These Are the Must-Have Shoe Trends for Fall 2024, Straight From Fashion Month

Fashion Month is not for the faint of heart. It’s a challenge to focus on any single thing amid all the well-dressed chaos, but I paid special attention to the runways’ shoe trends for fall 2024. After all, when you think about it, no outfit, even with the best fashion trends, can be complete without footwear—and what would New York Fashion Week be without shoes? (The honest answer: more comfortable.)

Ahead, I’m breaking down five major shoe trends as seen on the fall/winter 2024 runways, from Copenhagen to Paris and every catwalk in between.

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High Tops

Put down the Converse; I’m not talking about that type of high top. Rather, this season’s runways saw several iterations of what I’ve dubbed “Minnie Mouse shoes.” These mostly come in the form of ballet flats or closed-toe pumps, and the defining feature is a high-rise vamp. For the uninitiated, the vamp is the portion of the shoe that starts at the toes and covers the top of the foot. Traditionally, vamps don’t extend much beyond the toes, but prepare for that to change. Trendsetting labels like MM6, Tibi, Blumarine, Roksanda, and Fforme are ushering in a new norm. Even coquette queen Sandy Liang partook.

Furry Textures

Before you get too excited about spring and put your fur-lined footwear into storage, think again. This fall’s shoe trends are all about fur, fuzz, feathers, and shearling in all varieties of shape and color. It’s commonplace for shoes to be lined with fur or sherpa, but seldom have I seen these textures on the exterior—until now. J.W. Anderson, Ferragamo, Simone Rocha, and Marni were among the shows where this trend was found.

Leg Warmers

The ’80s called and said that leg warmers are totally back in a major way. Except this time, think more ballet and barre than aerobics class. No matter what kind of shoes (or outfit, for that matter) you plan to wear come fall, try slipping into a pair of leg warmers. Knit or furry, vibrant or pastel, there were many different takes on the style from Collina Strada, Kim Shui, Anna Sui, and Susan Fang.

Square Toes

Although they didn’t make up the majority of runway footwear, squared-toe shoes are starting to creep back into high fashion. This is much to my delight, and your podiatrist will probably be pretty happy about it, too. (Shoes with wide toe boxes are better for your feet.) Tory Burch and Bevza took the ballet flat route, as did Sandy Liang, who paired the style with sweatpants. Prada showcased how the feature translates to boots, and so did Eckhaus Latta with much success, at least in my opinion.

Well-Over-the-Knee Boots

Are they pants? Are they shoes? The goal is to keep everyone guessing. The higher the boot shaft, the closer to heaven—at least, that’s what I feel. All over the runways, boots went beyond knee height and went straight into mid-thigh territory. It takes artful stylization to make this type of shoe work on a practical level, but boy, does it pay off. Houses like Versace and Christian Dior featured flat boots, while LaQuan Smith, Fendi, and Gucci went for stiletto heels. Luar double-dipped on trends with a fur pair, but it was Bally that gave me hope I might be able to pull this off, styling a flat pair with jeans and a blazer.