Autumn Shoe Trends 2023: 9 Styles That’ll Dominate This Year

Style Notes: Autumn/winter 2023 saw many designers look to the past to inform they’re future collections and although many of the shoe trends that overarch the season hail from the ’70s and ’80s, there is one which first crops up farther back in the archives. T-bar shoes first came to provenance in the 1920s and were an integral part of the flapper-girl uniform. Now, however, after Mary Janes made their mark on the fashion scene last autumn, I’m eager to embrace 2023’s T-bar upgrade. 

Style Notes: Flat shoes have never been as popular as they are now, and just when I thought we’d made our way through all the key styles of note, along comes a fresh haul of pencil-point flat; shoes with toes so pointy they resemble a freshly-sharpened HB. Use them to add instant polish to jeans and jersey or make like the Zimmermann, Ulla Johnson and Prada runways and pair with pretty dresses for a romantic take. 

Style Notes: Have you been black court shoes all this time? The easiest of heels are back, and this time they’re being worn with other sleek ’90s separates to give them an edge. Think sexy tailoring, column skirts and a palette largely dominated by grey, white and taupe. As seen at Prada and Ferragamo, these go-with-everything shoes have never really gone out of fashion, but it’s been a long, long time since they’ve been given this sort of high-profile attention. 

Style Notes: The antidote to the flat shoes that typically rule the summer months, platforms are back for autumn 2023 and let’s just say they’re pretty hard to miss. If they’re not brightly coloured or ultra metallic, they’re huge. As in I haven’t seen platforms this high on the runway since Naomi Campbell fell over in her Vivienne Westwoods huge. 

Style Notes: Silver jewellery had long been overlooked in favour of gold but that all changed last year when designers began serving up statement earrings, jumbo necklaces, and cocktail rings in the cold-tone metal. Then, as these things often do, by spring, the trend had spread to encapsulate clothing. And now, on the cusp of autumn, I’m already starting to see silver on the hottest heels and chicest flats. 

Style Notes: Channel Melanie Griffith in Working Girl in the chicest way possible (one which doesn’t involve shoulder pads). Be it a mule, a slingback or, indeed, a court, the ’80s serves as an overarching autumn-shoe trend aesthetic. Think mock-croc finishes, elongated toes with a squared-off end and kitten heels. Briefcase and pinstripe skirt suit optional but absolutely advised. 

Style Notes: Be they soft-suede socks or knee-highs with room all around, the defining theme when it comes to 2023’s boot offering is this: They have to be easy to pull on and go. From the stretchy leathers at Lanvin to the extreme slouches at Proenza, I’m embracing this new take on boots, mainly because it means I have a better chance of getting them over my calf. 

Style Notes: The autumn 2023 is one that embraces the fanciful, and no shoe trend optimises this quite like the big bows that decorated everything from ballet flats to slingbacks. Loewe’s gold velvet pair scream opulence, while Giambattista Valli perfectly demonstrates how the crystal-shoe trend as evolved since last autumn. 

Style Notes: If I’m being entirely honest, I don’t know how I feel about this trend, but as one of the most prevalent shoe looks on the autumn 2023 runways, it would be remiss of me not to give it it’s due. Rubber and foam shoes were seen everywhere from Jil Sander to Loewe, cementing them as a key look for the season ahead. While they might not be my cup of tea, I do understand the appeal; weatherproof and durable, they really are made with a British autumn in mind.