The Reality of Mauve

Let me keep it 100 with you.  When I first saw the "Soiree" dress the color is what captivated me the most.  Although it's on the lighter color spectrum and isn't as forgiving to flaws,  its mauve/blush color inspired me to make an immediate purchase with little to no debate (something I typically don't do).  

After the purchase was complete I started to think about what shoes I would pair the dress with.  Initially, I thought it would be a no-brainer and that nude would be the answer but I soon realized that wouldn't be the case.  Nude would be the average person's go-to shoe of choice because its a neutral color but after I sat and REALLY looked at the color it appeared more mauve than blush.  Mauve is a pink color but has purple undertones.  after pairing the dress with several shades of nude shoes I decided that the nude did nothing for the mauve, and it actually downplayed the purple undertones. 

The first shoe I found was the Vince Camuto Imagine Devin strappy sandal (right image).  I found them at a thrift store and instantly fell in LOVE with the thought of wearing the dress with them.  something about the contrast of wine color and velvet fabric, it made exactly the statement I was looking for.   unfortunately, someone sold the thrift store two different size shoes.   Words can't describe my disappointment, but I tried to channel that energy into finding something else great.

I shopped around for several days and had no luck but finally, after countless TJ Max, Marshalls, and Ross trips I bumped into a blush Steve Madden shoe at Nordstrom Rack. The only blush shoe in the store and it just so happened to be in my size.  With the luck that I was having,  I grabbed the shoes and just settled as I had no more time, My shoot was the next day.   Several days ago on social media, I bumped into another great wine color shoe option on a website by the name of Joyshoetique.com (left image).   I personally have never purchased anything from this site but their velvet lace-up shoe in wine would also be a perfect option to achieve the look I had in mind.  

Although going matchy-matchy wasn't my style of choice I felt very lucky to actually find a mauve shoe that was a different texture than the dress.  I often get asked for style expertise, and my suggestions for this dress would be the following;  Avoid shoes in the gold, silver or nude family if possible, they can be a safe choice but not always the best choice.   Strive to find a mauve pair of shoes that aren't statin, or to find a shoe in the wine color family that is of a velvet texture.  Complete your look with a deep color clutch and a deep lip color.  Perfection!

I wasn't able to get the looked I dreamed of but hopefully with these tips and links you can!

XOXO 

Kea