The 6 Shoes You Should Own If You Live in Basic Jeans
There’s a strong chance that you live in jeans in your off-duty or 9-to-5 life (if you work in a casual office setting, of course). And given your affinity for those tried-and-true blues, there’s also a strong chance that you have a smattering of go-to items you wear with your favorite denim. When it comes to footwear specifically, there are a few specific pairs worth owning to elevate the most common, basic jeans silhouettes such as skinny, straight-leg, and black denim.
To highlight said shoes, we thought we’d turn to some of our favorite celebs, including Jennifer Lopez and Katie Holmes, who also wear cool jeans on the regular. With that in mind, keep scrolling to check out the six footwear silhouettes that look flawless with denim, as showcased on the most fashion-forward A-listers.
Live in skinnies? Try wearing...
Knee-High Boots
On Chrissy Teigen: Loewe coat; Paris Texas boots
While it’s especially forward to stuff straight-leg jeans into knee-high boots, skinny jeans tend to fit seamlessly inside for a streamlined look. Try brands like Anine Bing and Sam Edelman and retailers like Italist for amazing knee-high boot options.
Chunky Sneakers
On Jennifer Lopez: Alexander McQueen Sneakers ($590)
Bring extra dimension to a skinny-jeans outfit with a pair of sneakers with elevated soles.
Live in straight-leg jeans? Try wearing…
Black Ankle Boots
On Emily Ratajkowski: Magda Butrym blazer
You just simply can’t go wrong with a pair of black booties for a classic vibe with straight-leg jeans.
Pointed Heels
On Katie Holmes: Chanel jacket; Hanes x Re/Done T-Shirt ($78); Jimmy Choo heels
Wearing cropped straight-leg jeans? Embrace pointed pumps or mules in a neutral hue to bring an elegant twist to your ensemble.
Live in black denim? Try wearing…
Classic Sneakers
Classic white sneakers pop flawlessly against any sort of black-wash jeans.
Moto Boots
Give your cool outfit that effortless "downtown” spin with a pair of current moto boots.
This post was published at an earlier date and has since been updated.
Up next, the shoes you'll want to wear with every dress.

Bobby Schuessler is a fashion editor with over a decade of editorial experience covering shopping, style, and beauty. He's spent 10 years at Who What Wear, currently leading the market team to deliver highly covetable and convertible content. He creates data-driven shopping guides featuring top retailers like Nordstrom, Shopbop, and Net-a-Porter and is at the forefront of Who What Wear's shopping tentpole strategies, including Amazon Prime Day. He also works on branded content initiatives and appears on camera in video and shopping livestream franchises.
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