BoomerGirl Diary

With bright being the new black this season, shoe lovers are doing a bit of sole-searching.

Yellow is one of the hottest shades this season - from canary to taxi cab - and shoe designers have given women plenty of options in achieving a sun-kissed look.

And, while it's true that yellow can be a hard color to pull off, it's not impossible. One of our favorite looks includes a pair of patent yellow heels, worn with dark denim jeans, a crisp white button-down and an arm-full armful of gold bangles. Or jazz up a basic black-and-white dress with a rousing pop of color below the ankle. Another hot look is nautical, balancing the simple allure of navy and white with a kicky splash of yellow.

What you most definitely want to avoid is looking like a certain beloved Sesame Street character of the winged ilk. Head-to-toe anything is never recommended. With yellow being so brilliant, please don in moderation.

"Yellow shoes work best as an accent and should add a pop of color to complete your look," says Shari Shakun, chief merchandising officer of SmartBargains.com, an online, off-price shopping site. "Stay away from mixing yellow and pastel colors or you run the risk of looking like an Easter egg."

You'll also want to avoid pairing yellow shoes with your beloved black.

"That just conjures up an image that you're heading back to the hive," says Gregg Andrews, a fashion director for Nordstrom.

Wear yellow shoes with:

Gray. "A gray sheath dress, yellow shoes and silver accessories is a really modern look," says Andrews.

White. "So many women are hesitant to wear white shoes, so yellow is a way to inject color into a white ensemble," Andrews says.

Citrus tones. Shades of orange and lime can look stunning when paired with yellow. For example, you might pair a leaf green dress with yellow shoes and gold accessories, Andrews says. Limit your look to two citrus shades, and accent with gold or silver jewelry, to avoid looking over the top.

Avoid:

Playing the match game. If you wear yellow shoes, you don't need a yellow purse, a yellow scarf and yellow bracelets.

Wearing pantyhose. Yellow shoes work best on medium to olive skin tones, Andrews says. "On pale skin, it could be overpowering."

Looking like a bag of Skittles. You want to keep the look from becoming too multi-colored, Andrews says. Yellow shoes shine on their own, allowing them to be the lone accent piece.