Ulla Johnson spotlights pearl-trimmed shoes for day-to-night dressing

Pearl accents are taking on a new job this summer: not as a special-occasion finish, but as the detail that softens a minimalist wardrobe and carries it from weekday dressing into vacation packing. Ulla Johnson’s city-to-coast edit makes that shift feel clear, pairing pearl-trimmed shoes with the kind of romantic ease that works at lunch, at dinner, and anywhere in between.

Pearls leave the jewelry box

The centerpiece is the Colette Kitten Heel Sandal with Pearls, a style made in Italy from vegan nappa leather with mother-of-pearl accents. Its open almond toe and 50 mm, or 1.96-inch, kitten heel keep the shoe in that rare space between polished and practical, where it reads like jewelry for the foot rather than a formal heel dressed up for the evening. Listed at $850 in noir, the sandal has enough contrast to feel sharp, but enough shimmer to avoid looking severe.

Ulla Johnson also offers the Colette Kitten Heel Sandal in Pearl for $590, which makes the same silhouette feel lighter and slightly less declarative. The pricing spread is revealing: one version leans into the drama of pearl trim against black, while the other shows how the brand is building a pearl story across colorways and price points. Together, they frame pearls as a design language, not a one-off embellishment.

Why the material mix feels current

What makes these shoes feel timely is the balance between softness and structure. Vegan nappa leather gives the sandal a smooth, matte base, while mother-of-pearl introduces that shifting, milky iridescence that has long signaled luxury without shouting. On a 50 mm heel, that combination lands differently than a stiletto or a heavily jeweled evening shoe: it feels controlled, wearable, and intent on daylight as much as dark.

That matters because pearl jewelry has been loosening its own dress code for years. The same visual cues that once belonged to strand necklaces and formal earrings now show up in accessories that are meant to be seen all day. Ulla Johnson is tapping into that change by letting mother-of-pearl act as a styling cue, the kind of detail that can calm an all-black outfit, offset a crisp white shirt, or keep a summer look from feeling too bare.

The brand’s shell language runs deeper than footwear

The shoe story does not sit alone. Ulla Johnson’s Mother of Pearl Framed Drop Earring is described as taking inspiration from ancient jewelry, and the piece is hand-carved from brass. That combination, brass worked by hand and framed around mother-of-pearl gemstones, gives the earring a weight that feels artisanal rather than purely decorative. The reference to ancient jewelry also places the design in a lineage of ornament that values form, surface, and texture as much as sparkle.

The same sensibility shows up in the Beaded Macrame Shell Necklace, which appeared in the Pre-Fall ’23 lookbook. Tiny antique beads are arranged in a macrame setting around a mother-of-pearl pendant, turning shell material into something more tactile and more grounded than a polished gem on a chain. Read together, these pieces show a designer extending one idea across categories: pearls and shell elements are being treated as part of a broader wardrobe of natural materials, not confined to formal jewelry boxes.

From cobblestone streets to sandy shores

Editorialist’s shopping edit, published last week, captured the mood neatly by casting handbags and shoes as equally suited to cobblestone streets and sandy shores. That image is useful because it captures the actual appeal of pearl-trimmed accessories right now: they bridge city polish and coastal ease without asking for a costume change. The look is romantic, but not fragile; tailored, but not stern.

That versatility is what gives pearl details their momentum. A pearl-trimmed sandal can sit beside linen trousers during the day and still feel appropriate with a dress after dark, because the embellishment reads as a finishing touch rather than an event-only flourish. In that sense, Ulla Johnson’s approach is less about decorating shoes than about redefining how pearls function in a summer wardrobe.

What this pearl shift says about dressing now

The strongest pearl pieces today do not depend on ceremony. They work because they introduce just enough luster to interrupt clean lines, especially when the rest of the outfit is pared back. Ulla Johnson’s Colette sandals, the Mother of Pearl Framed Drop Earring, and the shell necklace all point to the same styling instinct: natural materials, quiet shine, and handcrafted detail can carry as much presence as more obvious ornament.

That is why pearl accents feel so useful now. They soften, but they do not sweeten. They polish, but they do not overcomplicate. In a summer wardrobe built on simplicity, pearl-trimmed shoes and mother-of-pearl details are becoming less of an accent than a signature, the sort of finish that makes a look feel considered from the city sidewalk to the coast.