I’m not even looking at black shoes right now.
And I don't know exactly when that happened.
After nearly 20 years of buying shoes for my stores, black was always part of the fall equation. Black loafers, black ballet flats, black boots. It was the safe buy, the easy buy, the color you knew women would wear.
But this fall, I keep passing right over it.
Instead, I want chocolate. Chestnut. Cocoa. Espresso. Suede. Calf hair.
Apparently, I'm having a brown moment.
A very serious brown moment. 🤎
And when I started looking through Dolce Vita's newest shoes, I realized almost everything catching my eye had one thing in common:
It was brown.
So rather than fight it, I made an edit.
These are the six Dolce Vita shoes I'd buy right now—and exactly why each one made the cut.
Why Brown Shoes Feel So Right This Fall
Here's what I like about this particular shift: you don't need a new wardrobe to wear it.
Take an outfit you'd normally finish with a black shoe and try brown instead.
Relaxed denim + a white tee + black loafers becomes relaxed denim + a chestnut suede loafer.
Black trousers + a black ballet flat suddenly feel a little more interesting with chocolate suede.
Even your simplest jeans and sweater feel different when the shoe has some texture—suede, perforation or calf hair.
It's subtle.
And after years of buying, I've learned those are often the best updates. The pieces women actually wear aren't usually the ones requiring an entirely new wardrobe.
They're the ones that make what you already own feel new again.
These six do exactly that.
1. The Betzy Loafer — Dark Brown Suede
THE CLASSIC.
If you're going to test the brown-shoe waters, a loafer is probably the easiest place to start.
The Betzy in Dark Brown Suede gives me everything I want from a fall loafer: a classic silhouette, rich dark brown and suede that immediately makes it feel more seasonal.
This is the pair I'd wear constantly.
Relaxed denim. Straight jeans. Trousers. A white button-down. A lightweight sweater. Even with a skirt and socks once the weather cools down.
It's not trying too hard—and that's exactly why I like it.
If I were still building a shoe floor, this would be one of my easy yeses.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
2. The Baxen Loafer — Chestnut Suede
THE FALL LOAFER. 🤎
The Baxen in Chestnut Suede is where the brown-shoe thing really starts to make sense to me.
That chestnut color feels so good with fall denim.
I can already picture this with slightly slouchy jeans, a white or grey tee and a brown belt. Later, add a chunky sweater or jacket.
Done.
This was always something I thought about when buying shoes for Dear Lucy: Does the shoe make getting dressed easier?
Because the shoes that actually sold weren't necessarily the craziest ones on the floor. They were often the pair you could put on with what you already owned and immediately feel a little more pulled together.
That's Baxen.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
3. The Mikela Ballet Flat — Cocoa Perforated Suede
THE NOT-SO-BASIC BALLET FLAT.
I'm still loving ballet flats, but at this point I want something beyond a plain leather version.
That's why the Mikela in Cocoa Perforated Suede caught my eye.
You get the easy, familiar shape of a ballet flat, but the cocoa suede and perforated texture give it more personality.
This is exactly the kind of shoe I always liked having in a buy.
Not weird.
Not boring.
Interesting.
I'd wear it with cropped denim now and full-length relaxed jeans later. It would also be really good with brown, cream, navy, olive and all the other colors I suddenly want to wear this fall.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
4. The Reyes Flat — Dark Brown Suede
THE POLISHED ONE.
There are shoes you buy because they're fun, and there are shoes you buy because you know they're going to solve a lot of outfit problems.
The Reyes in Dark Brown Suede falls into that second category for me.
This is the kind of flat I want when a sneaker feels too casual but a heel feels completely unnecessary.
And I think dark brown is what makes it feel especially good right now.
I'd wear this with jeans, trousers, a dress or skirt. It's an easy work shoe, dinner shoe, travel shoe—basically one of those pairs that earns its place in your closet because it can do more than one job.
And that's always something I'm looking for.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
5. The Elm Flat — Chestnut Calf Hair
THE ONE THAT MAKES THE OUTFIT.
This might be the shoe that best explains what I'm looking for right now.
The Elm in Chestnut Calf Hair isn't complicated.
It's a flat.
But the calf hair changes everything.
This is what I'd put on with the most basic outfit in my closet—jeans, white shirt, simple sweater—and let the shoe do the work.
I used to look for this exact thing when I was buying for the store.
You need the basics.
But you also need the pair someone sees on the floor and thinks:
Wait. What's that?
The texture gives you just enough interest without making the shoe difficult to wear.
This one would absolutely have gotten my attention in a buying appointment.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
6. The Gibsen Ballet Flat — Cocoa Suede
THE EASY EVERYDAY FLAT.
And then there's the Gibsen in Cocoa Suede.
This is the one I'd reach for when I want something incredibly easy but still want my outfit to feel current.
I love cocoa right now because it works almost like a neutral. Denim, cream, camel, grey, navy, black—it doesn't ask you to think too hard.
And that's important.
Because despite spending almost 20 years buying shoes, I still believe the best pair in your closet is usually the one you don't have to build an entire outfit around.
Put them on.
They work.
Go.
MADE MY EDIT. ✓
So...Do You Need Brown Shoes?
Need?
Probably not. 😂
But if you're buying a new pair this fall and automatically reaching for black, I'd make yourself look at brown first.
Especially if you already own the black loafer.
Or the black flat.
Or several pairs of black boots.
Brown gives you enough of an update to make the purchase feel worthwhile without buying into a trend you'll be tired of six months from now.
And I particularly like it in suede and calf hair, where the color has depth and texture.
That's what makes these Dolce Vita styles work for me.
They're current, but they're wearable.
The Buyer Rule I Still Follow
For years, when I was sitting in buying appointments looking at hundreds of shoes, I had one question I came back to over and over:
Will she actually wear it?
Not:
Is it cool?
Not:
Is everyone talking about it?
Not even:
Do I personally love it?
Because a good buy has to work in a real woman's closet.
That's still how I'm approaching Dear Lucy Edits.
I can look through hundreds of new arrivals.
You don't need hundreds.
You need the good ones.
And from Dolce Vita right now, these are six I'd put on my floor.
The Dear Lucy Edit
Apparently, this fall I'm choosing:
Chocolate over black.
Chestnut over black.
Cocoa over black.
Suede over...pretty much everything. 🤎
And I'm not mad about it.
If you're ready to join me in my brown era, I've pulled all six pairs together in The Brown Shoe Edit.
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