Five designer shoes worth considering for fall 2026, including Valentino, Christian Louboutin, Dolce & Gabbana and Gucci, plus how I’d style each.
There are few things in fashion that get me quite as excited as a really, really good pair of shoes.
And if you’ve been following Project Motherhood for any length of time, you probably already know that I have a soft spot for designer shoes. But getting older — and, dare I say, wiser — has definitely changed the way I shop for them.
I don’t want something in my closet simply because there’s a designer name attached to it. If I’m spending designer-shoe money, I want the shoe to feel special. I want beautiful construction and details. I want something that works with the wardrobe I already own. And most importantly, I want to be able to picture myself reaching for it years from now.
So during a recent shopping trip to Ross Park Mall outside Pittsburgh, I did a little research.
Okay, fine. I went designer shoe shopping. In the name of research.
I walked through the designer shoe department, tried things on, looked at what was new for fall and narrowed everything down to five pairs that I would genuinely consider adding to my closet for fall 2026.
Some are practical. Some are absolutely not practical. And I’m perfectly okay with that.
Here are the five that made my list.
1. Valentino Garavani VLOGO Signature Platform Sandal
SHOP THE VALENTINO VLOGO SIGNATURE PLATFORM SANDAL
Let’s start with a shoe that immediately caught my attention: the Valentino Garavani VLOGO Signature Platform Sandal.
This is exactly the kind of shoe that reminds me why I love designer fashion in the first place.
The silhouette has a definite retro influence, with a substantial platform and block heel, but the VLOGO across the front makes it unmistakably Valentino. The current platform silhouette has a 115mm — roughly 4.5-inch — heel, balanced by a platform underneath the foot.
And while that sounds very high, this is precisely why I tend to gravitate toward platforms when I want serious height. Having that platform underneath the front of the foot changes the pitch compared with standing directly on a similarly high stiletto.
But what really makes this one work for me is its personality.
It’s a statement shoe without requiring you to build an entire statement outfit around it.
For fall, I would wear a pair like this with wide-leg trousers and a fitted knit, with a midi dress for dinner, or even peeking out underneath a really great pair of dark denim.
And I love the idea of keeping a platform sandal in rotation beyond summer. Early fall is actually one of my favorite times to wear an open-toe statement shoe — especially with heavier textures and richer colors on top.
Why I would buy it:
It gives me height, makes a statement and still works with pieces I already own. This isn’t an everyday shoe, but it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes the job of a great designer shoe is simply to make an otherwise uncomplicated outfit feel incredible.
Read: Valentino Shoe Sizing: Do Valentino Heels Run True to Size?
2. Dolce & Gabbana DG Logo Patent Slide Sandal
SHOP THE DOLCE & GABBANA DG LOGO PATENT SLIDE
Next up: Dolce & Gabbana.
There is something about a black patent shoe that I will probably love forever.
The DG Logo Patent Slide takes what could have been a very simple black heeled sandal and gives it just enough personality with the gold DG hardware across the front.
That’s important to me when I’m considering a designer purchase.
If I’m going to invest in something at this price point, I want there to be a detail that makes it feel distinct — but I don’t necessarily want that detail to make the shoe difficult to style.
Black patent leather and gold hardware? I already know how to wear that.
This is the shoe I would pull out when I’m wearing a very simple outfit and want the accessories to do the work. Think black trousers and a silk blouse, a chocolate brown midi dress, dark denim and a blazer, or an all-black look with gold jewelry.
It also fills a very specific gap between a basic sandal and a full-on evening shoe. The slim heel keeps it dressy, while the slide silhouette makes the overall design feel less formal.
Why I would buy it:
Because I can picture at least ten outfits in my existing closet that it would immediately elevate.
That’s one of my biggest rules when buying expensive fashion: I shouldn’t need to buy a whole new wardrobe to make the investment piece work.
3. Christian Louboutin Fannylove Knee-High Boot
SHOP THE CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN FANNYLOVE BOOT
Okay. These might be my favorite.
Christian Louboutin will always have a special place in my fashion-loving heart, and the Fannylove Knee-High Boot is basically everything I want from a black boot.
It’s sleek. It’s sexy. It’s uncomplicated. And then you turn your foot and get that flash of the signature red sole.
The current Fannylove is made from supple calfskin leather with a close, second-skin-style silhouette and an approximately 85mm, or 3.5-inch, tapered heel.
This is also probably the easiest shoe on this entire list for me to justify from a cost-per-wear perspective.
A beautifully constructed black knee-high boot doesn’t really belong to one trend cycle.
