7 Shoe Trends That Defined 2017

Like me in grade school but without the frightening overnight changes in hair and complexion, boots this year stretched out to the knee or higher, thanks largely in part to Balenciaga and Vetements, pictured here. Hard to get on, but easy to go out not wearing pants, as many celebrities showed.

Balenciaga, $1,295

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Balmain

Shop similar: Nasty Gal, $120

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Proenza Schouler

Shop similar: Proenza Schouler, $995

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The sociopolitical climate may be dark, but the rhinestones on our shoes shine bright like the diamonds we definitely can't afford, along with any sort of property. Not that that is a problem for Kendall Jenner, who wore these $10K Saint Laurent boots, but for the rest of us, there's always the high street.

Shop similar: Topshop, $170

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Marco de Vincenzo

Shop similar: ASOS, $64

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Oscar de la Renta

If you've stepped foot outside your front door at all this year (or looked suspiciously out the peephole when you heard footsteps), you will know that mules are It. (A bit less so now that you'd have to layer them with socks, because that's dangerously slippy.) But don't fear—when it's 2018 and warm again, these Tibis and their ilk will be back.

Shop similar: Tibi, $465

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Fenty x Puma

Versace

I already explained this here.

Cinq à Sept

Shop similar: Marc Jacobs, $398

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Calvin Klein

Shop similar: Calvin Klein, $1,295

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Maison Margiela

I already explained this one too, but in short, the modish white boot provide a graphic shot against clothes both busy and minimalist. Wear 'em until they're more gray than anything. (These are Dries.)

Shop similar: Stuart Weitzman, $575

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Loewe

Stella McCartney

"Dad, I'm confused." "Hi, Confused." The unofficial footwear of icy blonde Scandinavian bloggers and Internet-famous kids who post purposefully ugly photos, the generic-looking but highly expensive sneakers have come to prominence against all odds. It is what is is, and these are Louis Vuitton.

Gucci