I Thought These Shoes Looked Cheap—French Women Just Changed My Mind

Whenever the warmer months roll around, I find myself in the midst of a familiar dilemma. To white shoe or not to white shoe? This is a question I contemplate on an annual basis. I like the idea of white shoes, as they go with everything and have the power to make every outfit feel fresh and springlike. But whenever I've tried on a pair, be they boots, heels or sandals, they've always looked a little, for lack of a better word, cheap. As such, I've never actually bought a pair of white shoes. Now, however, I may be convinced otherwise. 

No one can influence my style like French women. I've spent years trying to emulate the way they put their outfits together, and if I'm being honest with myself, I don't know if I've quite cracked their je ne sais quoi just yet. Still, I scan the feeds belonging to my favourite French content creators daily looking for snippets of style inspiration, and upon my latest scroll, it became instantly apparent that white shoes are a big deal to French women right now. In the space of a few seconds, I came across an array of Gallic women wearing white shoes with relaxed trousers, miniskirts and jeans—all of whom looked very chic in the process. Turns out, I may be a white-shoe fan after all. 

Scroll on to see how French women are wearing the white-shoe trend this season, then proceed to shop my edit of the best pairs on the market. 

How French Women Are Wearing the White-Shoe Trend

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(Image credit: @annelauremais)

Anne-Laure wears white ballet flats with Fendi Baguette bag, lace skirt and large-fit t-shirt.

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(Image credit: @aidabadji_)

Aïda pairs her white sandals with a monochrome ensemble for easy elegance. 

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(Image credit: @juliesfi)

Julie opts for a chic look involving a white skirt, blue-stripe shirt and white loafers. 

Shop the White-Shoe Trend

Next Up: The 8 Best Shoes to Wear With Wide-Leg Trousers

This post was originally published at an earlier time and has since been updated. 

Maxine Eggenberger
Deputy Editor

Maxine Eggenberger is Who What Wear UK’s deputy editor and has over thirteen years of experience in fashion journalism. She been creating engaging and elevated style content specifically for Who What Wear UK since 2018, covering runway reports, emerging trends, long-form features, self-styled shopping stories and columns, including her edit of the best new-in buys. She ensures the highest editorial standards are met across the site, leads the editorial team in their SEO strategy and keyword planning, works closely with the beauty team on content initiatives, represents the brand at industry events, and regularly contributes to social media, including her own Who What Wear UK TikTok franchise, French Style Fridays. Previously, Maxine appeared on ITV's This Morning in her own fashion segment and has interviewed countless celebrities—everyone from Victoria Beckham to Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o.

Prior to Who What Wear UK, Maxine’s career began when, after completing her first-ever internship at Look magazine, she was offered a position on the brand's fashion desk. She accepted, leaving university a year early in the process. Her passion and natural talent for writing and styling meant she swiftly rose through the ranks to become the title's fashion news and commercial content editor, with a stint as InStyle.co.uk’s fashion and beauty writer along the way. She later served as Look’s acting Editor in Chief, overseeing both print and digital, before embarking on a successful freelance career, working with Grazia, The Pool, and Marie Claire amongst others.

Maxine is based remotely from her countryside home near Edinburgh where she spends her downtime renovating her house, walking her dogs, hosting friends and trying to master the art of making Old Fashioned cocktails.