K.T. wrote in saying, “Spring is coming, and I’m interested in nude pumps! Can you do a spread on the best nude pumps for women of color? I know that our color ranges majorly, but I’m always seeing nude for lighter complexions, but not enough options for medium to darker. I’m a NW47 / Gabrielle Union type complexion. Do you have any suggestions for my shade of beauty?”
That’s an interesting question, K.T. Though ‘nude’ presumes that the shoe matches your skin tone exactly (thus making the shoe look like an extension of your leg), many celebs still wear light beige/nude shoes that aren’t particularly matchy-matchy.
Whatever your skin tone or preference, we’ve got you covered:
March 10, 2011 11:41 am
The reader’s comment kind of has me confused. What does skin color have to do with lack of nude shoes. Nude is IN and you see a wide variety of nudes that fit any desires. Kelly Rowland above is wearing the same type of nudes that I’ve seen Beyonce wear.
March 10, 2011 11:45 am
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March 10, 2011 11:55 am
I love my nude pumps! I am fair to light skin and I bought I pair frm Target that looks alot lik those Prada pumps but i paid 30! They are my Go To pumps for a colorful fit:) I think they would fit any skin tone
March 10, 2011 11:56 am
I have one pair of nude pumps that I wore last weekend…loved it…not my skin tone, but I had on tights anyway. Closer to the warm weather I do plan on buying another nude that is closer to my skin tone for that whole “extended long leg” look. Besides, what else will I wear with all the coral/pastel prints. Leaning toward the Steve Madden, Russh choice. Great post.
March 10, 2011 12:26 pm
This post has made me add nude pumps to my “Spring Must Have List” :)
March 10, 2011 12:28 pm
I recently bought a pair of nude Steve Madden Kattrina pumps and although I haven’t wore them yet I love the shoe! I was also worried about matching my skin tone exactly BUT I quickly got over that and realized it’s not actually necessary.
March 10, 2011 12:33 pm
Ive had nude pumps since last spring so Im ahead of the game, but Nude has nothing to do with matching skin color IMO. I am a NC50 in MAC and I love flesh tone, taupe, peachy colors whether it’s a nail color or a pair of pumps. Nude just means neutral.
March 10, 2011 12:42 pm
I bought light nude pumps and i love the way they look even though i’m darker, I was kind of iffy at first but the tone of the nude doesn’t matter.
March 10, 2011 12:47 pm
Nude is neutral, no? Did we really pull out the foundation colors? LOL
LOVE THIS BOARD!!!! One could even use a blush-y tone if you like.
March 10, 2011 12:53 pm
I think Nude was/is supposed to mean blending in with your skin color not as in neutral. If she was looking for a neutral shoe, then she would’ve said so.
March 10, 2011 1:19 pm
Wow, I’m KT and I’m so happy to see this post!
Yeah, I did mean my skin color, not as in a neutral. I see neutral shoes all day long, but I really wanted to extend my leg length with a shoe that blends in to my skin complexion. It’s kinda like wearing nude panty hose (if ppl still do that). What’s nude for Heidi Klum would look crazy on me. My “nude” is brown.
Anyway, I’m off to shoe shop! Thanks for the links.
March 10, 2011 1:34 pm
Okay and…I think the consensus still is that women of color… medium to dark skins can choose almost ANY color on the market (AND look good)…hence the umpteen pictures ^ there.
If you dont get an exact color match (you want the illuison of no shoe?), the one MUSt is height. Thats how you get the long line.
March 10, 2011 1:37 pm
Great Post! I <3 Solange's dress does anyone know where to find it and where to get it or something similar. Thanks
March 10, 2011 2:29 pm
Solange’s dress is GORGEOUS!!
