What Color Shoes to Wear with a Red Dress
Red shoes give a cherry-red dress a head-to-toe color story. Black sandals add contrast, gold brings out the orange in tomato red, and soft silver looks especially good with burgundy. If the dress has a print, try beige leather and let the pattern carry the outfit.
The easiest way to choose is to start with the red you’re actually wearing. A cherry silk dress, a tomato-red linen dress, and a burgundy knit call for different shoes, even if all three hang together in your closet. Here are five pairings from Giseli Dias, starting with two ways to wear the same dress.
Red or Black Shoes with a Cherry-Red Dress?
Vic Red — A Red Pump with a Cherry Slip Dress
Take a cherry-red slip dress that ends just below the knee. With Vic Red, the eye follows the color from the silk skirt down to the pointed leather toe. Turn to the side and the black steel stiletto breaks up the red. A small black evening bag picks up that detail without interrupting the color from the front.
Do the reds need to match exactly? No. Hold the pump beside the dress in daylight. If one is a little deeper than the other but you like the two together, wear them as a tonal pair. If one looks distinctly orange and the other pink, try the black sandal instead. Explore more red designer heels if you’re building the outfit around a particular shade.
Audrey Black — Repeat the Red in a Single Flower
Keep the cherry slip dress and switch to Audrey Black. Now it’s the black leather straps that frame the foot, while a sculptural red glitter flower echoes the silk. You still get a connection between the dress and the shoe, but there’s no need to find an exact color match.
This is the pair we’d choose for a holiday dinner. A plain dress gives the flower room to stand out; a hem above the ankle leaves the wraparound straps visible. Keep the bag simple, especially if you’re already wearing a red lip. For other evening silhouettes, see our guide to holiday party shoes.
What Color Shoes Go with a Tomato-Red Dress?
Tereza Gold — Fine Gold Straps with Warm Red
For a tomato-red linen dress, try Tereza Gold. The warm metallic leather picks up the orange undertone in the fabric. Because the straps are fine, the gold appears in narrow lines across the foot rather than as a solid block beneath the skirt.
For an outdoor lunch, wear the sandals with a red halter dress and a woven bag. For dinner, keep the dress and sandals and change to a small gold-clasp clutch. If the skirt is long, a side slit gives the ankle ties a chance to show as you walk.
Can You Wear Flats with a Burgundy Dress?
Doroty Silver — A Soft Silver Mary Jane with Burgundy Knit
Yes. A burgundy knit midi and Doroty Silver make a good pairing for a dinner where you’d rather wear flats. The leather is a soft silver-gray, so it brings light beneath the dark fabric without the flash of a mirror finish. The rounded toe also makes a quieter ending to the outfit than a pointed evening pump.
Try this with a straight ribbed dress that leaves the ankle visible. You want to see the Mary Jane strap when you stand still. If the hem covers it completely, a single side slit will reveal more of the shoe in motion.
What Shoes Work with a Red Printed Dress?
Tereza Biju — Beige Leather with a Red-and-Ivory Print
With a red-and-ivory floral dress, look at the spaces between the flowers. If the background is cream, the beige leather of Tereza Biju picks up that lighter color. The print remains the first thing you notice, especially when it runs all the way to the hem.
For a wrap dress, tie the sandal straps low around the ankle and let the dress tie sit at the waist. The two details then read separately. Choosing shoes for a darker dress instead? See what color shoes to wear with a navy dress.