Hillary Duff works the dark dress/nude shoe trend. Photo: Christopher Peterson, BuzzFoto/FilmMagic

Q: I've seen lots of neutral-colored shoes with cocktail dresses - are people really wearing them in the winter on the East Coast? I've got a pair of cream-colored slingbacks that I am considering to wear with a dressy suit (dress and cropped jacket) in a purplish brown. Will I look dumb? Or edgy?

A: Well done, you correctly identified the ubiquitous nude shoe trend! You could still get away with wearing a cream-colored shoe if you live in a more temperate climate, however, the East Coast (at least the New England-y region) is starting to see snow which makes this rather difficult to pull off. The precipitation alone will certainly sully your beautiful slingbacks.

Given the winter weather, you may also need to wear hosiery, which makes wearing a neutral shoe dually as difficult. Cream and nude-colored shoes are typically reserved for warmer months to compliment the lightweight season of fashion and beauty (including pedicures).

To address your question about color coordination, depending on the style of the suit, dark colors can look magnificent (and edgy) when paired with a neutral shoe. The key is to have balance. If your ensemble is dark, keep the hair and makeup light to balance out the outfit. While having edgy potential, it's also a sophisticated statement so you'll want to keep the overall look rather clean and uncomplicated.

As for your dilemma about which shoe to wear with your suit, there's always nudie's cousin, the classic black pump! These are a must-have for every woman's wardrobe and never go out of style. Also, they can be worn with sheer black hosiery (either patterned or not) and the look is very Parisian sexy!

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