These Are the ‘It’ Shoes and Brands Destined to Shine for 2024
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One of fashion’s favorite ways to ring in the new year is with a fresh crop of trend forecasts. All of those crystal ball readings and the pursuit of new beginnings tap into the very nature of fashion’s trend cycle: out with the old and in with the new.
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While it’s impossible to know what all of 2024 will hold for the fashion and footwear industry when it comes to this year’s “It” shoes and brands, a closer look at spring and pre-fall ’24 collections, trending moments from late 2023 plus merchandise that has begun to hit stores all help to give clues on what will resonate for the rest of the year.
It’s almost guaranteed that Ugg’s mini platforms, Alaïa’s mesh flats and the Adidas Samba will all continue to resonate in early 2024, but the rest of the year is likely to bring an about-face on trending footwear. That is, after all, the nature of trends: what goes up will certainly come down — and then back around again.
Here, a look at 11 specific shoes and brands that have a good shot at becoming an “It” shoe in 2024.
The Row’s jelly shoes
One day in the distant future, it’s possible that we might not see a trending shoe from The Row. But today is not that day. 2023’s mesh ballet flat trend could be traced all the way back to a pair of mesh flats that The Row debuted in spring 2020 (just before and as the pandemic hit and upended fashion completely). After percolating for a few years during the post-pandemic revenge fashion wave, the flats hit their stride in the summer of 2023. For it’s pre-fall ’24 collection (which the brand showed at Paris Fashion Week as other brands unveiled spring ’24 lines), The Row put forth another round of open-air flats, this time down in an intricately woven jelly material. With “jellyfish hair” and other jelly shapes and textures set to trend in 2024, it’s safe to say that this next-gen ballet flat will sell out as soon as it hits stores.
Jimmy Choo’s Ixia sandal
The luxury footwear brand debuted its new “drop” heel during Milan Fashion Week for its spring ’24 collection — but sped up the release for the holiday season with pumps, boots and sandals alike. For the sandal version, creative director Sandra Choi took the tried-and-true, two-strap silhouette and gave it a few modern updates, namely a geometric criss-cross toe strap detail, an angled square toe sole and the aforementioned teardrop-shaped heel for a little something extra. The Ixia has arrived just in time for a highly-anticipated awards season, so this heel is likely to end up on the red carpet any day now. And come spring, we’re betting the sandal will also be a go-to for the wedding and party circuit.
$995
Gucci’s platform loafer
For Gucci, it’s truly in with the new in 2024. With the debut of new creative director Sabato De Sarno at the brand’s spring ’24 runway show at Milan Fashion Week in September, Gucci and De Sarno put forth a vision that’s heavy on color, iconography and silhouettes, and that included a series of high-rise flatform loafers (complete with Gucci’s horsebit hardware, natch). The attention grabbing platforms are sure to go sky high.
Miu Miu’s sparkly-sporty thongs
The Italian fashion brand made a killing this past fall with its own very-Miu Miu take on the ballet flat trend. But for spring ’24, it homed in on the thong sandal — a bona fide Y2K shoe trend destined to make a comeback any which way. Miuccia Prada’s take on the thong came with both sparkly and sporty accents: all of the sandals were done in colorful cable rope, but some were also decked out in oversized crystal jewels. Don’t sleep on the colorful bandaids the models wore on the runway along with the sandals; the end-of-fashion-month solution could become its own footwear trend this year.
Prada’s square-toed mules
Sure, Prada’s foam rubber fisherman sandals with the Monolith lug sole are still going strong, as are the the puffy padded leather ballerinas. But come spring, the Italian brand will make another big push on a new kitten heel. This time, they will come in softer, more luxurious satins (instead of the hard, brushed leather construction of its fall ’23 origami-like pumps). The spring ’24 heels will also come in both mules and sling backs, done with an easier-to-wear squared toe. Whether or not they slap on the ever-more-ubiquitous triangular logo in merchandising remains to be seen.
Ugg’s Sunburst Tall boots
Trend watchers are pointing to Ugg’s tall boots as the next “It” moment for the footwear brand, an inevitable pendulum swing after a few years of Mini Platform mania. But since we know that plenty of people received their low-rise Uggs during the holidays, we are betting that the year will be divided in two: Mini domination this winter and a more targeted tall boot revival come fall 2024.
$299
Loewe’s orthopedic big toe heels
So many of Loewe’s shoes have become “It” shoes over the years — and 2024 will be no different, with a whole new crop of quirky heels and flats coming down the pipeline. For spring ’24, creative director Jonathan Anderson focused on soft textures, a muted palette and down-to-earth shapes, including a structured flat Mary Jane in sturdy black leather and a kitten-heeled loafer done in a nubby brushed suede. But it’s the spring ’24 footbed heels that are likely to resonate IRL, not just on TikTok. This shoe is made for the fashion-forward who also can’t give up the comfort of their Birkenstocks.
More Adidas Wales Bonner x Sambas
It’s more than likely that the 2023 Shoe of the Year will start to lose momentum in 2024 — that’s the way trends go, after all. But for at least the earlier months of the year, Adidas’s ongoing collaboration with British designer Grace Wales Bonner is sure to keep the buzz alive. The latest styles, which dropped in November, have already received the “It” girl shoe badge on TikTok.
Christian Louboutin’s Miss Jane pumps
It’s hard to hear the name Christian Louboutin without thinking of a stiletto heel. But for spring ’24, the designer is focused on the Mary Jane, and more particularly a tap-inspired silhouette, which is already available. “You have many ways and many cultures of dancing. Mary Janes, for me, have this tap dancing feeling, this Spanish, sort of Flamenco-like feeling,” the designer told FN during his Paris Fashion Week presentation in September. “So it’s [about] the double cross Mary Jane. And also it was Jane Birkin, those legs, that silhouette. Dancing in short heels — a little tap moment. So that was really all around dance.”
$895
Bottega Veneta’s Domenica leather sock boots
The Italian luxury brand’s novelty footwear first arrived on the runway for fall ’23, but most of the styles are just starting to arrive in stores now. At first glance the hybrid sock shoes look like a basic chunky knit wool or alpaca blend, but upon closer inspection they are actually done with tiny strands of woven leather. For anyone unable to pay the $4,100 price tag but looking for the same effect, the brand has also debuted an update to its Atomic boot, this time done in a heeled sock boot done in a knitted wool.
1,100
The Attico Robin boots
With all of the ballet flats walking about, we’re guessing that a chunky boot is bound to make its way to street style later on in 2024. The Attico’s Robin boot provides the heft but avoids the 2020-era combat boot look, opting instead for a still-trending foldover detail in a knee-high height. The boot manages to capture the energy of a classic knee style while providing extra clunkiness, plus just a whiff of Western for the ultimate 2024 ugly shoe.
$950
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