As 2018 comes to a close, retailers and consumers alike are taking stock of what have been the buzziest shoes of the year. While the dad sneaker undoubtedly enjoyed its rule throughout the entirety of 2018, with Balenciaga’s Triple S helping the brand to become Kering’s fastest–growing brand — and the year’s hottest shoe, according to a just-released ranking report from retail tracking platform Lyst.
But it wasn’t the only trend making waves in 2018. Scroll through for the top 10 shoe trends of the past year — and where you can still buy them before 2019.
The Dad Shoe
Balenciaga’s Triple S may have debuted in 2017, but there was no stopping it in 2018. The brand debuted a follow-up, the Trek, for fall ‘18, but it was the original that dominated street style — and became the biggest love-hate trend of the year.
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Cakestand Heels
Curved heels with an exaggerated pedestal shape were a signature style for luxury newcomer Sies Marjan, but they also made an appearance at Miu Miu and in Amina Muaddi’s new line.
Hiker Sneakers
Hot on the heels of the dad sneaker trend was a modified runway hiker, which mixed outdoor footwear elements with more fashion-forward details, like Gucci’s Flashtrek sneaker with a removable crystal harness.
See-Through
Chanel’s clear rainboots kicked off a PVC craze that has come to include all types of shoes, from the pragmatic to the not-so-practical, as shown on Balmain’s fall ‘18 runway.
White Boots
The 2017 trend was one of the biggest carryover colors of 2018, and many retailers continued to stock white boots and pumps as a staple shoe instead of boring black. Here, Givenchy’s bootie from fall ‘18 added light to a film noir runway.
Western Styles
The biggest boot trend of the year came in a modified Western style that dominated the fall ‘18 runways at brands like Tibi, Coach and Fendi, the latter of which did it in colorful embossed croc with a carved wooden heel.
Comfort Slides
Last year, it was Crocs; this year, Birkenstocks. And Teva is betting on spring ‘19. Comfort brands continued to infiltrate the runways, and Birkenstock saw the most buzz, with its ongoing Rick Owens collaboration and a runway extravaganza at Pitti Uomo in January.
Sculptural Heels
2018 was the year that many designers paid more attention to the heel than the toe, with sculptural geometric shapes at Jacquemus, Cult Gaia, Gray Matters and more.
Decorative Mules
Easy on, easy off. The silhouette has the ease of a slipper, but adding feathers or bejeweled toes (like Giannico’s for fall ‘18) made for a luxe look that was a signature for the year.
Crystal Embellishments
Crystal and pearl embellishments gave plenty of sparkle to heels and flats alike. Aquazzura’s Edgardo Osorio even collaborated with five fine jewelry designers for a Net-a-Porter capsule.
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Click through for a closer look at the top 10 shoe trends of 2018.
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