Brown-skinned fashionista’s everywhere have fumed at the lack of real nude coloured stilettoes available for those of us who wish to give that illusion of endless legs in heels that are actually in the right shade of nude for our skin tone.
Many of us heralded the efforts of master shoe designer Christian Louboutin when he debuted his Nudes Collection in the summer of 2013, but alas, the $700 price tag put the gorgeous sky-scrapers out of reach as it came down to a choice, buy the shoes, or pay the mortgage?!
So we were thrilled when our friends at FleshTone.net put together the people’s choice awards of dupes/alternatives to the Louboutin Nudes collection. We love it! Read on for their top five nude pumps.
1. Office (UK) ‘Onto Point’ Court Heels
(Photo copyright Office UK)
Established in the early 80s, OFFICE is a British high street brand that’s now moved into other European countries, and can easily be found online and in select TopShop stores. Their ‘Onto Point’ court pumps come in five NUDE SHADES (‘light nude’, ‘nude’, camel, mocha and cocoa) and are super classy looking. The heel is stiletto (11cm/4.3 inches) and the great news is, it’s a leather shoe. They run true to size, and for a stiletto heel – they are surprising comfortable. Priced from £68, it’s our number one Louboutin alternative. Shop them here.
2. House of CB ‘Paris’ Pumps
(Photo copyright House of CB)
The owner/creator of House of CB is 23 YEARS OLD. That in itself is worth a mention. With major celeb patronage (e.g. Kim K, Beyoncé, JLo – the list goes on), the brand is not as expensive as you might think. The Paris Heels are a trendy leather design and have a five inch killer stiletto heel. The collection includes four NUDE SHADES – Pale Pink, ‘Nude’, Tan and Dark Tan. The ‘Antique Rose’ hue is also a great option for light skin tones. While the tan and dark tan colours are not exactly what we would call colour matches for darker tones, they are very complementary and will set off your House of CB outfit (of which there are several popping options), beautifully. Five inches is not comfortable – no matter what anyone says. However, these look fantastic and if you’re up for the challenge – your £119 is money well spent. Shop them here.
3. Akira ‘Conquered Love’ Pumps
(Photo copyright Akira)
These pumps are what we like to call ‘complementary’ nude hues. Being metallic shades, they’re obviously not going to match your skin tone – but they are going to set it off! The colours currently available are pewter and rose gold. Pewter suits fair skin, and the rose gold is perfect for deeper skin tones. With a four-inch stiletto heel, these pumps have a reflective, glossy finish and really catch the light. The only drawback is that these shoes are synthetic. Notwithstanding, they are reasonably comfortable and perfect for a night out or a swanky brunch, but not so perfect for daily office wear or long periods in hot climates. Prices for the Conquered Love Pumps start at $40USD. Shop them here.
4. Guoar D’Orsay Pumps
(Photo copyright Guoar)
Big caveat on these pumps. They Look amazing (they are clearly Louboutin inspired), but the quality…well…it’s certainly not going to have the same lofty, ergonomic craftsmanship of the French master. We are in synthetic territory here for starters. Secondly, the heel is a whopping 120mm (same height as the Louboutins). At that height you would normally want cooling leather comfort and soft gel cushion built into the sole – neither of which is available with these pumps. So the end result is – sky high, synthetic pumps which are not exactly comfortable – but they look fantastic! If you want to wear these, do it with the knowledge that their beauty is skin deep and you may want to purchase a gel cushion insert to ease your pain. The ‘D’Orsay’ pumps are of course cut away to reveal your (hopefully exfoliated) arch, which adds to the glamour. The nude colours on offer include ‘C-Nude’ (PU), B-Brown (PU), B-Tan (PU) and A-Tan (Suede).
Guoar is a Chinese company, popular on Amazon. Prices start at $40USD and you can shop the D’Orsay Pumps here.
If you’re not quite sold on Guoar as a synthetic option, another brand we’ve been side-eyeing lately is Salt Lake City-based, Riverberry. They make a range of synthetic stiletto pumps, and we spot 3 light, medium and dark hues across their range that would match or complement your skin tone. These pumps just missed our top 5 (because, well, they are rather ‘sensible’ looking), but if you want something a little less dramatic and suitable for work, check them out here.
5. NEKED (UK)
(Photo copyright NEKED)
Neked, a UK brand, has an honorary mention here as they have not yet launched their product offering….though it’s not far off we’ve been told. The NEKED brand was born in February 2016, founded by its CEO, Jamila Acheampong. Of African descent, she was having trouble sourcing great looking nude shoes in the right style. So she decided to make her own. NEKED will soon be debuting two different luxury, premium styles of footwear – all available in 10 different hues! We know NEKED is going to be something special as the shoes will be hand made in East London with exclusively sourced premium leathers from Italy.
We are also down with the NEKED philosophy and message – that representation, diversity and inclusion all matter, and to take pride in the skin that you are in. NEKED hopes to offer the shoes for pre-sale by late November 2016 – follow them on Instagram and bookmark their website for details about their upcoming launch. It looks to be the most comprehensive, luxury alternative to the Louboutin nudes to date!
This article has been reproduced with kind permission from FleshTone.net