March 10, 2011 2:39 pm
Well thank you for this post! I’ve been wondering the same exact thing as the reader because I wanted a nude shoe. I told my friend and the first thing they said was “Um, isn’t that shoe supposed to match your skin?” Then I figured I’d seen Kelly Rowland wear it, so I could too. After I did Google search on it, a lot of results said that it should match your skin for the elongated look. From this post, it doesn’t seem like it matters though, so I’m still going to get my nude shoe! :)
March 10, 2011 2:57 pm
I’M LOVING THE NUDE MOVEMENT! LOL BY NUDE I’M MEANING NEUTRAL. GREAT FOR BRIGHT COLORS. -SOLANGE’S DRESS IS BCBG
March 10, 2011 2:57 pm
I was just telling my boyfriend the other night that i don’t see many nude shoes that match my skin tone! good post!
March 10, 2011 3:18 pm
OMG! This post was BEYOND helpful! I spent about three hours yesterday searching the web to find the perfect pair of nude pumps! Now I’m in “nude shoe heaven” Thanks a bunch!!!
March 10, 2011 3:46 pm
I 99% sure Solange’s dress is BCBG from last spring/summer. It prob won’t be in full line stores but u may luck up and find a version at their outlet store
March 10, 2011 4:13 pm
umm just find a brown shoe… whats the big deal?
March 10, 2011 4:19 pm
the reader asked for nude shoes for darker skin tones…im assuming she wanted one that matched her skin…but again most of the options displayed are a lighter beige-y nude… not our mocha nude… i understand any skin color can wear any nude pump, like these celebs pictured are doing.. but to me it seems the reader asked specifically for darker nude tone..im just saying
March 10, 2011 5:23 pm
Nude pumps are in no matter the actual color, doesn’t have to match your skin tone honey. A lighter gives a nice contrast to your skin anyway.
March 10, 2011 6:13 pm
Thank you Tara. Somebody gets it!
March 10, 2011 6:16 pm
Wait- what the hell does nude pumps have to do with skin color???? C’mon now- Nude is a color like black red and blue. If you’re a darker complexion and for some reason want ur shoes to match ur skin (side eye)- i mean buy BROWN SHOES.
March 10, 2011 6:42 pm
yay finally lol! i recently bought some (i’m like gabbie union’s color) from endless.com Dollhouse Women’s Zwilo Platform Pump,Tan
March 10, 2011 6:43 pm
Great question. Last Spring I was a little disappointed when I walked into Aldos (same goes to Victoria Secret and their “nude” underware) and saw that their “nude section” wasn’t close to my complexion at all. It was basically for the white girls. Kelly’s look above looks ok, but the look wouldve been even better if her shoe was closer to her skin tone. JMO
March 10, 2011 6:44 pm
I want nude pumps now :)
March 10, 2011 6:45 pm
nude will always be a “beige” color, regardless of what color you are
March 10, 2011 7:04 pm
The reader just wanted shoes closer to her skintone. I don’t see why people have to get so technical.
March 10, 2011 7:07 pm
I really don’t understand all of the hoop-lah re: this very reasonable request. In theory, “nude” should match the wearer’s complexion. It just so happens that those who have defined the term in the fashion industry tend to have lighter skin. It’s similar to those likening “fair” complexions/make-ups to lighter skin when “fair” is actually a subjective term that could have just as easily been used to refer to dark skin if there wasn’t such a cultural bias./end rant
Last season, I purchased tan/light colored shoes but am pleased to find some darker options that more closely match my skin.
March 10, 2011 7:41 pm
Okay where was I because i need some info on my Solange look here! But I agree Nude has always been hard to define especially in terms of fashion but it is something that suppose to match your skin to a tee. To me some of the shoes I see in this “nude trend” looks more beige than nude. But again it is all a matter of perspective
March 10, 2011 8:08 pm
Hey Guys! Hopped up off the flight, saw all these great comments. I tried to provide options for every tone of brown. Solange’s dress is BCBG, we blogged about it here:
http://fashionbombdaily.com/2010/06/24/splurge-solanges-bcbg-pink-banded-mesh-dress-and-yves-saint-laurent-tribtoo-pumps/
xx
March 10, 2011 8:22 pm
Solange’s dress is from last season’s BCBG Maxazria Runway collection. As the commenter abover stated, it’s no longer in the stores but I found a couple on eBay. That’s where I purchased mine. Can’t wait to wear it in Miami for my birthday! =)
March 10, 2011 8:27 pm
I’m still working on the pump game but I got a really cute pair of nude gladiator sandals by Chinese Laundry.
