Sooo I recently went on my first date since my open myomectomy and I decided to whip out the red dress. Contrary to popular opinion, I believe a red dress can be worn at any time of the year and needs not be reserved for just Valentine’s Day…especially if you’re single like myself. Regardless of your skin tone, there’s just something so sensual about red dresses and I believe every woman should own THAT red dress.
Remember that red comes in different shades and so if bright red is not for you, a more crimson red could look fantastic against your skin. I made sure to have my date’s full and undivided attention in a dress I’ve had for some years from Jluxlabel.
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It took me some time to decide on which shoes to go with when I was putting my outfit together and I thought to myself, how many other women may be struggling with what shoes they could pair with a red dress.
I decided to write today’s blog post to help other women pick the perfect shoes to go with that beautiful red dress whether you’re headed for date night, a casual meet up or a formal event.
Whenever I wear red, I personally wear it to stand out. It’s a great way to brighten up any bland outfit in your wardrobe as the bright pop of color commands attention. I would first be sharing some of my favorite sites to shop for all sorts of red dresses and then we’ll dive into the different shoe colors to wear with these red dresses.
*Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that we get a commission if you decide to make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you.
Where can I shop for red dresses?
– Amazon
If you’re looking for a bold red dress that could get delivered to you within 24 hours, then Amazon should be the first place to check. I remember 2 years ago, I was planning to shoot Valentine’s Day content and a dress I had ordered from a UK site was stuck at customs. I needed a replacement red dress by the following day and so I ordered a dress from Amazon and the following evening, it arrived just in time for my shoot!
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This V-neck wrap dress would look amazing on women with curves and the front pleats would hide a belly nicely. If you’re headed to a special event with a formal dress code, this one would be such a great option.
– Saks 5th Aveue
For those with a bigger budget, Saks is the place to go to shop for designer red dresses. If you’re shopping for a red dress for the upcoming holiday season, you want to get on top of things right now or face the risk of not finding your size or even worse, not getting your dress in time.
This Hervé Léger bodycon dress would be the perfect dress for a New Year’s Eve party or for Valentine’s Day, you pick.
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If you’re concerned about wearing a bodycon dress without a flat stomach then you have to read this post here. You could also pick up the right shoes to go with your red dress in the shoes section of the Saks website; no need to website-hop!
– Nordstrom
Nordstrom is another great one-stop shop for full outfits. You could find the dress, shoes, purse and jacket you need for that special occasion all on the same platform. One thing to note is that Nordstrom stock tends to sell out quickly and so if the links I include are no longer functioning by the time you’re reading this, please let me know and I would be happy to find some great substitutes.
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This one-shoulder midi dress is the perfect mix of classy and sexy and is also very similar to my Amazon red dress from 2 years ago, which is currently sold out.
– Lulus
I love the fact that Lulus offers so many different types of red dresses for various occasions. If you’re going for a more casual look, this floral ruffle midi dress would make for a great choice on a nice summer day. You could easily style it with sandals, sneakers or heels depending on where you’re headed to.
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This one-shoulder midi dress is the perfect mix of classy and sexy and is also very similar to my Amazon red dress from 2 years ago, which is currently sold out.
– Lulus
I love the fact that Lulus offers so many different types of red dresses for various occasions. If you’re going for a more casual look, this floral ruffle midi dress would make for a great choice on a nice summer day. You could easily style it with sandals, sneakers or heels depending on where you’re headed to.
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Whether you’re dressing for a red carpet or headed to class, you’re bound to find a red dress to your liking on either of these websites. Now, you just need to figure out the perfect pair of shoes to go with each one. Remember that your choice of footwear would largely depend on the dress code of the wherever you’re headed and then the style of red dress you would be wearing.
Here is my list of the best color shoes to wear with a red dress:
1) White shoes
This is the color of shoe I decided to go with when I was dressing up for my date. White is one of the most universally neutral colors ad so it’s able to be paired with any other color. I went with a pair of white mules which I got here but honestly, a pair of white pumps or open-toe sandals would have worked fine.
