Ask Belle: Affordable Skin Tone Pumps

Hi Belle,

My sorority sisters and I have two questions for you: 1) Are skin tone pumps still a thing?  (Some of the girls think their time has passed.), and 2) Can you suggest some heels in different skin tones?  Apparently if you have one drop of melanin in your skin, “nude” isn’t meant for you.  

? Your blog. ? Tasha

While nude-to-you pumps aren’t as big as they were a few years ago, there is always a purpose for flesh-colored pumps.  They lengthen the leg, and they’re a go to shoe when you can’t find another color that works.  And for summer?  They’re a must have.

Here are a few pairs that caught my eye.  (I tried to choose pairs in the college-student price range.)

BCBG Pinni Pumps ($79) // Charles David Lesslie Pump ($99) //KORS Flex Pump ($99) // Nine West Andriana Pumps ($79)

If you’re going to buy a pair of pumps in a hue close to your skin color, I recommend choosing a mid-height heel.  This way you can wear them to work, dinner, or a semi-casual evening event.

So how do you find them?  It’s all about the search terms you use.

If you’re on the pale side, the shoes will almost always be labeled as nude.  In the medium range, try nude, but tan might be a better bet.  For darker skin colors, chocolate is the way to go.

Nine West is a good place to start looking for different shades of beige and brown.  Zappos also stocks all the colors from bone to tan to taupe to brown.

Not feeling the skin-colored pumps?  Skip ’em, and choose a snakeskin, tortoise, or pale gold shoe instead.