Usha Vance Shoe Choices That Ruined Her Outfits

Second lady Usha Vance has sported some sophisticated and stylish garments since she and her vice-president husband JD Vance rose to prominence, including the figure-hugging outfit Vance looked totally stunning in. But we can't necessarily say the same about her shoe choices. To be fair to the inspirational lawyer from San Diego, there are a couple of times she got it right. Like in late 2024, when she took a fashion risk that paid off by pairing daring, metallic silver shoes with an ornate strapless gown for a New Year's Eve event at Mar-A-Lago Club. 

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We also can't fault the event- and weather-appropriate black boots Vance wore to pay her respects at the Dachau concentration camp in Germany in 2025. But unfortunately, for each time Usha Vance chose flattering and fashionable footwear, there are multiple instances when she didn't. In fact, more often than not, Vance's unwise shoe choices — be they casual sandals, overly reflective sneakers, or bulky boots — ruined her whole outfit.

When Usha Vance posed alongside JD Vance at the snowy Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, it made sense for her to wear sturdy, sensible, flat shoes to face the harsh weather. But her practical footwear changed the apparent shape of her pants. The political figure let her bottoms fall over her shoes rather than tucking them in, which made the pants bulk out at the hem to create an odd and distracting silhouette that wasn't the most flattering.

High heels can be painful, so we can't blame Usha Vance for opting for comfort over aesthetics sometimes. However, almost any shoe would have been a better than the bland, brown, closed-toe sandals she wore to the 2024 Republican National Convention. She clearly knew it was a formal event considering she wore a sophisticated dress, so we can't understand why she chose the casual, clunky, and dowdy shoes that dragged the rest of her outfit down. "Those are diabolical," one X user even said.

When Usha Vance celebrated Ohio State's National Championship win by posing with two football jerseys, her footwear felt far too informal for the photo op. Everyone around her, including her husband, wore formal dress shoes, while she opted for white, lace-up sneakers. A classy heel, an elevated flat, or embellished sandal would have been more fitting than the sporty shoe choice that ruined her outfit and made it look like she was late for a tennis match.

During a 2025 visit to India, Usha Vance wore loafers with a knot design over the tongue. The shoes were sophisticated, but didn't suit her outfit — or the climate. Firstly, they were cream while her button-down was white, so the two didn't quite match. Secondly, her floaty summer midi skirt would have looked better with a more stylish shoe choice, such as ballet flats or open-toed sandals, which would have also kept her cooler in the heat.

Usha Vance's choice of brown, rounded ballet flats for a rally — one of the most outdated shoe trends in 2024 – were the main reason she looked underdressed. The second lady wore fitted gray pants and a flattering, light beige top, which could have been elevated to a more formal level with modern, pointed-toe pumps or metallic, heeled sandals. The lawyer's odd, frumpy shoe choice, however, was more suited to a grocery store trip than a huge public appearance, and marked a missed opportunity to put her best fashion foot forward.

Though we have to give Usha Vance points for trying something different and modern with her shoes at another 2024 rally in Nevada, her neutral heels just didn't work. The pointed toe shoes had straps wrapped around her ankles, but they were seemingly pulled too tight and appeared to make indentations in her legs. Tying the laces into bows at the back of her ankles was also distracting, and added too much bulk to her silhouette, particularly as her white dress already had protruding, batwing-style sleeves.

When Usha and JD Vance touched down in Maryland from Greenland, we couldn't stop staring at her footwear. She wore casual black sneakers, which is totally understandable for a long-haul flight, that felt in tune with her comfy outfit. The problem was the reflective strips, which were illuminated by the airport lights. It gave us children's light-up shoe vibes, which felt too juvenile for a second lady who knew she'd be photographed. Safe to say this wasn't one of Vance's most on-trend outfits.