March 10, 2011 8:37 pm
Ladies, as a white woman how could I get a pair of pumps to match me to a t? I couldn’t because they sure wouldn’t be nude, they’d be white, like Nicole Kidman. Nude is nude, not to match your skin. I mean, right? What Vanessa said!
March 10, 2011 8:51 pm
i’ve always been irritated by the fact that the “nude” trend caters to people with lighter complexions and tends to mean light beige. it’s like back in the day when light beige crayons were called “flesh tone” as though lighter skin tones were the default skin color. it extends to other areas like “skin” colored band-aids and panty hose, that would only match the skin color of white people. it’s a way of subliminally insinuating that lighter skin tones are the default skin tones and all other (darker) skin complexions as other. the “nude” trend should most certainly include darker neutrals and i totally think k.t. was right in calling attention to the fact that it doesn’t. brown pumps WOULD look nude on her. that being said, i think wearing lighter neutral tones compliment dark skin as well.
March 10, 2011 8:56 pm
to further illustrate my point about the “nude” trend not taking darker complexions into account: http://thedemoiselles.com/archives/nudity-is-apparently-relative
March 10, 2011 9:08 pm
Hope I can post this link here but this is a GREAT example of a darker skinned girl with nude colored pumps that match her skin.
http://cdn.mediatakeout.com/47192/the_black_gal_from_the_victorias_secret_calendar_demaris_is_a_banger____and_shes_got_a_little_meat_on_her_too.html
March 10, 2011 9:27 pm
To me the term is relative. Nude refers to skintone, kelly rowland’s and Ciara’s pumps aren’t nude to me. Period.
Its pathetic that the default skintone for nude is stuck in the beige range but whatever. It’s a result of the twisted logic of the fashion industry.
I have nude pumps that match my dark skintone that I got from Dolce Vita. I love them, sturdy and with a platform. For us darker ladies, it tends to be touch and go but the shoes are out there. We just have to do a bit more digging, like with makeup!
March 10, 2011 10:23 pm
Grace, Beelle, and Esme said it best.
March 11, 2011 7:02 am
Ciara and Kelly, I love them both. However, the photos are simply a representation of how celebrity doesn’t equate to style. I lived in Italy for a while and one of an Italian woman’s staple is a nude shoe.
Nude/Neutral shoe is defined as a color that flawlessly combines with your skin tone (this is NOT a race issue) it is reality – what is your skin tone bammmm get a shoe that matches. It is a very sophisticated look and also elongates the silhouette. Do it ladies quickly – it is an effortless and timeless look the you cannot beat!
March 11, 2011 8:58 am
Straight from Webster: Definition of NUDE
1: lacking something essential especially to legal validity
2a : devoid of a natural or conventional covering; especially : not covered by clothing or a drape b (1) : of the color of a white person’s flesh (2) : giving the appearance of nudity c : featuring nudes d : frequented by naked people
March 11, 2011 9:01 am
I never thought that wearing a nude colored pump was supposed to match your skin tone. I thought the idea (fashionably) was for the shoe to act as a “neutral” when worn. If that were the case, women with a skin tone of Ciara could wear tan colored pumps, darker women would wear brown colored pumps. The color on the box does not have to say “nude” for the shoe to match your skin.
March 11, 2011 9:35 am
Nude is a shade, not a color. Therefore, there can’t be a nude shoe that matches everyone’s complexion. If that was the case then white women’s ‘nude’ would be white and darker women’s ‘nude’ would be brown/beige.
March 11, 2011 10:01 am
I can’t understand all the commentary on the term “nude.” To me, it’s a no-brainer. Nude isn’t a specific color, it’s whatever applies to you. Nude isn’t only tan or taupe or beige or pink, or whatever. That’s like saying a nude lip is only one shade. That’s insane!
Anyway, I think a lot of readers said it better than I. I’m glad to see that I’m not alone for wanting a shoe that matches my skin, not just compliments it.
