The very idea of a “neutral”, is that it is a classic, go with anything, type of colour – which is why we generally turn to neutral shoes for everyday wear.
And yet even neutrals don’t stay the same, particularly when it comes to the world of fashion.
The other big trend back in the 80’s, was white accessories – either white ballet flats (I had a pair exactly like the ones above, in 1983) – or white court shoes.
By 1990, we had hit what I think of as the “Country Road” era, when the fashions featured Federation colours – navy, tan, white, black, rust, bottle green and the like. As a result, white shoes fell out of favour; the new neutral was tan. Tan leather belts, bags and shoes – much like the ones above. Or how about a pair of navy loafers; these ones are on sale at Millers for $15 right now (in black and nude, rather than the navy of the 90’s).
In the mid 90’s, metallics made a bit of a comeback – with pewter (like these ones from Millers, currently on sale for $15), or gold, the shades to wear.
After that, my memories grow a bit fuzzy, but as I was in the thick of childraising at the time, we might blame it on baby brain 😉 . I do know that I wore black shoes a lot – when you’re on a tight budget, black is the one true neutral that really does go with almost anything and doesn’t seem to date.
I’m currently lusting after these beauties, which are $49.95 from Spendless Shoes.
But without a doubt, the current neutral – especially for the summer months – is nude. Nude as in the colour, silly, not going without clothes (let’s all breathe a sigh of relief!). I currently have nude heels like the ones below, nude sandals, not to mention nude thongs and ballet flats.
What shade do you think will be next to shine in the neutral rainbow?!