I could wear these underneath a midi dress. With a shorter skirt and oversized blazer. Over slim pants. With a sweater dress. With denim. With a long wool coat.
And because the design itself is so clean, you’re not going to look at them five years from now and immediately associate them with one very specific fashion moment.
Why I would buy them:
Because if I’m going to spend serious money on a pair of boots, this is exactly the category where I’m willing to do it.
Boots get worn repeatedly. They’re foundational. And a beautiful black leather knee-high boot can stay in your wardrobe for years if you care for it properly.
These are less about chasing a fall 2026 trend and more about buying something I’d want to pull out every fall afterward.
READ MY CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN SIZING/FIT GUIDE
4. Valentino Garavani Rockstud Ankle Strap Pump
SHOP THE VALENTINO ROCKSTUD ANKLE STRAP PUMP
If you’ve been around here for a while, this choice probably won’t surprise you.
I have loved Valentino Rockstuds for years.
Fashion trends come and go incredibly quickly, but I think there’s something to be said for knowing which designer signatures genuinely feel like you instead of constantly moving on to whatever fashion has decided is newest.
The Rockstud pump is one of those shoes for me.
The classic version combines a pointed toe with the recognizable caged ankle straps and pyramid studs. Valentino’s current 100mm version comes in calfskin leather with adjustable straps and that approximately 4-inch heel.
There’s an edge to the studs, but the silhouette underneath them is incredibly feminine.
That’s the contrast I’ve always loved.
And while this certainly isn’t the shoe I’d choose for an eight-hour day running around an office, it is the shoe I’d wear when I wanted a work outfit to transition into dinner, for an event, girls’ night or anytime a basic pump simply felt too predictable.
I particularly love Rockstuds with simple clothes. Let the shoe be the interesting part.
Black trousers. A white button-down. Great jeans. A simple black dress. A blazer.
Done.
Why I would buy it:
Because personal style isn’t only about finding what’s new.
It’s also about recognizing the pieces and design details you’ve consistently loved and allowing those things to become part of your fashion identity.
For me, Rockstuds fall firmly into that category.
READ: MY VALENTINO SHOE FIT & SIZING GUIDE
5. Gucci Donna Pointed Toe Horsebit Pump
And finally, we have the shoe that might make the most sense for this particular chapter of my life: the Gucci Donna pump.
I’m heading back into an office environment, so I’ve been thinking a lot about what I actually want my work wardrobe to look like now.
I don’t want to create an entirely separate wardrobe filled with clothes and shoes that only feel appropriate for work. I want pieces that are polished enough for the office but still feel like me when I walk out the door at the end of the day.
This shoe nails that balance.
The Donna has a beautifully sharp pointed toe, sleek leather construction and Gucci’s iconic Horsebit hardware across the front. The black version pairs smooth nappa leather with gold-tone hardware, while Gucci also offers the silhouette in a gorgeous dark brown.
And that brown version is particularly tempting for fall.
The Horsebit does what great designer hardware should do: you recognize it, but it doesn’t overpower the entire shoe.
Wear these with tailored trousers and they make sense.
Wear them with dark straight-leg denim on Saturday night and they still make sense.
Wear them with a midi skirt, suit, dress or great pair of jeans and suddenly they start earning that designer price tag.
Why I would buy it:
Of all five shoes on this list, this might be the best example of what I’m looking for in my wardrobe right now: polished without being boring.
I’m entering a different season personally and professionally, but I have absolutely no desire to disappear into generic office clothes.
I still want fashion to be fun.
And a beautiful pump with a little bit of personality is a very easy place to start.
So, Which Designer Shoe Would I Buy First?
This is where things get difficult.
If we’re talking strictly about filling a practical hole in my fall wardrobe, I would probably start with either the Christian Louboutin knee-high boot or the Gucci Donna pump simply because I can see myself reaching for both over and over again.
But fashion isn’t always supposed to be practical.
The Valentino platforms make me smile. The Dolce & Gabbana sandals could transform the simplest black outfit. And the Rockstuds feel connected to a style I’ve genuinely loved for years.
And that’s really my biggest takeaway from this little designer shoe experiment.
As I get closer to 40, I’m becoming less interested in owning more and much more interested in being incredibly specific about what earns a place in my closet.
I don’t want to buy something because TikTok says it’s the shoe of the season.
I want to buy it because I love it.
Because I’ll wear it.
Because it works with the woman I am right now.
And because five years from now, I can still imagine opening my closet and being excited to put it on.
Now I need to know: which of these five would you choose?
Come find me on Instagram at @projectmotherhood and tell me which pair gets your vote.
Shop Designer Shoes Fall 2026
