The 6 Biggest Autumn Shoe Trends We Can't Get on Our Feet Quick Enough

There are some trends we can be patient about and muster up some willpower to not wear yet—but not when it comes to shoes. Especially not for the shoe trends of autumn/winter 2018. We may be in the depths of deciding on our winter coat, but A/W shoes are something we can most certainly wear already. (And no, you don’t have to wear over-the-knee boots just yet). 

With that in mind, the Who What Wear UK team has decided on the top six shoe trends they'll be wearing for the rest of autumn. Below we provide you with the designer context over where and how these key trends are formed, as well as some more instant gratification in the form of related shopping picks. Your lucky feet can thank us some other time.

Shoe Trend #1: Take a Bow

Were Magda Butrym’s bow-fronted satin mules the most Instagrammed shoes of the press appointments for A/W 18? Most probably, yes. The designer’s first shoe collection has yet to land, but we don’t hold out much hope in getting a pair: These are going to be hugely popular. And not just for party outfits or nights out, as one might presume. Fashion lovers everywhere are wearing their best glam heels for daytime, making them the high-speed route into looking more elevated.

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Shoe Trend #2: Wild Things

Leopard print prowled many A/W 18 runways (and I am dreaming of owning Victoria Beckham’s coat more than anything from the season), and in many cases the results were shoes. Animal patterns extended outside of the cat family, too. There were zebra prints at Tom Ford and Balenciaga and snake prints and (faux) stamped crocodile everywhere else.

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Shoe Trend #3: Wild, Wild West

We called the Western boot comeback well over a year ago before they were given the chicest of green lights by Raf Simons’s Calvin Klein debut. Now you’ll find iterations of Western-inspired boots (and they all tend to be sleeker in finishes and less pointy than the traditional styles) at Tibi, Altuzarra, Isabel Marant and so many more. Any boot height goes as long as it has Western finishing touches. 

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Shoe Trend #4: Brown Is the New Black

We’ve already seen the success of tan accessories throughout 2018 so far, but things will inevitably take a darker turn for the darkest time of the year. Brown leather and suede shoes and boots have been favoured by the likes of Chloé (the entire collection was pretty much an homage to brown) and Fendi for A/W 18. Not only will they go with everything in your autumn capsule and it’s a trend you can invest in already, to wear now through to winter. 

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Shoe Trend #5: Bouncy Sneakers

Trainers—especially thick-soled ones—are going nowhere. Balenciaga’s Triple S and Louis Vuitton’s Archlight have already set the mood for space-age silhouettes and patchworked renderings, but you’ll find simpler white styles like Stella McCartney’s Adidas versions too.

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Shoe Trend #6: Square-Toe Silhouettes

Pointed pumps are holding strong for autumn, but the hippest out there are opting for the opposite right now: square toes. It’s a trend that made itself known back in the summer, predominantly via niche contemporary brands like By Far, but with the autumnal catwalk backing of Loewe, Alexander McQueen and Victoria Beckham, the microtrend is now set to go macro.

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Now see all the shoes we can’t get enough of this season.