So, you’ve bought into a trend. Maybe it was those retro wood platforms that you couldn’t resist, or a pair of camel-colored peep-toe patent leather pumps.

But figuring out which new shoes are right for you is only half the battle. Now you have to figure out what to wear with them.

Shoe designer Brian Atwood, who created the silver slingbacks with platform heels that Cameron Diaz wore to the Oscars, matches must-have spring shoes with the right outfit:

¢ Wood wedges look best with sundresses or other airy looks, made in natural-fiber fabrics such as cotton or linen. “The wood wedge exudes a feeling of vacation, it’s something summery. You want to wear something with an ease to it,” he advised. “Don’t wear it with a skintight black Lycra dress.”

¢ Choosing clothes to complement clear acrylic heels depends on the type of heel.

“A Lucite high heel, you can wear it with anything – capri pants, a sundress, a little skirt. It gives you that transparency and modernity,” said Atwood, also the creative director at Bally.

¢ Espadrilles this year have ankle straps or ribbons that wrap up the leg. Some people are afraid of this look because they’re afraid anything around the ankle will make their leg look shorter Atwood says, but that’s not necessarily true. The key is to wear a short dress, perhaps a voluminous tent or shift style, he advises.

¢ The appeal of ballet flats is a no-brainer. Thus, he says, these shoes are now an integral part of most wardrobes. They can be worn with anything from cotton shorts to a summer suit.

¢ Another staple is the peep-toe. “Depending on the heel height, it can look great with pants. It can be sexy,” said Atwood.

If the peep-toe is in patent leather, it becomes an evening shoe, but otherwise the silhouette is great for the office because it’s a bit bare – a nod to the warmer weather – but not too bare.

– The Associated Press