Photos: Vogue Runway / Artwork by Vogue Business Save Story Save this story Save Story Save this story At the Spring/Summer 2027 shows, from New York to Paris, there have been few front rows without at least one pair of Dario Vitale’s printed Versace court shoes in the mix. The Tina Party pumps, priced at $950, proved most popular.
It’s a sign of the times. As the Wall Street Journal reported last month, and as handbag prices continue to climb well above the $5,000 mark, consumers are turning to more accessibly priced designer shoes — typically sub-$2,000 — to satiate their luxury splurge impulses. The Chanel frenzy in Paris last season pointed to this trend: few editors bought a bag with their fashion industry salaries, but many bought Matthieu Blazy’s bold croc and spotted heels. This season, outside the SS27 shows, the funky pump was a shoe of choice .
On the runways, brands responded in step. At Prada, though the collection was built around the skirt, shoes were a focal point. The brand revived its 2007 curved banana heels and introduced cutout, bejeweled slingbacks. At Dior, footwear designer Nina Christen offered up sexy Dior-charmed T-straps and plenty of toe cleavage. Ann Demeulemeester brought back the gladiator sandal with an abundance of buckles. Loewe displayed a dizzying assortment of cutout, elongated, fantastically colored footwear. It’s a departure from previous seasons, where shoes were more pared-back, from Prada’s pointed kitten heels in neutral tones last season to Dior’s classically spotted pumps.
“I can’t remember a season in many, many years where the focus of footwear has been so incredibly strong,” says luxury consultant Robert Burke of the new collections. “It was a deliberate move to put an emphasis on creative footwear, which can change an outfit.”
It can also swing a purchase. “Middle-class consumers are squeezed globally — hence their interest to stay in luxury with cheaper categories in absolute dollar terms,” says Bernstein luxury goods analyst Luca Solca. “Shoes cost a third of handbags on average, hence the relatively stronger appeal.”
For Nordstrom fashion director Brooke Bobb, picking favorites is difficult because of the sheer amount of standout shoes this season: “I loved the kinky cutout kitten heels at Jil Sander, the perforated pumps with brooches at Prada, Loewe’s charm sandals, Celine’s silvery lace-up heels, and all the sublime shoes at Dries: metallic block heeled loafers; two-tone high vamps; crystal-covered pumps!”
The footwear pendulum has swung back from low-key to maximalist, buyers agree. Tiffany Hsu, Mytheresa’s chief buying and group fashion venture officer, notes a clear shift away from the ease and practicality that’s dominated the last few years. “There is more excitement around shoes that bring glamour and personality back into the closet,” she says, noting Saint Laurent’s squiggly snake tail heels and Rick Owens’s strong boots and embellished “cage-like” shoes as standouts.
“Shoes have more personality right now,” adds Bobb, who believes the minimalist era of high vamp pumps, monochrome slingbacks and skinny thong heels is coming to a close. “This is the season of shoes that make a statement, whether by way of an off-beat shape, a playful embellishment, or a slick, sky-high heel — even better if it’s slightly curved like Christian Louboutin’s sculptural stilettos for Matières Fécales .”
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