I bought my first pair of gold heels for a wedding about six years ago and I honestly thought I would wear them once and shove them to the back of the closet forever. That is not what happened.
Turns out they went with everything. My sister borrowed them twice before I even got a second wear out of them, which felt a little rude, but she looked amazing so I let it slide.
And now I have a small collection of heels in all sorts of colors and heights and I have OPINIONS about which ones go with what.
So this post is really just me pulling out every pair I own and figuring out the outfit I love best for each one.
My Favorite Ways to Style Heels This Season
Gold Heels With White Slip Dress
This is the one that started it all for me, so of course it goes first. A white slip dress and a pair of gold heels is such an easy, pretty combination and it works for a wedding, a birthday dinner, anywhere really. The gold picks up the light and makes the plainest little dress look like you put in effort when you truly did not.
I keep the jewelry small here. Thin gold hoops, maybe a delicate chain, and that’s it. The shoes are doing the talking.
Black Kitten Heels With Barrel Jeans
Barrel jeans took me a minute to warm up to, I will not lie to you. They looked strange on the hanger. But once I paired them with a little pointed black kitten heels outfit and a tucked-in tee, something clicked and now I reach for this combo constantly.
The low heel keeps the whole thing casual so you don’t look like you’re trying too hard, but you’re also not in sneakers. It’s that in-between zone I love. A crisp white shirt does the same job if jeans and a tee feel too plain for you.
Red Kitten Heels With Capri Pants
So there is something very old-movie about capri pants and a pointed toe, and I mean that as the highest compliment. Slim black capris, a fitted top, and a red kitten heels outfit gives you that effortless Riviera thing without a plane ticket.
Add oversized sunglasses and you’re basically in a photo from 1962. My friend Dana wore this to a lunch last spring and three people asked her where she got the shoes.
Beige Heels With Linen Waistcoat Set
A matching linen waistcoat and trouser set is one of those pieces that looks expensive even when it wasn’t. The trick is to keep the shoes quiet so the outfit stays polished, and a beige heels outfit does exactly that by basically disappearing into the leg line.
Beige-toned shoes, whatever your version of beige is, make you look about two inches taller.
Chunky Heels With Denim Maxi Skirt
A denim maxi skirt is having a real moment and I am fully on board. It’s comfy, it’s easy, and it sways when you walk in a way that makes you feel like the main character. Pair it with a chunky heels outfit and a fitted knit top and you’re set for a long day that involves both walking and looking put together.
The chunky heel is the hero here. A skinny stiletto would sink into every crack in the sidewalk, but a solid block heel lets you actually MOVE. I walked around a farmers market in this exact look and my feet were fine, which never happens.
Gold Heels With Chocolate Satin Dress
Chocolate brown and gold together is such a rich, warm combination. A satin dress in that deep cocoa color catches the light in a similar way that the gold does, so they sort of play off each other all evening.
This is my go-to for a fancy dinner in the fall. The gold heels outfit feels festive without being loud, and the brown keeps it grown-up. I wore this to an anniversary dinner and my husband, who never notices clothes, actually said something. Progress.
Black Kitten Heels With Column Skirt
A long, straight column skirt with a low black heel is quietly one of the most flattering things you can wear. The skirt skims, the heel elongates, and nobody can tell you didn’t spend an hour getting ready.
I like a tucked-in silk top with this. Keep it all one color family for that long, lean line. Black skirt, black heel, and then maybe a soft ivory top up top to break it up.
Red Kitten Heels With Butter Yellow Dress
Butter yellow is everywhere right now and I resisted it for about a week before caving completely. A soft yellow sundress with a pointed red heel is so cheerful it’s almost silly. In the best way.
Red and yellow sound like they’d fight but they really don’t. It reads as sunny and a little retro. Add a small basket bag and you look like you’re off to a picnic that you have absolutely no intention of eating anything healthy at.
Beige Heels With White Palazzo Pants
Wide-leg white palazzo pants are one of my summer staples. They’re breezy, they hide everything, and they make you look like you have somewhere very important and glamorous to be even when you’re just getting groceries.
The neutral heel keeps it from tipping into costume territory. All that flowy white can get a little bridal, so grounding it with a soft beige shoe brings it back to earth. A tucked-in tank and gold jewelry finish it off.
