Basics for the Style Essences: Heels (and Flats)

Lately we’ve explored Little Black Dresses, wedding dresses, and Valentine’s Day outfits—and clearly have been neglecting footwear.

So here’s how to choose a versatile heel for each essence (plus how to find the flats version!)

Ethereal Essence Heels

A big takeaway from the “Basics for the Style Essences” series: Ethereal has a hard time looking basic.

It’s not the easiest to encounter the essence in a T-shirt, jacket, or little black dress.

On the bright side, it’s easy to find a highly Ethereal wedding dress, though that’s not exactly a basic.

But there is one wardrobe staple that does commonly feel angelic and otherworldly: sandals.

Ethereal’s vibe is about being open—to unconventional ideas, possibilities, and worlds. Fittingly, Ethereal fashion is often permeable, by being sheer, semi-sheer, or very lightweight, and sometimes by having narrow, oval cutouts.

Sandals evoke the quality of “openness” because they have straps but otherwise leave your foot exposed, creating a narrow cutout effect. Plus, sandals often appear delicate (especially compared to closed shoe styles).

All those traits are fantastic for creating an otherworldly, angelic vibe.

These sandals fully embody Ethereal with transparent heels and thin, curving straps decorated with tiny light-reflective rhinestones.

Rhinestones aren’t stereotypically Ethereal— large versions communicate Romantic, and small ones can feel Ingenue. This version works for Ethereal because they create a continuous, gentle line of shimmer.

Make it a flat: flat sandals with narrow, delicate, light-reflective straps can also be fully Ethereal. To enhance the mystical vibe, you can even look for sandals with entirely transparent straps.

Gamine Essence Heels: Short and Playful

Ethereal and Gamine are literal and figurative opposites—long, curving, and angelic vs. cropped, angular, and mischievous.

So Gamine’s ideal heels will be short and made from solid, sturdy fabric, like faux leather. On these ankle-boots, the block heel, playful zippers, and geometric quilting all amplify the Gamine feel.

Make it a flat: a flat ankle boot can still be fully Gamine. Just make sure it has playful detail, like zippers, quilting, buckles, or buttons, since plain ankle boots can sometimes have other essences like Classic.

Classic Essence Heels: Polished and Minimalist

When searching for Classic fashion, one question to ask is, “What’s the simplest version of this shoe (or top, or dress, etc.) that I can find?”

And as a rough guideline, casual basics are often Natural, and formal basics are often Classic, including these minimalist black pumps.

Make it a flat: going with the “simple and formal” guideline, minimalist flats tend to be Classic, as long as they feel somewhat dressy and lack unusual shapes or colors.

Dramatic Essence Heels: Edgy and Avant-Garde

Dramatic fashion can look like a more adventurous version of Classic fashion, as if the Classic heels above decided to get an edgy makeover. In this case, they got long, narrow cutouts, sharper toes, and fabric that sort of has the intimidating, sleek yet textured look of snakeskin.

Make it a flat: narrow, pointed toe flats are often Dramatic (make sure that the toe is very angular, to avoid adding Classic). To really amp up the Dramatic feel, choose dark colors and a matte sheen, or add unusual details, like long sharp cutouts.

Natural Essence Heels: Laidback and Slouchy

The Natural essence gets long and wide shapes and a casual vibe. So earth-toned knee-high boots with a slightly slouchy fit are a perfect Natural heel.

Confusingly, too much slouchiness, especially when it looks deliberate, can sometimes read as glam Romantic ruching. To create a carefree Natural vibe, you’ll want slouchiness that has a somewhat non-uniform look and unintentional feel, as if your boots used to be a little taller but are slouching down because they’re just that chill and cool.

You can also choose a straight silhouette, especially in an earth tone and a Natural material like suede, to avoid the boots looking too sleek and Dramatic.

Make it a flat: since Natural is so casual, a similar boot style with a flat sole will create an even more iconically Natural vibe.

Romantic Essence Heels: Strappy and Revealing

Strappy or lace-up heels embody Romantic by creating curvy, detailed shapes and exuding sensuality (since “if it’s tied, it can be untied”).

Romantic pieces are revealing, but they typically still incorporate a ton of detail—kind of a “highly dressed up yet partly undressed” vibe.

The sexiest essence may ultimately be a matter of opinion, but Romantic is always a strong contender, especially for “most conventionally sexy.”

Make it a flat: for Romantic flats, choose thin straps in soft or silky material (avoid structured materials like leather that might create a “yang” effect). Very thin straps can also help the flat appear more glamorous and revealing.

Ingenue Essence Heels: Curving and Demure

Rounded-toe heels in a pale color embellished with tiny rhinestones with a delicate ankle strap—perfect for Ingenue.

Rhinestones can be Romantic, but these ones are so small and delicately placed. Plus, in their placement on the toes, they kind of create a gentle polka-dot effect. Combined with the highly Ingenue nature of the rest of the shoes, there’s no Romantic here.

Make it a flat: youthful Ingenue shoes don’t need high or any heels—this same rounded-toe style as a flat is perfect for Ingenue.

What about other shoe styles?

All the style essences have so many more heel, flat, and other footwear options beyond the ones shown here.

And most shoe styles can be made to work for any essence. For instance, while sandals are often Ethereal, they can also be Natural, especially if they’re made from natural materials (cork, wood, etc.) and have thicker straps.

Future posts will explore more footwear for the style types.

Does color matter in basics for the style essences?

If you’re choosing a basic shoe, you’ll likely want to stick to neutrals—but are there specific shades you should look for based on your style type?

The awesome thing about neutrals is that they have high versatility, so they typically work for any style essence.

For instance, above we saw how a black heel can feel Gamine, Classic, or Dramatic. And depending on the shoe style, black heels can also read as Romantic, Natural, Ethereal, or Ingenue.

And as explored in previous posts, any essence can look harmonious in white or a very light neutral (white Tees post), and any essence can look harmonious in black or a very dark neutral (black dresses post).

So when it comes to choosing neutral shoes and other basics for your style essences, color generally won’t be your main concern.

Neutrals sometimes communicate Classic

One exception is that wearing a lot of understated neutrals together can sometimes evoke Classic, reading as especially polished and minimalist.

But again, not necessarily, because things like silhouette tend to matter far more when determining an outfit’s vibe and style essences.

As an example, a wedding dress, veil, and bridal shoes may all be in gentle neutral colors, but the overall impression could easily be far too elaborate to have any Classic.

Earth tones are especially good for Natural

Black, white, and any other neutral can evoke the Natural essence, depending on the context.

The caveat is that Natural has such an informal and, of course, natural vibe. So if you’re able to choose earthy neutrals, like browns and tans, this can amplify your outfit’s Natural impression.

But again, non-earth-toned neutrals can still work for Natural, as long as the silhouette and all the other elements read as Natural.

Neutrals can work for any style essence

The takeaway: if you’re searching for neutral fashion, then factors like silhouette, fabric, and embellishment (or lack thereof) are way more important than color in communicating the vibe of your style type.

Neutral colors really can work for any essence.

What about colorful fashion?

When you wear colorful clothes, things get more complicated, because colors are obviously less versatile than neutrals, and certain colors can be extremely iconic for certain style essences.

As an example, it can be hard to wear light pink without communicating an Ingenue impression, even if nothing but the color of your outfit is Ingenue.

Neutrals for your color season

Whether you’re searching for neutrals or neons, you’ll want to choose shades that flatter your color season—and not all neutrals will. Depending on your color palette, your version of a basic white Tee may actually be an off-white, and your best black dress may actually be dark brown or gray.

More on the best colors for the essences in future posts!