STYLING SIDE NOTES | the not-black shoe

STYLING SIDE NOTE
The not-black shoe
A quiet rebellion in shoe form

Sometimes style decisions start with a question: Where did you get those?

This pair stayed with me. Merlot. Buckle. Not black. I wrote about why that mattered.

I’d seen them twice. On two different customers, same exact shade — merlot, glossy, with that oversized buckle. Both times, I asked. Where are they from? How long ago did you get them?

I kept thinking about them. I liked that they weren’t black. (I’ve been trying to loosen the grip black has on my wardrobe. Almost all my shoes are black. No room for play.)

They reminded me of the Ganni buckle ballerinas, but more relaxed — and kinder to my budget. $230 instead of $595. So I bought them.

The next morning, I watched @brendahashtag line up her black summer shoes in front of her monochrome wardrobe. Suddenly I doubted myself. Should I have gone for black?

Then I wore them. And wore them again. And each time, someone noticed. Each time, I liked them more.

There’s something satisfying about adding just one deliberate note of colour, especially when it still goes with everything.

Shoes: Sarah casual flats in merlot crinkle patent, $229.95 from Jo Mercer

STYLING SIDE NOTES, WARDROBE REFLECTIONSJuliet Sulejmanimerlot not black, shoe logic, colour observed, fashion choices, style decision, personal style, the juliet report, quiet statement, wardrobe reflections, merlot shoes, buckle detail, styling logic, colour choice, not black, shoe story, personal style shift, wardrobe editing, fashion observations, everyday dressing, jo mercer, sarah casual flatsComment