Shoes to wear with wide leg pants: 12 styling ideas for the season ahead

Not sure what shoes to wear with wide leg pants? This silhouette shape is everywhere this season and, lucky for you, the footwear styling options are pretty much endless. 

Finding the best shoes to wear with wide leg pants requires some thought as the shoes you choose need to harmoniously pair with the pants and create a balanced finish to your final look. The first consideration is the length of your pants as floor-grazing, cropped, or ankle length will require different types of shoes. Equally, wide leg pants is a fairly broad term, particularly as the look is very 'in' right now and a wide leg can cover everything from boyfriend jeans to super wide and relaxed legs.

Once these things have been established you should think about the type of occasion you're looking to dress for. While sneakers certainly are a shoe to wear with wide leg pants, they won't necessarily be appropriate for office attire, equally, you might not want to be teetering around in platforms for a casual lunch with friends. When all of these considerations have taken place you can truly start having some fun.

Shoes to wear with wide leg pants –  12 different types of shoes that will complete your outfit 

To make it easy for you to decide which shoes to wear with wide leg pants, we’ve split them into 12 categories – from sandals and heeled mules, to stompy boots and sneakers, there is an option for everyone.

1. How to style wide leg pants with sneakers

Sneakers are no longer just for wearing with your best jeans or best leggings. Nor is wearing them with wide leg tailored pants just a stop-gap that means you don’t have to wear your best designer heels on the commute to the office. There are two key sneaker trends when it comes to the shoe trends 2023. 

Whether your team retro pumps, like the Adidas Gazelle or Samba, or are loyal to chunky trainers from the likes of New Balance and Asics, both are great shoes to wear with pants and are ideal for what to wear with wide leg pants. The length of the leg should ideally skim over your sneakers rather than a cropped length that shows the whole shoe. It’s a nice way to make smarter pants feel more casual, helping you to max out their all-important cost-per-wear. 

2. How to style wide leg pants with ballet pumps

The humble ballet pump is one item that we’re actually quite pleased to see as part of the '90s fashion trend revival. Low-rise jeans and logo bags? Not so much. The beauty of a ballet pump is in its simplicity. You know those days when you feel like adding a shoe would ruin your outfit? That’s when the understated, barely-there shape of a ballet pump really earns its keep. Make your pumps monochrome and quilted à la Chanel or use them as an opportunity to add some texture to your look with velvet, satin, or suede. Ideally, you should just see the toe poking out beneath the hem of this season’s wide-leg jeans and pants, but if you are tall then pumps would just work just as well with ankle-length. 

3. How to style wide leg pants with flat mules

This season's self-confessed 'ugly shoe' - but oh so comfortable, the Birkenstock clog is an ideal candidate for shoes to wear with wide leg pants. This comfortable flat became so popular, there was even a waiting list, but if a clog doesn't set your pulse racing, have no fear, there are some slightly more elegant options for flat mules too - with pointed toes and luxe fabrics. Wearing a mule does increase the chances of catching your shoe on the hem of your wide-leg trousers, so either choose a pair that ends on the ankle or go a bit narrower close to the hemline. 

4. How to style wide leg pants with heeled mules

They say beauty is pain, but no one wants gorgeous shoes to come at the price of blisters. We have a sneaky suspicion that’s why the heeled mule has become such a popular trend – as there’s no risk of rubbed heels when your shoes are backless. When it comes to shoes to wear with pants, heeled mules added a feminine feel to wide leg pants. 

Thanks to brands like By Far, the heeled mule of choice among the fashion set is simple and streamlined, which makes them a good way to show off the billowy shape of wide-leg pants. You could go matchy-matchy when it comes to the hue, but we like the idea of using your heeled mules to add a pop of color to neutral pants or, to temper a bright or printed pair. 

5. How to style wide-leg pants with loafers

The best loafers are shoes that mean business. Strong, sturdy, and the kind of shape you can dash from meeting to meeting in without feeling like you need to massage your arches when you get home, a loafer is one of the hardest working shoes to wear with wide leg pants in terms of styling. As the structured shape is at odds with the freedom of floaty pants so to make it work, you need to keep the rest of your outfit very streamlined. Think a tailored blazer or a narrow wool coat on top, teamed with pants that toe the line between wide and straight cut. You can get away with a shorter leg length here, and we’d recommend aiming to show your ankles if you’re petite. 

6. How to style wide leg pants with wedges

Ah, wedges. Of all the shoes to wear with wide leg pants on this list, these are among the most seasonal. The idea of a wedge conjures up images of raffia heels and lace-up ankle ties, probably teamed with some kind of Broderie Anglaise and preferably worn swanning around on vacation.

If you’re going for a traditional wedge then make sure your pants are short enough to show off the detailing on the toes. If you go too long, you’ll look like you could be wearing stilts. 

7. How to style wide leg pants with chunky heels

If wearing stilettos makes you feel like Bambi on ice, then a chunky heel is the sturdy alternative you need to restore stability. It’s a broad category that can span everything from on-trend platform Mary Janes to the latest boot trends - so there are plenty of options to choose from. 

The lower the heel, the chunkier the shoe will feel, but also the easier they’ll be to walk in - so all about considering where your sartorial priorities lie. In terms of the cut of your wide leg pants, everything goes. If you’re wearing a statement shoe that deserves its moment in the spotlight, choose cropped pants. If you’re only really wearing a heel to lengthen the lines of your outfit and give yourself a little confidence boost, then go longer - they don’t need to be on show. 

