By 
I’m coming at ya today with the second installment of my Trend Tester miniseries. In this series, I’m selecting a few trendy items currently making an appearance in the fashion scene and testing them out to see if they “pass” or “fail” for an everyday fashionista. The first item I reviewed was the circle bag, and you can read about it here in case you missed it. Today, I’m sticking with the accessories but migrating from the shoulder and hip area to the feet, where we find our next trend in its natural habitat: the shoe clip.
I’m not sure when shoe clips first came to the market (I think they’ve been around for quite some time and are making a comeback now), but I remember the exact moment they came into my life. I was window shopping in the Cherry Creek Shopping Center in Denver (a very high-end mall with stores that only the upper-East-Siders of Gossip Girl can afford) when I saw them: a tray of glittering gems twinkling on an accessories table in Banana Republic (the one store I might be able to afford with some savvy sale shopping). Like a moth to a lightbulb, I immediately gravitated towards the sparkles…Were they statement necklaces? No. Were they broaches? No… Gasp! I suddenly realized they were extra glam/extra sparkles to *add* to shoes already in your closet. Mind blown.
Flash forward to my birthday, and my mom must have remembered my mentioning of the glittering beauties I saw at Banana Republic because I soon unwrapped two pairs of shoe clips of my own. While neither pair are from BR, the first set I opened was a sparkly adornment like the ones I had initially seen in the store. Little crystals made the perfect statement on my black heels for the fancy holiday outfit in my post, 6 Excuses to Dress Up This Holiday Season, as seen in the photo below.
The other pair of shoe clips were these black furry pom poms. Shoes with pom poms have been very popular the last few seasons, and I’ve always thought they’re super fun and playful. I just could not pull the trigger because the shoes often cost a lot, and I wasn’t sure I would get enough wear out of them. Clearly someone else had the same dilemma because these furry shoe clips fix the problem! Now I get to try the trend without committing to a hefty price tag, and I can swap them out on various shoes whenever I please.
In today’s outfit, I styled them for a posh, wintery look perfect for going out or getting a nice dinner. I like the playful aspect the pom poms add to the outfit! I’ve been living in boots this winter, but come spring, I have tons of cute outfits to wear with this blue flat/black shoe clip combo.
Shoe Clip Verdict: PASS. After testing this trend, I’ve decided the shoe clips pass my tests for affordability, style, utility, and lasting impression. I analyze each of the categories below:
- Affordability: I just spent some time browsing the Banana Republic website and couldn’t find any shoe clips, but I suspect they would’ve been on the pricier side. Thankfully, the pom pom ones in today’s post are less than $10, and the silver ones were $15. I imagine you can find shoe clips in all price points, however.
- Style: This trend is so unique because you get to sample a variety of styles (from glitter to funky pom poms) and different places to put the shoe clips. For example, you could also test them on purses, headbands/hair, collars, and various places on the same shoes. The possibilities are endless! (And you best believe you’ll be seeing more of them in upcoming blog posts.)
- Utility: The only things to consider with shoes clips are a) do you have shoes that will work with them and b) will they dig into your feet. Both for the silver sparkly clips and the pom poms, I attached them at the front of my shoes. But I also tried putting them on the side and even at the heel (all of which were cute). It’s just up to you to decide if the clips are comfortable or not. They never bothered me on the front of the shoe, but I could see how after a long day of wear they would dig into my foot if located on the back at the heel. Out of my shoe collection, these pairs worked best with the clips. I would suggest trying them on either flats or heels that don’t have many other embellishments. I personally think they look especially stylish with pointy shoes (as seen in today’s post). That doesn’t mean you can’t experiment with boots and other styles though; I’m trying that next!
- Lasting Impression: I think it’s safe to say shoe clips will be around for a while. The cool part is that they often look like part of your shoes, so the untrained eye wouldn’t even know its an embellishment. I don’t know about you, but I’m open to shoe clip pom poms in alllll the colors.
You can shop the shoe clips in the photos below by clicking the link corresponding to the number! The first pair are the ones I wore in this post, and the third pair are the ones I’m wearing today. I like how the square ones make your shoes look like designer Manolo Blahniks!
So what do you think? Will you be trying shoe clips? They make a great stocking stuffer, just saying.
Have a fabulous Monday!
Miles of smiles,
Grace
Turtleneck Short Sleeve Sweater: hand-me-down // Blue Peacoat: Francesca’s, $40 // Blue Textured Skirt: Francesca’s, $38 // Blue Pointed Flats: Circus by Sam Edelman via DSW, $5 // Pink Polka Dot Purse: Kate Spade, gift // Black Pom Pom Shoe Clips: Amazon, $7, buy here