I’m not going to lie, my job is full of perks, one being often getting stuff for free. Take for example these tan dress casual sandals from Dansko that I am featuring today in my Accessorized 5 Ways post. How I happened to get my hands on these shoes was, a few weeks ago, I posted about a pair of super comfortable sandals that one of my clients purchased and showed all the ways they could be worn. Out of the blue Dansko reached out to me, thanking me for the post, offering to send me a pair of my choice. And the generosity didn’t stop there. Because I am a half size, and Dansko doesn’t sell half sizes, they sent me two pairs and to just pay the sandals that didn’t fit forward. I ran a contest on my Facebook page and one lucky winner got them.
You may be wondering why I chose this particular pair of Dansko shoes. Well, for summer shoes I was faced with a dilemma. I didn’t have a comfortable pair of sandals with a heel that would work with the majority of my summer wardrobe. Most of the sandals and shoes I own are colorful, which is great, but, for times when the colors of my shoes didn’t match with my outfits, I was out of luck and would be forced to wear a pair of less comfortable, but versatile, pair. I needed a neutral pair of heeled sandals from a comfort brand so my feet wouldn’t hate me by the end of the day.
The importance of tan dress casual sandals
No matter what the style, I think we all need a pair of heeled comfortable dress casual sandals in a neutral tone in our closets. In addition to the fact that they will work with whatever color you may be wearing, they’re also leg lengthening and slimming because your skin-tone will closely match your shoes. These sandals are like the nude pump of the dressy and professional world.
I also like the idea of fashionable fail-safes, items that you know will work. These are things like a long gold necklace, when you don’t have other accessories to go with an outfit, or a green handbag that will usually pop any outfit. A pair of tan pair of dress casual sandals definitely falls into this category.
Why seek out dress casual sandals from noted comfort brands?
Realistically, most of us spend a great deal of time on our feet and many women have foot issues. Certainly, we all have shoes in our closets that are less comfortable, perhaps a bit trendier and maybe sexier in look. However, the ratio of when we grab these less comfortable shoes to the times we need comfort shoes is at least 1:3, maybe even like 1:5. Yes, we all want lives where we can traipse around in stilettos, but it’s just not real life for most. Additionally, we all tend to be more active in the summer, outdoors, running around and traveling; comfort is crucial for this reason too. This is why I like a summer sandal with a heel from a comfort brand that I can wear them with everything and I can still be comfortable. So far, I’ve worn this Dankso pair with short dresses, maxi dresses, cropped pants and, if I wore shorts, I’d definitely be wearing this pair with them. Bottom line: You don’t want to sacrifice comfort for style and you certainly don’t want to sacrifice style for comfort. With special attention paid towards the health of your feet, many comfort brands are delivering.
Ways to wear Tan Dress Casual Sandals
Using this pair of Dansko sandals that were generously gifted to me, I am going to show you five ways you can wear a pair of tan dress casual sandals to get the most of them and to stay comfortable at the same time.
Outfit #1- With a maxi dress or skirt
I have a maxi dress that I’ve worn for years. Never once have I not gotten a compliment while wearing it. Because my maxi is shades of reds, pink and white, I was stumped for a pair of shoes to wear with it. I also work a lot in this dress because it is easy to move around in. I was in need of a comfortable yet somewhat dressy pair of heels.
Here I am showing this Modcloth maxi with these heeled sandals to show just how versatile a pair of sandals in a neutral color worn with a printed maxi dress or skirt can be. The beauty of shoes like this is they work with a dress but are not hard on the feet, nor are they too clunky or unfeminine in appearance.
The outfit is finished with a taupe handbag and a beaded necklace from Anthropologie to bring some color up near the face.
Outfit #2- With cropped pants
Everyone worries that cropped pants will make them look short. A way to work around this concern is to wear a pair of tan sandals instead of a dark pair. What this does is lengthen the legs because the shoes match closely to the skin tone. Plus, with a slight heel, you can get added height. If you’ve avoided wearing heels with cropped pants for fear that you will be uncomfortable, a pair of comfortable heeled sandals will solve that problem.
Here, I styled a pair of white capris from J. Crew and a printed MICHAEL Michael Kors top with these sandals. To finish the outfit, I added a pair of chandelier earrings from Banana Republic and a BCBG black clutch.
Oh and one tip about pocket bags and white pants: remove the bags and stitch the pockets shut. Why any brand puts pockets in white pants is beyond me. It’s not like you are putting anything in there and nobody likes to see their pocket bags through their pants.
Outfit #3- With a short dress
To find a pair of sandals that can be worn with pants and a short dress can be like finding a needle in a haystack. Often, the shoes that you would wear with pants are too clunky for dresses and the shoes you would wear with a dress can be too dressy. To find one pair of shoes that can work with everything is rare. Yet, these sandals work perfectly with a short dress, like this little tunic dress from Boden. Again, because of the color of the sandals, the shoes not only offer height but a slimming effect because the shoe color closely matches the skin. Additionally, because the shoes match closer to the skin, shoes can take a bit of a backstage to the print of the dress vs. drawing attention away from it.
For some pop, I styled this look with a turquoise handbag from Marc Jacobs and a pair of white earrings from Max & Chloe.
I want to touch on neutral shoes and skin tone. Often these type of shoes are called “nude shoes” which can be an understandably off putting term for some women who are not of Caucasian descent. To get the benefits of tan colored shoes, often to referred to as nude, the color does not have to match exactly to the tone of the skin. Many African American celebrities have been seen wearing “nude shoes” and reaping the benefits of them even if their skin tone is darker. Don’t discount this color if your skin doesn’t match to the shoes exactly.
Outfit #4- With shorts
While I don’t recommend heels of any sort with a pair of super short shorts, I think a pair of shoes can work with a longer, Bermuda style pair. A lot of women avoid shorts because they hate their legs but, like the tunic dress, tan heeled sandals add slimming leg length.
This outfit styled with a printed Elie Tahari top, orange earrings and a mint colored bag from Hobo.
Outfit #5- With a midi skirt
Let’s face it, midi skirts can be tough for the average woman to wear. Often, the length hits at an unflattering mid-calf length and with flats many women can just look bottom heavy. Add to that, if you wear a midi-skirt with a dark colored pair of shoes your legs can look shorter and stumpier. This is why I liked the way these sandals looked with this midi skirt from Topshop, you get slimming leg length.
To finish this outfit, I added a simple white tank from Boden, a pendant necklace from Stella & Dot and a peach tote bag.
Shop for Tan Dress Casual Sandals
Now that you see the importance in owning shoes like this, check out some of the other style I found around the web.
