Jacqueline Ames
One of the main reasons for purple’s popularity is its flexibility and variations. Because purple is a combination of red and blue, it can be mixed in an almost endless possibility of different ratios, creating varying tones and intensities. Purple can be tailored to fit any season, skin tone, and occasion. It is a color that can look good on everyone, which makes it a popular color all year long.
So when we’re talking about what color shoes go with a purple dress, the answer really depends on what color of purple your dress is.
Purple, mauve, violet, lavender, plum, grape, lilac, eggplant, raisin, orchid, indigo…you get the idea – there are a lot of different purples out there!
Now while going through each of the different purples individually isn’t happening in this article, what we are going to do is separate different colors of purple into 2 main groups: dark and light purple, and within those two groups have divided them between warm and cool purples.
We’ll show you which color shoes will go with each. This should cover all the bases, so if you have a purple dress, it’ll be in one of the categories below.
We are also going to give you some tips on what colors not to wear with your purple dress.
Contents
What Colors Should You Not Wear With Purple?
Believe it or not, when it comes to purple, this is a much shorter list than what you can wear with it! So let’s get this out of the way first, and then we’ll get into what color shoes do go with a purple dress.
1. Dark & Dark Combo
When you look at these two colors together, it looks like something is amiss, but it’s hard to put your finger on it.
For one, there is no visual point of interest because they are both dark. And two, dark colors are often associated with things like death, depression and despair.
So having two dark colors in the same place kind of evokes feelings of doom and gloom, which maybe is not what you want to go for.
If you combine two colors, be it purple and another color, or any other two colors, a dark & light combination is better. Each color complements the other because there is a contrast.
If you are going for a two-color outfit, then your ratio of dark to light or light to dark should be 70:30.
So if you have a purple dress and you have sage green shoes, maybe opt for a sage green handbag or belt. Just don’t do ALL your accessories and jewelry and nails in sage green. That is, unless want to swing the sage green as the dominant, primary color of your outfit, and wear a sage green jacket. In that case you’re good!
2. Warm & Cool Combo
As you can see if we switch out the cool eggplant purple for a warm purple, paired with the sage green, this combination looks horrendous.
When pairing colors together, match warm colors with warm colors and cool colors with cool colors.
When pairing colors together, match warm colors with warm colors and cool colors with cool colors.
When you replace the sage green with a sunflower yellow, all of a sudden it breathes new life into your warm purple.
3. Bright, Saturated Color Combinations
When it comes to purple, it can range from soft lilac or lavender to the brightest of purples. If your dress is a bright purple, then be aware that other equally bright, vibrant colors might be a little too much.
If these colors are right up against each other, you get a weird, unsettling vibrating effect. Now if you have a dress that’s showing some skin on your legs between your shoes and your dress, that won’t be a problem.
But what will be a problem is that no one will know where to look because your dress and your shoes will be competing for attention.
Best pair your bright purple dress with shoes in a complementary color that is less saturated than your dress.
Remember – your complimentary color is meant to compliment your primary, not try to steal the show.
4. Adjacent color Wheel colors
When you are looking at a basic color wheel of primary colors (red, blue & yellow) and the secondary colors (green, orange, purple), the colors that sit right next to each other don’t go together.
In the case of purple: red and blue sit on either side. These are not the best colors for shoes to pair with a purple dress.
So for a purple dress, regardless of whether it’s a warm or cool purple, you want to avoid red or blue shoes.
So for a purple dress, regardless of whether it’s a warm or cool purple, you want to avoid red or blue shoes.
What Color Shoes Go With A Purple Dress?
Purple is one of those colors on the cusp of the color wheel where it gets divided between warm and cool colors.
Purple can be both a warm and a cool color. It will depend on whether it has more red or blue mixed into it.
Any purple with more red than blue is warm. Any purple that has more blue than red is cool.
This is where we are going to break it down into two main groups – light and dark purple.
But within these two groups, we will differentiate which color shoes will go with warm or cool purples and which colors can bridge the gap between the two and go with both.
Shoe Colors for Light Purple Dresses
If you are looking to pair a light purple dress with a shoe, opt for an equally light color. Whether it’s a light warm purple like these dresses….
Warm Light Purples:
Cool Light Purples
…or a light cool purple like these dresses below, you’ll want to keep your shoes a lighter color.
1. Neutrals
Neutrals consist of brown, beige, taupe, Ivory, grey, and white. Neutrals can go with both warm and cool purples, but not all of them go with every purple!
Remember what we said about not mixing warm and cool colors earlier; the same applies with neutrals. Sometimes neutral colors can swing one way or the other.
- Grey is neutral, but cool. Taupe is a little beige but a little grey. It tends to usually lean towards a cooler color.
- Beige is like a lighter version of taupe which can go cool or warm.
- While ivory is best suited for warm purples, white can go with both warm and cool purples.
- Brown is the great equalizer. And while technically you’d think it’s a warm color, it’s so neutral that pretty much any brown will go with both warm and cool purples equally well.
Neutrals That Go With Every Light Purple:
Two colors that go with both warm and cool purples are white and brown. If your dress is a light purple, you cannot go wrong with either of these color choices.
