I would never have paired black loafers with pastels but Queen Letizia's cool and casual teal outfit makes it look so chic

I don’t follow a lot of fashion colour rules but one thing I always tend to do is avoid wearing dark footwear with lighter outfits. I always worry the contrast will be too stark and yet this definitely wasn’t the case with Queen Letizia of Spain’s look for the announcement of the 2026 Princess of Girona Foundation's CreaEmpresa award winner.

She stepped out in sunny Huesca wearing head-to-almost-toe pastel teal. This blue-green hue isn’t a specific 2026 fashion colour trend but the muted undertone was part of why I think it looked so gorgeous with her chunky black heeled loafers. Compared to some of Letizia’s go-to outfits, this was quite casual, and featured a long-sleeved fine-knit jumper and wide-leg trousers.

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These are items that many people will already have in their spring capsule wardrobe and they’re timeless and easy to mix and match with different tops and bottoms. The more colourful you go, the more you might have to spend a bit of time styling and pastels are soft enough that they’re generally easier.

Although Her Majesty’s knitwear and trousers weren’t by the same brand, the colour coordination was almost perfect and it made her overall look feel polished.

You don’t have to be quite so exact about it, but the royals regularly wear similar colours all together to get this effect. Typically they’d also extend this to the shoes and I might’ve expected Letizia to pick out teal heels or even neutral shoes.

Instead, the Queen went for bold black loafers which added edginess. They were by Massimo Dutti and had a chunky heel and rounded toe. Made from smooth leather, the texture and tone of these were quite the contrast against the pale teal and she balanced this by adding a black belt so that her shoes weren’t the only black outfit component. A black handbag or jacket would also be great alternatives to tie in with dark shoes.

"I love a sleek black leather loafer for this tricky time of year, and I particularly like the chunky heel on Queen Letizia's," says woman&home’s Digital Fashion Ecommerce Editor, Caroline Parr. "A similar style would elevate any jeans and a blazer outfit you've already got on repeat, but as Letizia's look shows, they will also work with lighter colours and tailoring, too."

She adds, "Essentially, it's the shoe that will work with everything in your spring wardrobe, so they're well worth investing in."

Flat loafers are equally versatile and stunning and the Queen of Spain regularly wears flat shoes, but if you’re going to pick up a heeled pair, I’d advise following her example and going for a chunky block design. Her Majesty has worn these loafers a lot over the past few years and this recent outing won’t be their last.

Queen Letizia met the finalists in the CreaEmpresa category, including the winner Patricia Ayma, in this stage of the awards, which recognise young individuals who have entrepreneurial initiative.