If you can’t bear to part with the playful, over-the-top energy that dominated summer style, let us be the bearers of good news: While suede boots and practical loafers typically steal the spotlight for fall, flip-flops and sling-backs aren’t going anywhere this month. Less conventional footwear is continuing its takeover, plus each trending style has enough textures, prints, and silhouettes to match your ideal autumnal aesthetic.
To pin down the season’s most exciting trends, Byrdie tapped the trend forecasting minds at DSW for peak fall inspiration. Ahead, discover the nine shoe trends worth investing in this autumn, from fresh takes on nostalgic staples to avant-garde details galore.
Meet the Experts
- Regina Popp is the senior director of fashion and trends at DSW.
Flip-Flops for Fall
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Atop cool girls’ fall Pinterest boards is an unexpected staple: open-toed shoes. (A horror to seasoned New Yorkers, but nonetheless a sartorial delight for all those looking to prolong summer’s carefree energy.) Choose an asymmetrical square silhouette, tortoiseshell print, or sculptural thongs to transform it into a fall essential.
Campus Boots
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Knee-high boots, like Frye’s classic Campus style, are already a go-to silhouette for stars like Olivia Rodrigo. As DSW senior director of fashion and trends Regina Popp puts it, the allure is threefold: This platformed style is wearable and chic, with a bohemian edge that’s squarely on-trend for 2025. Plus, you can trust that campus boots’ quiet longevity ensures that they’ll outlast any microtrend fatigue for seasons to come.
Delectable Suede
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Texture stands at the forefront of ’70s-inspired autumnal trends, and footwear is no exception. Popp compares and contrasts last fall’s tall boot designs: While the quiet luxury trend championed black riding boots, this year’s iterations envelop a range of silhouettes in richer, dessert-like shades.
Slim Sneaker Silhouettes
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On the athletic front, trim silhouettes are reigning supreme over the sneaker category. Expect sleek profiles—the exact inverse of previous years’ chunky dad shoes—with rounded toes. Ballet-inspired elements, like ribbons and Mary Jane straps, are also on the rise, according to Popp.
Moto Elements
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Tall boots are getting a cool-girl twist. This autumn, it’s time to shop nonchalantly slouchy silhouettes with silver hardware, zippers, and plenty of buckles. The best part of this year’s boot trends? Popp notes that it arrives in many forms—from understated silhouettes to free-spirited maximalism—so it’s difficult to go wrong.
Punchy Prints
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The leopard print trend reignited in early 2024, and it’s like the pattern never left. Keeping the early aughts nostalgia going is a wave of similar animal prints, running the gamut from chic zebra to snakeskin textures. Short on time during the workweek? This timeless-yet-trendy staple imbues a playful flair to otherwise streamlined outfits.
Bordeaux and Merlot
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Fully saturated color palettes are taking center stage. Rich, juicy shades of cabernet and mulberry are quietly surging this fall, Popp says. Catch this almost-gothic shade on heavily lacquered boots and sleek kitten pumps.
Bold Romantic Details
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All-out romanticism is on full display, with feminine details defining fall’s most polished styles, Popp tells us. We’re talking swizzle-stick-thin heels, delicate slingbacks, and elongated, pointed toes. In contrast to the waves of understated luxury in previous years, this trend unabashedly dives into your most flirtatious side.
Piercings Galore
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A little moody, a little rocker—all without the commitment of a permanent piercing. Tory Burch is leading the charge with some Internet-breaking pierced mules and an array of similar styles, while other brands are embracing metallic hardware, as well. In a sea of classic Mary Janes and ballet flats, this detail kicks things up a notch.
