What Should I Wear with Nude Shoes?

Dear VienneMilano,
I am trying to figure out what to wear to a wedding. I have this pair of nude stilettos and I just got a pair of your thigh highs that I'm dying to wear, but I can't help wondering: What are the rules for nude shoes and dark color stockings? Can I wear my black hosiery with nude shoes
- Natalie J.

Traditionally, nude tones are paired with nude stockings and thigh highs. Nude colored heels are meant to blend in with your skin tone, making your legs appear longer, and you appear taller. As such, nude shoes are often used to enhance this optical illusion. You will not often see nude shoes paired with black thigh highs and stockings. But, can you wear nude shoes with black hosiery?

We've put together a collage of some of our Italian hosiery to show you how well the different colors and deniers of VienneMilano thigh highs will pair with nude pumps.

As you can see from our illustrations, nude stilettos pair most subtly with nude stockings, the stockings labeled 2 - 4. It does not matter what shade of nude heels you will be wearing, the effect will be the same. The pairing starts to look less fabulous as we switch to black patterns and white hosiery with nude shoes, especially with a lighter skin tone. However, patterned and black stockings with dark nude pumps are much more forgiving on a wearer with a deeper skin tone.

Since we have only been talking about heels, you may be thinking, what about flats? Do the same rules apply? We think so. While nude flats won't give you the height of heels, if you want to create a streamline effect that will elongate your legs, we still suggest nude stockings for your nude flats.

VienneMilano has thigh high hosiery for every occasion. Our nude thigh highs such as ISABELLA Sheer thigh highs in hazelnut and chestnut brown are lighter denier stockings which make them perfect to wear in warmer climates.

While we at VienneMilano feel that nude thigh highs pair best with nude shoes in more formal settings, some style gurus are trying to prove us wrong. Sarah Jessica Parker and Katherine Heigl have enjoyed the color contrast you can get when you pair nude shoes with dark or black hosiery. The stark contrast in color will draw a lot of attention to your feet, so if your shoes are the focal point of your outfit then this pairing will best accentuate them.

While pairing your darker hold ups with nude stilettos, just like Katherine Heigl and Sarah Jessica Parker have, fashions a daring look, we do not think it is an appropriate one for weddings. Instead we recommend wearing nude stilettos with nude stay ups for the most fabulous results. Though it is ultimately up to you to decide which shoe-hosiery combination will make you feel the most fabulous.

Do you agree? Do nude shoes pair well with all the VienneMilano thigh high styles or are nude shoes and black thigh highs a fashion faux pas? Do you now know how to select thigh highs? Let us know in the comments section, and stay fabulous!