The ‘wrong shoe theory’ is trending on social media, with people claiming it instantly upgrades their everyday outfits. 

The term, coined by stylist Allison Bornstein, is a rather straightforward styling tip, encouraging us to pair ‘the wrong shoe’ with any outfit. A dainty slip dress with Birkenstock Boston clogs, a sharply tailored suit with a pair of trusty trainers or even a pair of jogging bottoms with a thick-soled biker boot, to name only a handful of examples. But while some seem to find the fashion trend freeing, mismatching outfits with accessories for typically different occasions, I can’t help but think that we’ve seen all of this before.

Trainers with midi dresses is certainly nothing new. In fact, at one point not so long ago, it was rare not to spot several versions of Veja trainers and a floral frock swanning around the local supermarket. Then came the rise of the ugly dad shoe, with brands such as New Balance and Crocs being paired with almost any outfit. And, as Dr Dion Terrelonge, a fashion psychologist, emphasises, the early 00s were known for this mismatched shoe choice, with celebrities like Jennifer Lopez wearing stilettos with cargo trousers in her Jenny From The Block music video. 

Delving deeper into why we perhaps now have a name for this long-standing styling choice, and the reasons behind it being toted as new, Dr Terrelonge looks to language, social media and the role of meaning-making. “Is this new or is it just new for the people who are engaging in the trend?” she asks. “When we were in Y2K, obviously, we had Facebook and things like that, but we didn’t have social media in the same way as we do today. You might have had to look through a magazine to see J-Lo wearing her stilettos with combat trousers. Then, if you chose to try it, you’d be walking around, say, Wigan, and you might be the only one. There could’ve been somebody else in Leeds or London embracing that trend but you couldn’t see those people in the same way that you can now you have social media, so it allows you to feel a lot less alone.”

“Then, when we’re able to put a name to something, it allows that thing to be better understood and more clearly conceptualised. So it’s not just random shoes with an outfit that clashes, it has its own category, it’s ‘wrong shoe theory’,” Dr Terrelonge explains. “Now, if you see a person walking down the street and they’re wearing joggers with ballet flats or they’re wearing a billowing dress with really ugly dad trainers, it’s not just ‘oh that’s an interesting mix’ or ‘what are they wearing’, it allows us to name it. Also, the person wearing that trend isn’t just thinking, ‘I’m trying that thing that Lily Allen’s doing’ (ie trainers with a dress), but they’re able to give it a name. This allows us to be part of a trend, meaning that it’s less risky because we’re part of a group, part of something.”

So, perhaps ‘wrong shoe theory’ is gaining so much traction not because it’s anything new but a social media trend and term many of us can resonate with, and feel connected to through our fashion choices. And, as fashion stylist Karina Marriott points out, it still allows us to be playful. “I think ‘wrong shoe theory’ could be trending to remind us not to limit ourselves and to break the chains of what we think we should be wearing based on size, shape and gender,” Marriott says. “[That previous attitude was] very boring, and in my opinion, outdated. I don’t think it’s a new idea or trend by any means as it’s something I’ve found myself doing for a very long time now. I’ve always liked to add trainers to cottagecore dresses and contrast chunkier and heavier items with more feminine pieces, mainly because I love the thought of adding an ‘unexpected’ element to my everyday outfit.”

Dr Paul Marsden, a psychologist at the London College of Fashion, agrees and points to the trend’s rule-breaking approach to fashion. “Wrong shoe theory is rooted in a well-known psychological phenomenon known as the ‘red sneaker effect’,” he tells us. “This principle, backed by research, states that nonconformity – like sporting mismatched footwear – isn’t just about style, it’s a deliberate psychological play to stand out.” And isn’t individuality and playing with our personal style part of what fashion is all about?

So, no matter if you’ve been clashing statement shoes with a simple frock, putting biker boots where ballet flats would ordinarily sit or styling stilettos with cargo trousers like 2002’s Jennifer Lopez for as long as you can remember, this styling trick now has a name and social media seems to love it.

This article was originally published in 2023 and has been updated throughout.

Images: Getty; Karina Marriott