5 Best Fall 2024 Shoe Trends, According to the Runways

Keeping up with high fashion is not for the faint of heart. Styles come and go in the blink of an eye. By the time you catch on to a trend, it’s probably overdone. That’s why I’m here: to keep my finger on the pulse so you don’t have to.

Now, let’s get down to business and talk about the best fall 2024 shoe trends. Even with the best fashion trends, no look can be complete without footwear—and what would the fashion industry be without shoes? (The honest answer: more comfortable, but alas.) Ahead, I’m breaking down five major shoe trends for autumn based on the fall/winter 2024 runways we shall last season, from Copenhagen to Paris and every catwalk in between. Because now, you can finally shop them all.

High Tops

Put down the Converse; I’m not talking about that type of high top. Rather, the fall runways saw several iterations of what I 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 that’s all changing this season. Trendsetting labels like MM6, Tibi, Blumarine, Roksanda, and Fforme are ushering in a new norm. Even coquette queen Sandy Liang partook.

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 fall 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.

Proenza Schouler Trap Over The Knee Boots

$975 at Proenza Schouler $995 at Farfetch $995 at Net-a-Porter

Reformation Ruby Over The Knee Boot

$598 at The Reformation

Dior D-Quest Thigh Boot

$2,850 at Dior

Square Toes

Square-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.

Acne Studios Leather Knee-High Boots

$1,150 at Mytheresa $1,150 at FWRD $1,150 at Saks Fifth Avenue

Maison Margiela Tabi Penny Loafers

$1,150 at Bloomingdale's $1,150 at Nordstrom $954 at Farfetch

Jeffrey Campbell Bourdin Mary Jane Pump

$170 at Nordstrom

Furry Textures

This season’s shoes are all about fur, fuzz, feathers, and shearling in all varieties of shapes and colors. 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 fall/winter 2024 shows our team found this trend.

Miu Miu Shearling Mary Jane Ballerina Flats

$1,170 at Bergdorf Goodman $1,170 at Bergdorf Goodman €890 at Miu Miu

Prada Shearling Mules

$1,270 at Farfetch $1,270 at Farfetch

Moncler Pacey Genuine Shearling Sneaker

$750 at Nordstrom $750 at Mytheresa $750 at Bloomingdale’s

Leg Warmers

The ’80s called, and 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 this 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.

Viavia Zola Chunky Knit Leg Warmers

$270 at Viavia

Simone Rocha Cluster Flower Stirrup Socks

$280 at Ssense

Nana Jacqueline Kendall Leg Warmers

$50 at Revolve

Meg Donohue

Associate Fashion Commerce Editor

Meg (she/her) is the associate fashion commerce editor at ELLE.com, where she specializes in shopping stories spanning the fashion, home, and lifestyle categories. Over the past three years, she has devoted countless hours to researching brands, testing hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of products, and deep-diving into market and consumer trends. Her favorite job responsibilities consist of co-writing the monthly series Same Same But Different and curating the fashion market for ELLE Escapes. Meg graduated magna cum laude from the Missouri School of Journalism with an emphasis on magazine editing. In 2020, one of her feature stories in the service article category was recognized by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. The year prior, the Society of Professional Journalists named voxmagazine.com “Best Affiliated Magazine” in its Mark of Excellence Awards, when she was on staff. Meg’s stories have appeared on Cosmopolitan, Town & Country, Harper’s Bazaar, and Good Housekeeping, among many other outlets. Her personal passions include travel, buffalo sauce, and gardening. You can find her in New York, where she lives, or on Instagram, where she also lives. She will never stop hoping for a One Direction reunion tour.