Curated Chaos: House of Shoes 2026

Curated Chaos: House of Shoes 2026

Have you ever wondered how we select which shoes make it into our store each season? Come with us behind the scenes of our January trip to House of Shoes in Portland to look at selections from many of our top brands for Fall/Winter 2026. 

The Road to Fall 2026

Seems a little silly, right? Choosing what shoes to buy for Fall 2026 in January, when the Spring product is just starting to make its way onto our shelves. That’s part of what makes the retail buying process so exciting! Every season, our buying team carefully curates our selection based on customer feedback, our preferences, trend research, past performance, and brand rep input. We’re lucky to have some incredible brand reps who help guide us to bring in the styles you’ll want most. Every decision we make is thoughtful and intentional with you, our customer, in mind.

How Do We Choose?

We take a hands-on approach to our buying process. Being able to try on shoes and see them in person is absolutely crucial. Fit is always king, and color probably comes in second, but all the details matter. How the stitching lies, whether the materials work together, or how the boot/shoe would perform in our climate are all part of the discussion.

Trends We Saw For 2026

Trends are a big part of our buying process and they help guide us to what our customers will be looking for next season. This year’s trends are so fun! Some of the key takeaways were animal prints, sleek tall boots, shearling lined boots & shoes, and lug soles. We also saw a continuation of rich colors for fall including warm browns and jewel tones like burgundy, emerald, and navy. 

Brands That Brought The Heat

We’re lucky to see so many of our favorite brands at one show and a few of them were absolute show stoppers! Here’s some of the picks we’re most excited about for Fall 2026.

Birkenstock

Pikolinos

Dansko

Blundstone

UGG