Hellobee

For many people summer has pretty much already arrived, and you may or may not have already done a bit of summer shopping. I am personally a very strategic shopper; I only buy what I need and love and what will be super versatile in my closet. I find when I have too many options I just get overwhelmed and then end up wearing the same thing everyday anyways, especially when it comes to shoes. Before I even attempt to shop I think of all my needs and our needs when it comes to family shops. This spring I was left pretty shoeless, since I wore everything out last year — that’s another thing, I like to wear items into the ground before I replace them. So buying good quality shoes is important, because this helps avoid possible foot issues later in life (but that’s another responsible story). I thought of all my possible needs when it comes to footwear for the spring and summer: everyday wear, work wear, weekend and maybe evening out wear and realized I had 5 shoe categories I needed, a couple I already had filled which was pretty great. It’s always a nice idea to break things down before shopping to avoid an overwhelming overlapped closet — plan plan plan.

I decided the 5 summer shoe categories were: A great pair of comfy everyday sandals, a pair of everyday sneakers, a pair of sockless shoes, a pair of short or open booties and a pair of dressier sandals. And then the goal is to find one pair you totally love within each.

Your summer shoe categories might be different based on your lifestyle, but generally this list might be helpful for you as well, so here’s a fun breakdown of each with a bunch of different styles that fit into each category.

A Great Pair of Everyday Sneakers – that can be worn with or without socks (or with those no show socks), and can be worn with jeans, skirts, dresses or shorts. The casual kind of sneakers that might be a classic pair of Converse, a more trendy casual trainer or a pair of slip on sneakers.

1. Toms – 2. Adidas – 3. Vans – 4. Palladium – 5. New Balance – 6. Converse – 7. Superga – 8. Asics – 9. Native

A Pair Of Everyday Comfy Sandals – Made for long walks and playing in the park with the kids. The kind that don’t take much to put on and look good with everything in your closet. Your go to!

1. Pons – 2. Teva – 3. Silence + Noise – 4. Reef – 5. Volcom – 6 . Minnetonka – 7. Clarks – 8. Miz Mooz – 9. Birkenstocks – 10. Huaraches – 11. Zara

A Pair Of No Socks Required Shoes – Great for a casual dress up, or maybe a day at work. Can be worn with shorts, dresses or pants. This is one of those styles that will be hard to pick just one, but this is a type of shoe that can be worn in fall and maybe winter (indoors).

1. Jeffrey Campbell – 2. Toms – 3. Minnetonka – 4. Asos – 5. Zara – 6. Zara – 7. Zara

Open Booties or Shooties (I might have just made that up) – Great for adding a bit of something extra to an outfit, for cooler days or nights out. A style that can go with anything in your closet, so really if you want could be worn every day.

1. UO – 2. Asos – 3. Asos – 4. Zara – 5. Madewell

A Pair of Dressier/Trendy Sandals – A pair that takes your outfit up a notch, good for work a day out or just when you want to feel awesome. These are the kind that maybe aren’t the most comfortable for long walks and might be slippery in the park, but they look good and you are almost always guaranteed to have people ask, “where did you get your sandals?” when you wear them. A pair with heels would also be a good option, though I didn’t include any in my round up.

1. UO – 2. Free People – 3. Madewell – 4. UO – 5. UO – 6. Zara – 7. Zara

What do you think? Do you break your shoe needs into categories? What would your shoe cateogries be?

And if you are looking for more shoe inspiration, you can check out my post: 8 Spring + Summer Shoe Trends (that won’t feel too trendy). Also because it’s always nice to see things in action, below are a few photos of some stylish ladies wearing the categories I listed.

[image via how to chic]

[image via girl with curves]

[image via sincerly jules]

[image via this time tomorrow]

[image via brookyln blonde]

[image via nadia aboulhosn]

[image via sincerly jules]

[image via hello fashion blog]