Warm-Colored Neutrals For a Light Warm Purple Dress:
Ivory, warm beige, and off-white (i.e. eggshell or cream), are all white with a little warmth infused. All of these will go fantastically well with a light, warm purple dress.
Cool-Colored Neutrals For a Light Cool Purple Dress:
Grey, cool beige, and taupe are a great match for a light-colored cool purple dress.
2. Clear
Clear shoes are the perfect spring and summer option for a light purple dress. It doesn’t matter if it’s a warm or cool purple because clear shoes are well… clear!
The great thing about clear shoes is that they let your dress be the center of attention.
Clear shoes also make your legs look longer.
3. Nude
Nude shoes have some of the same benefits of clear shoes, like making your legs look longer and not taking the attention away from your dress.
But they also have a few added bonuses. Nude shoes can be worn for formal occasions, in professional environments, and all year long.
Just remember a “nude” shoe is meant to match your skin tone, so if you have a dark tan or a darker skin tone, nude for you might be brown or a darker neutral.
A “nude” shoe is meant to match your skin tone, so if you have a dark tan or a darker skin tone, nude for you might be brown or a darker neutral.
4. Pastels
For a light-colored purple dress, your go-to colors are yellow, (which is purple’s complementary color) and orange and green, which are purple’s secondary complementary colors.
Two things to remember:
- Choose the light, less saturated, pastel color of these options
- Yellow and orange are warm colors, so these two colors are best suited to light warm purples.
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5. Green
Green is another story entirely. Green is like purple in that it has a bit of an identity crisis. Like purple, it rests on the boundary between cool and warm depending on how much blue or yellow is in the green.
Take olives and cucumbers, for example; they are both green, but olives are a warm green while cucumbers are a cool green.
For a light warm purple dress, you want to go with a warm green. Likewise, with a light cool purple dress, you’ll want to choose a cool green.
6. Silver
Though silver tends to usually be classified as a cool color, when you are pairing silver shoes with a light purple dress, it becomes more like a neutral.
It doesn’t matter if it’s a warm or cool purple, silver will go amazingly well with both.
Shoe Colors for Dark Purple Dresses
Whereas the lighter purples are more likely to be worn in spring and summer, dark purples can be worn all year round.
The best colors for shoes with a dark purple dress are a little different than the colors for the light purple dresses above.
Warm Dark Purple Dresses
With the dark purples there are also warm purples, which have a bit more red in them, like these dresses….
Cool Dark Purple Dressses
… and cool purples that have more blue, like these dresses below.
1. Black
Black shoes can be paired with both warm and cool dark purple dresses for more formal occasions. Black truly goes with anything!
Just make sure you pair it with a neutral handbag or clutch because you don’t want everything to be dark.
2. Browns and Neutrals
Brown shoes can also be worn with both warm and cool dark purple dresses. As we mentioned before, other neutral colors can be both warm and cool, so make sure you choose the same tone as your dress.
Dark purple is a great color for fall and winter, so don’t forget you can wear boots too!
3. NUDE & CLEAR
Nude and clear shoes can both be worn with warm or cool dark purple dresses. Just remember what we’d mentioned earlier – clear shoes are more for spring and summer, while nude shoes can be worn all year round.
4. Silver and Gold
Silver shoes, unlike with a light purple dress, cannot play both sides and are best paired with dark cool purple dresses.
Gold shoes, on the other hand, look great with a warm dark purple dress, as do bronze shoes.
5. Yellow, Green, and Orange
When it comes to dark purple, pale yellows, oranges and greens all work well. But you can also go for a more saturated, brighter color with the shoes if your dress is dark purple than you can with a light purple, or a medium bright purple dress.
This whole time we’ve been talking about warm and cool colors and not to mix them, but in the case of yellow and orange, you can actually wear them with a dark cool purple dress… and of course a dark warm purple dress as well.
Yellow is purple’s complementary color.
Orange is not only purple’s secondary complementary color, but is blue’s primary complimentary color.
A cool dark purple dress has a lot of blue in it, so both yellow and orange, despite being warm colors, actually work really well with a cool dark purple!
If you are going to go with green, however, you need to match a warm dark purple dress with a warm green (like olive or lime green). You also need to match a cool dark purple dress with a cool green (like sage or seafoam).
Avoid going with a really dark green with dark purple.
6. Purple Shoes!
If you have a medium purple dress that falls between light and dark, you also have the option to match the shoes to the dress. With so many ‘purples’ it may be hard to get an exact match.
If you cannot find the exact color of the dress, you can go the same color, but a shade or two darker and you’ll still be good to go.
Take Away
- Brown, white, clear, nude, and silver go with all light colors of purple.
- Brown, black, clear, nude, orange, and yellow go with all dark colors of purple.
- Pale orange and yellow are great for light warm purple.
- Neutrals work with all purples, as does green, but you need to match the warm neutrals/greens to the warm purple and cool neutrals/greens to the cool purple.
- Cool dark purple dresses look best with silver, while warm dark purple dresses look better with gold or bronze.
- For a medium purple dress, purple shoes can work but should match the color and tone of the dress.