Chunky Heels With Tailored Bermuda Shorts
Bermuda shorts came back and I have thoughts, most of them good.
This is a great summer-into-office look if your office lets you get away with it. Crisp shorts, a tucked blouse, a solid heel. I wore this to a work lunch and felt very pulled together while everyone else was melting in trousers.
Gold Heels With Black Bandeau Dress
A simple black strapless dress is a blank canvas and gold heels are the paint. That’s basically the whole idea. The dress is doing very little, and the shoes are doing all the celebrating.
This is my emergency evening outfit. If I don’t know what to wear and I’m running late, black dress plus gold heels plus a red lip and I’m out the door in five minutes. It has never once let me down.
Black Kitten Heels With Lace Midi Dress
Lace can go one of two ways, either romantic or a little much, and the low black heel keeps it firmly on the romantic side. A midi-length lace dress with a delicate kitten heel is soft and pretty without being frilly.
I’d wear this to a garden party or a daytime celebration. Something about a low heel with lace feels intentional, like you know exactly what you’re doing. Even if you don’t. I usually don’t.
Red Kitten Heels With Dark-Wash Jeans
Dark, clean jeans and a bright pointed heel is such a good trick for when you want jeans to feel dressed up. The red does all the work. You could wear the plainest white shirt on the planet and the red at your feet makes it look deliberate.
And red goes with denim WAY better than people expect. It’s a classic pairing that just looks chic every single time. My sister stole this idea from me too, for the record.
Beige Heels With Draped Maxi Dress
A long draped maxi dress in a soft neutral, worn with a matching soft heel, gives you that tall, uninterrupted line from top to toe. It’s a look I trot out for outdoor evening events where the ground is grass and I’m praying I don’t sink.
Honestly, spoiler, I usually do sink a little in the grass. But it looks fantastic in photos and that’s what matters. The neutral heel keeps it all quiet and elegant, letting the drape of the dress do the work.
Chunky Heels With Sheer Midi Skirt
A sheer, floaty midi skirt is so delicate that it almost begs for a heavier shoe to balance it out. A chunky heel does that beautifully. All that airy fabric on top, and then a solid, grounded shoe at the bottom.
I like a fitted top with this so the skirt stays the star. Something about the contrast, light and heavy, soft and solid, just works. It’s one of my favorite little styling tensions to play with.
Gold Heels With Cream Trouser Suit
A cream trouser suit is a serious power move and gold heels are the fun that keeps it from feeling stuffy. I love a suit for events where I want to be taken seriously but also want to feel a little glamorous. The gold underneath does that.
Nothing under the blazer but a simple camisole. Let the suit and the shoes carry the whole look. It’s confident without shouting, which is exactly the mood.
Black Kitten Heels With Satin Slip Skirt
A satin slip skirt is such a versatile thing. Dress it up, dress it down, it obliges either way. With a low black heel and a chunky knit tucked in loosely, it lands somewhere between casual and elegant, which is where I like to live.
The kitten heel keeps the satin from reading too fancy for daytime. You can wear this to brunch and then straight to something in the evening without changing a thing. That’s my kind of outfit.
Red Kitten Heels With Polka Dot Dress
Polka dots and a red pointed heel is peak old-fashioned charm and I refuse to apologize for how much I love it. A little dotted dress with a pointed red shoe is playful and sweet and just a bit vintage.
I keep everything else simple with this one, small earrings, hair pulled back, done. The dots and the red are already having enough of a party without me adding more to the mix.
Beige Heels With Suede Mini Skirt
A suede mini skirt in a warm tan is such a cozy fall piece, and a soft neutral heel keeps the color story all in the same warm family. Add a tucked-in sweater and you’ve got a look that’s a little bit seventies and a lot cute.
The trick with a mini is to keep the shoe simple so it doesn’t compete. A clean beige heel lets the suede and the leg do their thing. And of course it makes you look taller, which I will never stop caring about.
Chunky Heels With Oversized Blazer Dress
An oversized blazer worn as a dress is bold, and a chunky heel makes it feel like a real outfit rather than a “did she forget pants” situation. The solid heel grounds all that structured, roomy fabric up top.
This is a going-out look for sure. Big blazer, strong shoe, minimal everything else. I felt a little brave the first time I wore it and then got so many compliments that the bravery paid off.
