I Live in NYC, and I See These 5 Trendy Shoe Pairings Everywhere I Go

While New Yorkers tend to dress well all year round, their winter style is where it really gets good, IMHO. As soon as the weather cools, you can spot NYC girls breaking out chic new outerwear looks, test-driving the latest denim trends, and playing around with some creative layering ideas. The same is true about their taste in shoes. Despite being in a city in which practicality comes first, New Yorkers are often the first people I see to test out the coolest shoe trends of the moment, and this season is certainly no different.

In fact, taking a stroll around the city on any given day this month, I spotted a few key themes in the footwear choices of my fellow city dwellers. It turns out that they're all favouring the below five trendy shoes. Not only that, but they all seem to agree on some styling choices that make their of-the-moment picks even more forward feeling. Sure, ballet flats are trending this winter, but if you look closely, you'll notice that NYC's most stylish set is wearing the flats with puddle-hem jeans for a cool contrast. They're likewise pairing super-sweet Mary Janes with white tube socks.

Ahead, see the five winter shoe trends they're backing and how they're styling each.

Puddle Jeans + Ballet Flats

Jeans and flats are hardly new news but leave it to the fashion crowd to paint them in a whole new light. Thanks to the satin Miu Miu pair, ballet flats are surging in every colour and price imaginable. Flats may work with just about any style of jeans, but there’s a specific denim trend the fashion crowd is wearing with their favourite ballet flats. Right now, it's all about relaxed and baggy jeans, especially ones that create a puddle hem around the ankles. It's peak cool.

Wooly Socks + Birkenstock Bostons

While the brand's Arizona sandals are a summer staple, we haven't really seen Birkenstocks of any other form creep into fashion girls' winter wardrobes, but that's changing in 2022 and the rising popularity of Birkenstock Boston Clogs. The "ugly" shoes are quickly becoming the It flats of the moment and NYC girls are fans of adding a layer of comfort and warmth to them via wooly socks. No matter your stance on the shoes, you can't deny that this cosy combo is winter perfection.

Midi Skirt + Tall Boots

I've been addicted to the combination of midi skirts and tall boots lately and I know I'm not alone. Recently, Bella Hadid also stepped out in the combo. She paired a denim skirt with sleek leather knee boots and long trench. We called out knee-length skirts as a big winter '22 runway trend, and although the hemline can be tricky to approach, tall boots make it feel approachable.

Flare Jeans + Retro Trainers

Walk around lower Manhattan for five minutes and I guarantee you'll cross paths with at least more than one person wear soccer-inspired sneakers. New Yorkers are all over these It sneakers and have found a fresh way to wear them: with flare and bootcut jeans. You'd think that the retro sneakers and the retro denim would be a throwback overload but it somehow just works.

Scrunched Socks + Mary Janes

All year, we've been wearing white crew socks with everything from loafers to sneakers and now there's a new trendy shoe that the humble accessories are enhancing. Yep, socks and Mary Janes are the latest shoe combination to become popular and we love the way the socks balance out the shoe's sweetness.

Up next, 11 Party Trends Instagram's Best-Dressed Are Already Wearing

This story originally appeared on Who What Wear U.S.