After several hours of power shopping, you've got the dress. Various relatives have offered to loan you this or that piece of jewelry because it matches everything else you've gotten so well. You've planned a day out with some girlfriends the day of prom to get facials, manicures, pedicures and hair styles. The perfect make-up palette sits patiently, still sealed, on your dresser for its debut. There's something missing though, and you can't put your finger on it.



Shoes are probably the most important element of your prom outfit, and possibly the most overlooked. You're going to be walking, dancing, twirling and standing in them all night. They need to have just the right balance of comfort and style, without looking too planned. While they're important, they're also incredibly hard to shop for. So much so, that many women put off the shoe shopping until the very last minute.

You may want to avoid the old stand bys or crazy new trends. You may be having trouble finding something in the store that doesn't look like you were trying extremely hard to pull together an outfit. You may just have absolutely no idea what you want to wear with your dress.

Depending on your dress, you can narrow down your hunt. If you're wearing just about any darker solid color, you can look into white and black shoes. These versatile little guys come in all sorts of styles, heights and patterns, so they can be funky, fun or polished. They're neutral color palette also makes them a closet mainstay long after the prom is over.

If you're wearing a short black or red dress, look into zebra striped heels. The funky animal print will add a bit of pizzazz to an otherwise traditional outfit. You can increase the visual appeal by looking for skinny, colored heels and bright, contrasting bows.

For longer, more classical gowns play up a basic black heel with white accents. The accent can run around the edges, the straps or the toe. You can add an alluring touch to a modest full length gown by picking black, peep toe heels with white accents and trim.

While black and white shoes are an excellent choice for many solid colors, you should avoid mixing patterns with patterns whenever possible. Even if the shoe is a simple black leather pump with white trim, the business of pairing the two will most likely be overwhelming. That isn't to say that you can never make the pairing. Some patterns work better with others, and if you see a cute pair of black and white shoes that you think would match your patterned dress, try it. The worst that will happen is you take them off and put them back.