8. How to style wide leg pants with stiletto heels

For party-ready style, swap the best wedding guest dresses for a wide leg pant and stiletto combo for instant fashion points. 

According to the street style set, the coolest way to wear your shoes with wide leg pants is to just leave the tiniest whisper of your stiletto's toe and heel peeping out from the bottom of the hemline. Pointed courts are the most popular style, with the elongated toe working in tandem with the shape of the wide leg pants to make your legs look longer. Ideally, only team stiletto with sturdier fabrics like cotton or denim as over lightweight crepes  these spiky heels do have a tendency to catch around the cuffs and push their way through. The color of stiletto heel you choose will depend on the shade of your wide leg pants and the rest of your outfit, but you can’t go wrong with classic neutral hues.

9. How to style wide leg pants with slingbacks

When it comes to shoes to wear with wide leg pants, the styling advice for slingbacks is very similar to the advice for mules and heels in general. A slingback is a style of shoe characterized by a strap that goes around the ankles to the back of the heel. This strap is normally pretty narrow, giving you the support of a filled-in shoe but the look of a backless one. Slingbacks can be heeled or flat and tend to be filled in at the front - normally with a pointed or almond toe. The narrower the toe, the longer you can go with the length of your pants. If they’re very round or square, make sure the pants cut is not so wide and ends just above, or just below, the ankle. An ideal look for summer outfits for work, this is a smart shoe choice that will take you from AM to PM.

10. How to style wide leg pants with stompy boots

Often the combination of boots and pants gets overlooked in favor of wearing boots with your best dresses or long skirt outfits. Not everyone likes the tucked-in look either, and that only really works with your best knee-high boots or over-the-knee boots and skinny jeans or leggings that are pants. 

Wide-leg pants are, by their definition, wide, which makes plenty of space for wearing chunkier, shorter boots underneath. All you see then is the tops of your boots and the sole, so you ideally want to team with a pair that has a bit of detail in these areas. Try a trendy platform track sole, a contrasting band, or buckles. Embrace the grunge vibe across your whole outfit with head-to-toe black for a streamlined look, or keep the rest prim and feminine, using your stompy boots for added edge. 

11. How to style wide leg pants with platform shoes

The best thing about platforms is not only do they look great, but they’re also much comfier than your average heel. When you subtract the platform front from the heel height, you’ll find that your foot is far flatter than when you’ve committed to sky-high stilettos. Wide leg pants with a flare are everywhere at the moment (in no small part thanks to our obsession with Daisy Jones & The Six) and adding a platform into the mix only exaggerates the shape. For a classic look, stick to platforms in warm shades of brown, tan, and orange, as these colors will live on in your wardrobe for seasons to come. Bright colored clothing on the top half is optional, but a crisp white shirt will have just as much impact. 

12. How to style wide leg pants with sandals

If we had our way, we’d wear sandals all year round, but they’re (probably) only really sensible when the weather is warmer. And, when that mercury rises, the last thing you want is to be wearing is tight, clingy clothes, making breezy wide-leg pants ideal for what to wear in the heat. 

As the shape of the pants is already creating the illusion of longer legs you can go as chunky as you want with your sandals, without the risk of making your legs look shorter. Think sensible sandals, like Teva’s and Birkenstocks. Or, lean into the holiday vibe of floaty pants and go all Grecian with a strappy or rope sandal instead. 

What shoes to wear with wide-leg pants in 2023

Unsure what shoes to wear with wide-leg pants for 2023? Pretty much anything goes, but there are a few factors to consider. “Depending on the length, most wide-leg pants look best with a higher shoe,” says Daisy Barnett, founder, and personal stylist at The Daisy Edit. “It’s also a great way to elongate the leg as the extra volume of a wide leg pant can shorten the appearance of your legs. Boots are a great option, and for a more polished look, I also like an open-toe pump to add just a touch of sophistication.”

It’s heels all the way for personal stylist and jewelry designer Zoé DuFour too. “Wide-leg pants are so versatile, and a staple in my and many of my clients' wardrobes,” DuFour advises. “I love the juxtaposition of masculine and feminine so I would suggest a pointy-toe kitten heel or strappy sandal to add that feminine touch and take you from work to evening.”

For Mathilde Mader, Chief Creative Officer at Everlane, it’s all about the loafer for 2023. “Loafers are a great option for daytime,” she explains. “They’re smart but comfortable. Then for the evening a heeled boot or sandal is really lovely to add a bit more glamor. You can either have your pants to the ground for just a hint of shoe or do an ankle-length pant to really show off your footwear.”

How do you style wide-leg pants for spring?

How you style your wide-leg pants for spring will depend on the time of day. “I love tucking a white tee or simple crew neck sweater into wide-leg jeans or pants for daytime,” says Mader. “When the weather warms up, just take the sweater off and drape it over your shoulders. For an extra layer, an oversized blazer or classic trench finishes off the look. Wear with a loafer or a white sneaker for an effortless spring look.”

In the evening, you can think more about adding extra details, whether that’s through fabrics or prints, or with elevated accessories. “Floaty and sheer fabrics will be everywhere this spring, so pair a sheer blouse (with a bodysuit underneath) with your wide-leg pants,” adds DuFour. “Then add a belt and a pointy-toe shoe or strappy sandal.” 

Jewelry is a great way to make your look feel more party appropriate. Just adding a pair of gold hoops and a few layered bracelets will make all the difference.