Fall shoe trends don't necessarily take off because of how I'd feel walking 10,000 steps wearing them. More often than not, the styles I track as Marie Claire's resident runway expert reach peak saturation on looks alone. So I was delighted when word of an Alex Mill and Margaux shoe collaboration hit my inbox. Finally, there would be a way to shop the season's absolutely-everywhere shoe styles and in a form I'd want to wear all day.
The two New York City-based brands have spent the past several years building up followings of local It girls. Alex Mill is the destination for expertly crafted fall sweaters and timeless barn jackets. Margaux maximized the ballet flat's comfort factor without losing its romantic charm—and then brought the same ergonomic-chic design approach to sandals and ankle boots. Hurrying through the city on a busy workday, I almost always see both brands understatedly incorporated into the most stylish women's outfits (sometimes, at the same time). Now, the two brands are combining their sensibilities in a capsule collaboration, consisting of three wear-everywhere styles: Clara (a suede slipper); Inga (a suede ankle boot); and Romy (a pointed-toe mule).
It's a tight edit: just three silhouettes, available in two or three colorways each. To me, that's more than enough. The palette of burgundy, sky blue, and chocolate brown is a perfect sampler of fall's most inviting color trends: easy to pair with anything from jeans and a Sézane sweater to a red velvet party dress. The kitten-heel height of just 1.5-inches in the boots and mules check the fall runways' sleek, sexy boxes in the spirit of Khaite or Toteme, while also guaranteeing their 24/7 wearability. As Alex Mill creative director Somsack Sikhounmuong summed up the collection in a press release, "They’re very simple shoes that will go with every single outfit you have."
Several of the Alex Mill and Margaux shoe styles sold out before I could continue spreading the word. I felt lucky I'd tested my favorite: the wine-red burgundy Clara slipper. These feel like the elegant, art-school-educated sister to my usual shearling-lined fall house shoes. The soles are padded (but not clunky); the toe box has plenty of wiggle room. They're easily the most comfortable flats I own in an extremely chic package. Even Marie Claire editor-in-chief Nikki Ogunnaike complimented mine when I wore them to the office.
Plenty more opportunities to shop fall shoe trends will make their way into my inbox before the season's up. Some might be just as visually appealing as the Alex Mill and Margaux collab. But make no mistake: This is the collaboration that's so comfortable, I have no intention of taking them off.
