Whether you consider yourself a capital-F Fashion person or not, tapping into the latest trends can be a tricky balance of knowing what’s worth buying into and which ones are right for your personal style. And as you toe that line, you’re most likely deciphering which ones are worth the heftier price points, too. Well, while I don’t have all the answers, I do have a go-to brand I tell all my friends about when they want to explore a new shoes or accessories trend: Charles & Keith.
If you aren’t familiar with the Singapore-based brand, it’s time to get acquainted—with a virtually endless selection of products to choose from (including the occasional high-fashion collaboration). And as if that isn’t enough to get you clicking through to the site, I’ll have you know that it’s also a favorite of some of the most stylish celebrities out there (think Emily Ratajkowski, Gabrielle Union, Sienna Miller, Gigi Hadid, Kacey Musgraves, and many more). In fact, not too long ago, Jennifer Lopez was spotted wearing the brand twice, including when she was out and about wearing a chocolate brown two-piece knit set from Gucci (and, for the record, she was carrying the brand’s $159 Gabine Leather Saddle Bag).
I’ve been a longtime fan of Charles & Keith thanks to its price point, range of styles, and comfort (because yes, from my personal experience, they are incredibly comfortable!). But with J.Lo’s seal of approval—I realized it was time to take a deep dive into the brand with C&K’s design director, Fredie Stevens, as well as Keith Wong, the company’s chief operating officer and co-founder.
“Charles & Keith saw a gap in the market for high-quality designs that could be available to a broad audience and wanted to bring a fresh approach to the fashion industry with collections of shoes, bags, eyewear, accessories and costume jewelry,” Stevens tells ELLE.com in an email. “The main priorities revolve around empowering the consumer to express and elevate their individuality and build confidence through their style choices. Each design offers distinctive details—whether through color, texture, or embellishments — that speak to women with different tastes and lifestyles.” Case in point? The $56 pearl-embellished Mary Jane shoes spotted on Kacey Musgraves during the 2024 CMAs. The design director goes on to explain that the brand highlights the juxtaposition of different aesthetics, becoming sartorial pieces that can transform your style—and with a celebrity fan list that includes the aforementioned stars, you know this is a brand that embraces that range.
Of course, the brand’s vast offerings get better with the collaborations it chooses to take on. Earlier this year, the label worked with the Asian-American designer Chet Lo, creating a collection that presented the high-end designer’s looks in a more accessible way to the everyday fashion lover. Naturally, that capsule quickly sold out. Up next, the brand has a collection with PH5 coming out in spring 2025. The collection, which features colorful, utilitarian clogs, debuted at New York Fashion Week and caught the eyes of many an editor (myself included). According to Wong, these collaborations are a “collaborative effort, whereby design teams on both sides work closely to develop a product line that aptly reflects the personalities of both brands, from shapes, styles, and materials, to motifs,” He went on to say that they choose to work with brands and artists who embody an aesthetic that fluidly translates to Charles & Keith designs.”
The brand’s collaboration with Chet Lo featured both shoes and handbags.
Whether you’re looking for an everyday heel to wear with your favorite workwear ensembles, a square-toe ballet flat, or a slouchy boot—which Stevens says is a popular style for the season—there’s no doubt Charles & Keith has an affordable option for you. Shop my favorite editor-approved styles from the brand below.
Dale Arden Chong is the Senior Fashion Commerce Editor at ELLE.com, where she edits and reports on the latest trends, labels, and designers in the fashion space to bring you the best items that will elevate your wardrobe. With a passion for great sartorial stories and getting dressed (as well as a knack for nerding out over the details), she has a robust knowledge of high-quality design, construction, and materials based on testing hundreds of products over her eight-plus years in the industry, writing stories for Glamour, Who What Wear, Entertainment Tonight, and others. So, if you ask her for a shopping recommendation, she’ll give you five picks plus her honest, unfiltered opinions. Dale graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Communication Design. In 2015, she was a finalist for the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Award in the Online category of “Commentary/Analysis/Trend” for her article “Calvin Klein Underwear: What Is Plus Size?” Outside of the style world, her hobbies include cooking, playing tennis, ceramics, and watching BTS dance videos on YouTube, among other things. Follow her on Instagram at @dalearden.