White heels wok great with a red cocktail dress or a midi dress. If you’re wearing a casual red outfit, then you can definitely pick a pair of white sneakers as footwear. This would keep your look casual yet cool and chic.
2) Gold shoes
You know how much of a fan of gold shoes I am and they never fail to make it to any of my shoe color lists. Don’t believe me? Check out my post on shoe colors to wear with a burgundy dress. Gold really elevates any outfit thanks to its shininess and when it comes to pairing it with a red dress, I prefer to go with strappy sandals.
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Get a similar look HERE
There’s just something about having the toes on display and the straps around your ankle that add some sexiness to the outfit. Whichever style of gold shoes you decided to go with, just make sure they’re high heels if you really want to stand out in your red dress.
3) Nude shoes
As I have mentioned several times on this blog, nude is always subjective. A pair of heels in a neutral color could make your legs appear even longer because they would blend in so nicely with your skin tone. Nude heels work great with darker shades of red as well and so if your red dress is more crimson, this may be the better option for you. It’s also good to note that if you’re wearing a red sweater dress, a pair of nude boots could be worn in the place of nude heels.
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Get the look HERE
4) Silver shoes
Silver shoes sometimes get forgotten when there’s gold on the list but they are rightfully on this list. Silver pumps or open-toe heels look great against the brightness of red and the two are great complementary colors. Pair your silver heels with some silver accessories and you’ve got yourself an eye-catching outfit, perfect for the holidays. If your red dress is in a dark shade of red and you want a pop of brightness, then a silver heel is for you.
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Get the look HERE
5) Brown shoes
Some may think that a brown shoe could make a red dress outfit look duller but that does not have to be the case. Brown is also a neutral color, just like white and it can help keep a great balance of colors. I personally prefer to wear brown shoes with red dresses in deeper reds or red that has been mixed with brown (such as maroon).
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Get the look HERE
A dark brown shoe with a bright red dress may cause too much of a contrast if your skin is more pale so just be mindful of that.
6) Clear heels
The other pair of heels I was debating on to wear on my date were my clear mules. I am clearly a fan of the clear heels movement as I have a whole post dedicated to clear heels outfits Here and they are my best shoe color to wear with anything at the moment. You could opt for either clear mules or clear pumps (preferably with a gold heel) to really take your red dress look up a notch.
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Get the look HERE
Going with a pair of clear heels also means that you can play more with your accessories so feel free to add a leopard print clutch or belt.
7) Black shoes
Here is another option that could seems a bit much for many due to the contrast in colors. To avoid this, I prefer to go for a pair of black sandals rather than black pumps. This allows for more skin to be seen thus breaking up the black. A black pair of shoes does not necessarily mean heels. During the colder months, you could pair a red sweater dress with a pair flat black boots to create some chic everyday wear perfect for the colder months.
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Get the look HERE
8) Rose gold shoes
I love how rose gold is not quite as bright as gold but still has some shine to it. This makes rose gold shoes easy to pair with different shades of red. Rose gold shoes look best in heel-form and so if you’re planning on going for this color, I suggest a sandal or a heel you would feel comfortable in. Keep your accessories more neutral as well to avoid too much going on.
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Get the look HERE
9) Red shoes
The perfect red dress can be paired with the perfect red shoes for an awesome monochromatic look. You could either play with a different shade of red for both or go really bold and keep them both in the exact same shade of red. If you’re going for a full red on red look, break things up with accessories in a different color to avoid looking cartoon-y.
https://theankaraqueen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/42f616_0abcd81665f14bfd92fa15c1e87efb37mv2.jpgGet the look HERE
To create a classic look, you could wear a pair of red heels with a red vintage tea midi dress and you would look like you stepped out of the 1960’s.
I hope you’ve gotten some major red dress inspiration and are now comfortable pairing your shoe color with your red dress. You can create monochrome looks or contrasting ones. You could go casual or formal but all that matters is that you know red can be worn all-year round and can be styled for different occasions.
Until the next post,
XOXO
Theankaraqueen