Perhaps, I should’ve said “flesh tone.” Maybe then, it wouldn’t have engendered so much controversy. :)
March 11, 2011 10:17 am
I see both sides. For me, I have a pair of skin tone cole haan pumps that are a rich chocolate color, they extend my leg line and work beautifully with several outfits. I also have a beige pump that has the same impact as Kelli’s shoes pictured. I think both are essential for the wardrobe and two snaps for people who have shoes that do double-duty. In addition, is it just me or are stone-colored shoes amazing! I have a pair that I work endlessly. Awesome post Claire!
~Lisa Ella
March 11, 2011 11:03 am
nikki..who do you think wrote the dictionary? don’t you think defining nude as the color of a white person’s flesh is not only racist but extremely myopic ? why is white the default skin color EVEN IN THE DICTIONARY? besides that is one of many different dictionary defintions, so why accept a definition that upholds the status quo?
also, there can be nude shoes that matches everyone’s color, neutral tones that match the wide arrray of complexions that exist, but thus far nude has ALWAYS been described as a light beige color. if light beige stopped being referred to as nude, but instead where described by what they actually look like, like beige or light beige, then it would be easier to include other (darker) neutral tones in reference to the “nude” trend.
trust me change can happen: 1962 marked the beginning of real political correctness, however, with the “voluntary” name change by the Crayola company of “Flesh” to “Peach.” The company acknowledges on its website that this was done “partially as a result of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.”The next change occurred in 1999 after teachers complained that “some children wrongly perceived that the crayon color ‘Indian Red’ was intended to represent the skin color of Native Americans.” It became “Chestnut.”
http://www.bookofjoe.com/2005/10/crayola_politic.html
March 11, 2011 6:39 pm
When you are nude/naked, what color are you? It’s relative to the consumer; esme is is right, a peach shoe is not nude for most black people.
March 11, 2011 7:30 pm
IM DARK SKIN AND I HAVE A GORGEOUS PAIR OF LIGHT BROWN GUCCI PUMPS. THE LIGHT BROWN CHOCOLATE COLOR IS PERFECT FOR SKIN TONES LIKE MINE AND GABRIEL UNION OR KELLY ROWLAND!
March 11, 2011 7:32 pm
HONESTLY, DARK SKIN WOMEN LOOK GOOD IN ANY COLOR. OUR SKIN TONE FITS PERFECTLY WITH ALL NUDE SHADES!
March 12, 2011 10:26 am
This post is so dumb!!
March 12, 2011 11:58 am
Yall over analyzing this and making this waaaaaay more complicated than it should be…
To the Original Poster: Trends arent meant to followed so literally. You have to take the idea and then do the work to make it your own. There shouldnt be a stark contrast between the color of the shoe and your foot (ie Kelly/Ciara) bc it may look funny and IMO defeats the purpose of a “neutral shoe”. A brown shoe may not work either bc brown also comes in multiple shades that can contrast as much as beige and still wont give you the effect you are looking for. You have to find something that can blend seamlessly your skintone – which may be a luggage brown (the color of the Dolce Vita wedge in Claire’s graphic) or something more sandy that is more grey than brown (the L.A.M.B. platform). Whatever color you choose it should compliment your skintone and not compete with it.
My best advise for you is to lotion your feet, replace “nude” with “neutral” and hit every store in the mall until you find a shoe that compliments you
March 13, 2011 8:42 am
Wow, I saw the number of comments, I was expecting numerous pointers of where to find “flesh toned” (LOL) shoes, not a debate on the definition of nude!
The point is KT asked a question and was quite specific about what she was looking for, shoes to match her complexion, from which I can gather is not peach!
