I had been considering cropped wide-leg pants ever since they started popping up, but I just…kept…getting…stuck. I couldn’t seem to solve one big piece of the outfit puzzle—THE SHOES. What magical pair was I supposed to wear? It’s such an odd style, in a way, with the hemline hitting somewhere awkward (especially if you’re on the taller or the super-petite side), and, to throw another wrench into the mix—the wide leg. Are you trying to confuse and stump us for your own amusement, style gods??
….And that’s why I wasn’t able to commit for the longest time and click that ‘buy’ button. It irked me. There is nothing that annoys me more than not being able to figure out how to wear a new trend, even if I do so only in my mind and never actually wear it. It’s like a game to me…and until I come up with the answer, it bothers me (like an annoying, buzzing fly in my ear). I HAVE TO GET IT DONE, one way or another.
I then came across a wide-leg, cropped jumpsuit that looked incredibly comfortable. I love a good jumpsuit anyways, so it was relatively easy to say yes to. I committed. Finally. I decided to figure out shoes later. It would happen.
Then, with a sort of all-caution-to-the-wind attitude about it, I ordered a bunch of different shoe styles (Prime Wardrobe helped me out a lot with that, by the way. You need to check it out). I wasn’t sure at all if any of them would actually work with the cropped leg, but gah. I hoped so!….Otherwise I’d just have to give up on this trend and move on…with only a little bit of an irked attitude about it.
Once I got the shoes, I tried every single pair on with the jumpsuit, snapped a pic, and well…keep on scrolling to see all of them—my favorite pair, what ended up working, and what did not…not at all.
The Best Shoes to Wear with Cropped Wide-Leg Pants
My Absolute Favorite – Pointy Mules
Outfit Details
jumpsuit: Splendid Tercel Jumpsuit (TTS, wearing Small) – The material is incredibly soft and comfortable to wear. I worried that the cinched waist would be weird or uncomfortable, but nope. It’s not a tight fit, so it lays nicely and is easy to move in. The one itty bitty problem I have with it is that…I am a tad too tall for it. I would like it to be 1-2 inches longer on my leg, but hey, ho. (I am 5’10, by the way)
shoes: Lewit Cara Mule (Nude leather, fits small) – I had to go a whole size up, from 9.5 to 10.5…and I think it’s because it’s a pointy toe. Very comfortable once you have the right size. My goodness! Such soft leather. Well, darn. They appear to be sold out now, but look right below for additional options…
Shop My Other Favorite Mules
bag: Rebecca Minkoff Fringe Julian Backpack – My best purchase of the season. If you are worried, as I was, about a white bag getting dirty…my sister-in-law tells me that it’s easy to clean! That was enough for me to commit and buy it. I am not regretting it. At all.
necklace: Baublebar Aimee Layered Necklace (Comes in gold and silver) – Fantastic necklace, because it makes a statement…and I don’t have to think too much about it. I’ve been wearing it a lot…with most everything.
sunglasses: AE Sunglasses, no longer available – I found these Quay Paradiso Sunglasses and they look similar, not to mention they’re probably better quality than mine.
Slide Sandals
shoes: Piper Lucite Heeled Slide Sandal (TTS, but could go up a half size) – Fun mule, and if you’d like to try the clear, plastic trend, these are a great pair to start with. The plastic across the top did squeeze my foot a bit, though…which made the skin underneath look a bit splotchy. Not terrible, but something for you to know.
Wedge Espadrille
shoes: Lucky Brand Lidwina Mule (TTS, wearing 9.5) – Comfortable, the heel isn’t too high, and I could easily walk around in them. I liked the rose color with the denim, too.
Gladiator Espadrille
shoes: Soludos Platform Gladiator Sandal (TTS) – Second to the pointy mules (at the beginning of this post), these were my favorite with this cropped, wide-leg jumpsuit. They fit well, are pretty comfortable and fit true-to-size. I like the ankle wrap, because I think it helped to fill the large gap between material and shoe a bit more. A shorter person may find they do not like this style of shoe with them, though…
Golden Goose Sneakers
shoes: Golden Goose Deluxe Brand Sneakers (Wearing size 40, my shoe size is a 9.5) – My favorite pair of sneakers. BY FAR. I wear them several times a week. What I like is that I can wear them with everything, because they’re cool enough for that.
& The Shoes I Wanted To Like With Cropped Wide Leg Pants (But Didn’t)
I got a little adventurous and ordered two pairs of random shoes, ones that I kind of knew were an odd choice, but I was hopelessly optimistic about them. Well, yeah. They didn’t quite hit that quirky, but still super-stylin’ mark. In my opinion, at least.
Heeled Loafers
shoes: Marc Fisher Phylicia Loafer (pewter, TTS) – Great shoes! I really liked them, but not with this jumpsuit. The denim, more casual look of it needs something less “professional” on bottom, if you know what I mean. I’d totally wear these shoes with cropped denim or pants, though! Really classy and cool.
Big-Ass Athletic Sneakers
shoes: Adidas Questar BYD W (Orchid, TTS) – Oh…so big. They kinda reminded me of marshmallows stuck on my feet, which is very comfortable…but looks a bit clownish. Not a huge fan of the look. Ha. I’ll stick with my Golden Goose, thank you very much.
My conclusion: All a cropped, wide-leg pant needs is a mule or an espadrille, and sometimes a really good pair of sneakers (the European-chic looking ones, not the marshmallow kind). It shines best that way, I’ve found. I think it’s also important to consider your height when it comes to what shoe to wear with this trend! If you’re tall, like me, you may find that what I tried on works for you as well. Now, if you’re shorter, you may prefer sticking with mules or anything that doesn’t crowd your bare leg with anything extra.
What say you? I may be totally missing something. Have you found an even better Cropped Wide-Leg Jumpsuit + Shoe Formula?! I’m all ears…or all feet. Well, all two feet. Any more would be a bit weird…
Cheers,
Cams
Find me over on Instagram (@camilledipaola) and say hey! I love visitors and am pretty good at responding to messages. ? Also, I share a lot more of my messy, crazy life on there. It’s a PARTY.
Photos by Christina Hussey Photography.
