Shoes Are Never Just Shoes—6 Trends That Will Completely Alter Your Spring Outfits

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my years of dissecting trends, it’s that shoes are never just shoes. They are the first signifier of a season’s shift, the subtle yet powerful cue that change is afoot—literally. While coats and knitwear may still be in heavy rotation, and the thought of baring toes might seem wildly optimistic, now is precisely the time to start thinking about spring’s top shoe trends for 2025.

Spring shoe trends always walk that fine line between practicality and fantasy. There’s the temptation of newness, the lure of fresh silhouettes straight from the spring/summer 2025 runways, but also the reality that some styles might feel a little premature for right now. (I, for one, am not about to strut through the drizzle in the season’s most delicate offerings just yet.) But knowledge, as they say, is power, and getting acquainted with the key trends early on will put you in prime position when the moment arrives.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Shoes have an uncanny ability to carry our outfits seamlessly from one season to the next. They can instantly recalibrate an existing wardrobe—think of the way a sculptural heel elevates even the best jeans or how a streamlined classic loafer adds polish to transitional layering. For 2025, the runway has served up plenty to get excited about, offering a mix of boundary-pushing statements and refined updates on perennial favourites.

As someone who has always been fascinated by the transformative power of footwear, I relish this time of year. The first glimpses of a new season’s trends offer a promise of what’s to come, a chance to step forward into a fresh mindset and renewed sense of style. So, which shoes will define spring 2025? Let’s dive in.

6 Spring Shoe Trends the Runways Are Backing for 2025

1. Braided Textures

Spring Shoe Trends 2025

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight / Gabriela Hearst)

Style Notes: As the weather improves, as does the opportunity to wear different shoe textures and designs. The last thing you want on wet and muddy days is to wear a pair of shoes that will require significant amounts of cleaning when you get home. Spring, however, with all of its bright promise, allows for more intricate designs to come to the fore, which is why we’re seeing the comeback of pretty braided textures now. Infused with a French sensibility (I see so many Parisians wearing woven shoes in the warmer months), these shoes look especially chic worn with full skirts and linen trousers.

Shop the Trend:

H&M

Braided Slingback Court Shoes

Braided Ballerina Flats

ZARA

Braided Ballerina Flats

GABRIELA HEARST

Milos Woven Leather Ballet Flats

2. Clog Comeback

Spring Shoe Trends 2025

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight / Ulla Johnson)

Style Notes: What do Chloé, Hermès and Miu Miu and Ulla Johnson all have in common? Aside from a firm spot in my fantasy wardrobe, in their respective spring/summer 2025 collections, they each showcased clogs. From towering wedges to almost flat soles, clogs were imagined (and reimagined) in just about every guise. The main takeaway being, however, that they’re very much in for spring.

Shop the Trend:

CHLOÉ

Jeanette Studded Platform Clogs

Black Forever Comfort Stud Close Toe Clog Heels

3. Peep Toes

Spring Shoe Trends 2025

(Image credit: Launchmetrics Spotlight / Tory Burch)

Fashion is cyclical, this we know, and I personally take comfort in this. I like knowing that trends I love and ultimately haven’t stopped wearing will come back around again, and the shopping options for said trend will be plentiful. This just so happens to be the case with the reemergence of peep toe shoes. While we’ve seen open toes added to silhouettes such as mules, it’s been a minute since traditional peep toes were a thing. I say traditional, but you only need look at Alaïa and Tory Burch’s interpretations to know that these are peep toes unlike which you’ve seen before.