That is how people fail exams, answering a question that was not asked! LOL
March 13, 2011 9:20 am
I usually don’t post links, but was amazed by how many people were looking for nude shoes for brown complexions. I touched on this topic last year and readers were fairly pleased with the selection; here are a few shoe options for various brown complexions. Hope this helps… http://eclechick.com/?p=1214
March 14, 2011 10:33 am
yes, because discussing the reasons WHY it’s hard for kt and other women with darker complexions to find nude colored shoes to match their complexions is COMPLETELY off topic. i believe claire answered kt’s original question and then people began discussing why it appears that darker skin colors are shut out of the nude trend in the first place, with some people justifying it and others advocating for more inclusion and that fashion industry be more cognizant of our existence. i think that it’s a natural progression for conversation, not a test question. why some people insist on keeping it shallow as opposed to addressing the underlying issue at hand i’ll never know, but that’s their prerogative. others choose not to.
March 14, 2011 4:25 pm
This is a really good post. I am dark skinned, but I still wear the lighter “nude” colored shoes that don’t match my skin tone. I just use them as a color, instead of nude. I also have shoes that match my skin color. They are more of a pecan shell color or even something darker in summer.
March 25, 2011 10:06 pm
[...] For more nude shoe selections, visit this nude shoes for brown girls post. [...]
March 31, 2011 12:27 pm
(I came across this site in the wee hours of this morning while scoping the net for my ‘NUDE’ shoe obsession)
*REPORT FROM THE FRONT LINES*
‘brown-ies unite!
Ok ladies…I’ve been doing some re-con (I’m a le femme nikita geek, sorry) and here’s what I’ve found:
There are literally HUNDREDS OF ‘NUDE’ STYLES FOR THE ‘REST’ OF US DEEPER SKIN-TONED ‘HUE’-MAN WOMEN!!!
I have been OBSESSED with this nude footwear phenomenon since 2008 when a twin-preggered angie jolie strutted on the red carpet for the ‘Kung Fu Panda’ premiere in Cannes , and then in 2009 for its DVD release in NYC when she was post preggers. Her Stuart Weitzman peep toe nudes have become LEGENDARY. Her Lanvin nude ballet flats have had me envious for years…but not any
mooo-rrrre!!!
I have since scored the DKNY Gram pumps in Cappuccino…Cynthia Vincent’s runaway hit gladiator sandals from Target last year in Cognac (yes, I ‘was’ one of those crazies up at 3 in the morning when they went on sale, lol). I even swallowed my pride and got those delicious Pour La Victoire ‘Adrianna’ sandals in Taupe last summer. That should be enough for me, but dangit, I am not satisfied!
It’s not MY fault they keep flaunting these gorgeous nude looks for Spring/Summer 2011.
My skintone is very Janet Jackson/Gabrielle Union, and I WANT-IN, MAN!!!
I simply R-E-F-U-S-E-D to believe the fashion gods wouldn’t hook a sister up, ya know?
“I will NOT be ignored, Dan!” – glen close, fatal attraction
HUGE TIP: go to shopstyle.com, DSW.com and/or endlessshoes.com and do a shoe search by the COLOR ‘brown’ or any of the following names:
Ash, Adobe, Almond, ANTHRACITE, Braun, Bronze, Café, Camel, Cappuccino, CARAMEL, Charcoal, Chocolate, Clay, Coal, Cocoa, Coffee, COGNAC, Dark Brown, Earth, ELEPHANT, Espresso, Fawn, Grey, GREY TAUPE, Gold, Java, Latte, Lava, Light Brown, Khaki, LUGGAGE, Medium Brown, Military Green, MINK, Mocha, Morel, Moss, MUSHROOM, Natural, Nutmeg, Russet, OLIVE, Shitake, Sienna, STONE, Tan, Taupe, Tawny, Walnut, Vulcano
For the past few weeks I have comprised nude layouts for us richer skin toned gals.
From Mossimo for Target (who’s collection is KILLIN’ IT this season) to Christian Lou, the truth is out there dolls, and for ALL BUDGETS! Check out my layouts at: http://rhonyc.fabsugar.com/
Click on the layouts to be directed to shopstyle.com where you can get all the links to the vendor websites, as well as check out my other layouts. Any comments are welcomed, thanx!
Happy Hunting All!
Let’s get naked ba-by! Bring on the NUDES! ;-)
October 21, 2011 2:32 am
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