wear with a red dress, another great metallic besides gold, is silver. Whether it be pointed-toe pumps. brogues or sandals, they make a great pair!

Silver shoes are best matched with metallic jewelry in the same shade along with a red dress.

If you're looking for a closed toe silver shoe, J.Reneé's ‘Maressa' silver pointy toe pump from Nordstrom has been quite the hit this season with it's interesting texture & reasonable price. 

Popular strappy silver heeled sandal is Chinese Laundry from Nordstrom (priced for under $100).

I love how the silver pumps are perfectly matched with the Proenza Schouler dress on the far right, bringing out the white detailing in the printed fabric.

All three looks are a spectacular example of how to wear a red dress with silver shoes! On a side note, silver shoes are actually a great staple to have in your wardrobe as they match with almost any hue.

They're also an easy solution to the frequently asked question of what color shoes with navy dresses to wear!).

Purse Styling Tip: matching silver, black or white purse.

Favorite Silver Shoes & Heels:

5. Clear Heels for the Cool Factor

Trendy, fun and somewhat festive, clear heels are all the rage right now! How to wear clear heels? With bold colored dresses like red! Choose from fully transparent straps to bejeweled clear pumps.

Purse Styling Tip: silver, beige, white or black purse. Try a matching clear purse too.

Favorite Clear Heels:

6. White Shoes to Brighten a Red Dress

Great for Spring/Summer! Especially if you live in snowy winter wonderland Toronto. The alternative to black or silver shoes is a bright white boot, sandal or sneaker with your red dress outfit.

Less bold than black, but still contrasting (depends much on skin-tone & tights -if any- chosen), white shoes are the freshest of them all, when parked against a red dress.

White sneakers look amazing with a simple red style of dress & are a great way to dress down the vibrancy of the scarlet outfit. Obviously not the best choice, however, if off to a romantic Valentine's dinner 😉

White sneakers and heels are some of my fave shoes to wear with black dresses, if you haven't read that post of mine yet!

Purse Styling Tip: black, matching white or metallic purse.

Favorite White Shoes & Boots:

7. Blue Shoes

If you're feeling like pushing the fashion envelope, a red dress with blue shoes is a great & unexpected outfit mix.

Keep the purse simple or over-the-top. But as long as the dress & shoe type makes sense, this red and blue combo is even more fun & eye catching way to wear with red dress outfits. Or any red outfits, for that matter!

Purse Styling Tip: Contrast with purple, yellow or play it safe with a metallic gold, silver or black purse.

8. Brown Shoes for Everyday Styling

Can you wear a red dress with brown shoes? I'm on the fence about this one, because it's a bit of a ‘tricky' color, so to speak.

As you can see with the image on the far right: the model's brown shoes are actually a very close match to her skin tone, making them pretty much nude for her.

The styling of the maxi dress in the middle with the chunky slides looks good because it matches the boho style of of the look.

In the pictures right above, brown/tan shoes with red dresses work well for more easy-going, less dressy looks. And particularly so if they match your skin tone and you want a leggy look!

Purse Styling Tip: Beige, black white or brown (matching or contrasting) bag.

Two-Tone Colored Shoes with Red Dresses

If all of the above shoe colors look great with a red dress, why shouldn't a mix look just as good? Below are my favorite two-tone combinations of shoe shades to make your hot-hued dress look even better!

9. Black & Whites Shoes

If you can wear black shoes and white ones with a red dress, why not wear a two-tone shoe with your red outfit?

Although it's more tricky to style red with a black/white shoe, the simpler the dress, the easier it will be to style a colorblock shoe.

That being said, if you're style savvy & have a good eye for detail, a more intricate black & white shoe with an even more complex printed dress can work.

Just check out how Neiman Marcus replicated Saint Laurent's runway red/white/pink floral dress with a two-tone ancient Greek printed platform (above pic on the left).

It works really well, but not the easiest combo to pair! Then again, the dress isn't completely red, now is it? 😉

Purse Styling Tip: black, white or metallic handbag.

Favorite Black and White Shoes :

10. Gold/Blush/Black Combo Shoes

If you take gold or nude shoes that have another color that, on its own, works well paired with red, then you're good to go. Gold toe-caps on nude pumps looks amazing with Kirsten Bell's intricate dress (left).

The heel “capped” black pointed-toe pumps look just as fabulous with the bow-waisted red dress on the far right. The black/blush floral pump in the middle is a surprisingly fun match!

Again, this last one is more difficult to put together, but the blush clutch & the black nail polish really brings the shoes & the dress together in an atypical & fun way.

Purse Styling Tip: Match to one of the colors in the shoes.

11. Black Shoes with Metallic Detailing

Again, if one shoe color works great with a red, why shouldn't a bedazzled or studded shoe look good? Usually it will, so if you have some metallic or rhinestone adorned nude, black or white sandals, go ahead & wear them with your red dresses!

Purse Styling Tip: Match with a black bejeweled clutch or choose a silver or clear purse.

---

Now that you know what color shoes to wear with red dresses post, it's worth mentioning that other colors can't look great too. A minimal red dress outfit with a simple silhouette an look amazing with any of the following:

• Patent yellow shoes for a summery colorblock
• Purple shoes for colorful drama
• Fuchsia heels for 80s contrast
• Leopard print shoes for a fierce look

12. Red Shoes with a Red Dress

Can you wear red shoes with a red dress? Going matchy-matchy with your shoes & red dress really only works if you're going to a black tie/red carpet event. Or possibly going to a bridal even or going for a matchy prom look. Is that your case?

If so, keep your shoes minimal, like Rosamund Pike did, at the Oscars, wearing a stunning red lace gown with her what is Givenchy red satin sandals (similar to the Stuart Weitzman Nudist sandal).

If you MUST wear red shoes with your red frock & you're keeping it more casual than glam, do it with a dark burgundy shoe or bootie, which will compliment your red dress.

Purse Styling Tip: black, white or metallic purse.

Favorite Red Shoes & Heels :

Now That You Know What Color Shoes for Red Dresses:

One thing to keep in mind is that when wearing red, is it's best to go for bold contrast or barely-there shoe looks.

Although personal taste is subjective, the colors listed up above will do your red outfit the most justice & can easily be considered easy go-tos.

Hopefully this post solved your red dress dilemma! If not, please comment below & be sure to let me know how I can help shoe-style your dress!

PS: If you're looking for a more statement-making dress, check out ShoeTease's styling guide to the best shoes to wear with sequin dresses too!

xo ShoeTease

This post may contain affiliate links. ShoeTease may earn a small commission if you click through and/or make a purchase. Thanks for your support!