My priority this season has been to invest in more boots, ankle boots to be more precise. Yes I bought some last season as it was already trending, but being a girl of very skinny calves I am wary when I charter this territory. Long boots, which I have personally tailored to fit, are so much easier to balance my body shape, making my thighs look lovely and slender. Unfortunately, long boots for all their virtues have had their time in the sun or shade so to speak! Short boots are so much more fun this year and its quite simply a refreshing change.
If you are one of the lucky ones with goddess calves (like some of my cousins, blast them!) this is your moment to shine. You can wear any short boot you wish, you are in the season of boot heaven. The rest of us need to take stock of our legs and here are some of my tips honed from hard earned experience in dressing all shapes and sizes.
If you have skinny calves and a tendency to heavier thighs then take care not to choose small boots that make your feet even smaller. It creates a triangular effect on your shape, small at the bottom expanding as you go up. Preferably choose boots that show your slim ankles but don’t skinny up your calves, so keep it looser there. If you insist on narrow boots ( because sometimes thats all we can find here!) then wearing chunky socks will visually enlarge the calf area, again balancing your leg shape. Alternatively rolling your denims up instead of tucking them into your boots will have a similar effect.
If your calves are a strong athletic shape then be aware of where the boot stops on your calf, making sure not to have them ending at the widest point. If your ankles are rather hard to decipher then its better to stick to black opaque tights or darker jeans. Don’t go for the chunky socks! Keep it simple on the boots and take the attention to where you are most fabulous, such as your eyes or defined shoulders etc.
Ok so what is popular now? Well, short boots are coming in almost every style imaginable, but here are the major trends reaching our shore. In terms of colour its black, tan or light camel colours. So divine, they go with almost anything, in denim that is. Aah…, the nostalgia for me!I think the first pair of European shoes I ever bought was a pair pale nubuck boots, in Paris when I was 18. I loved those boots! This is the perfect colour to team with black, olive or white. If you have a leather jacket you will be set for many occasions!
Metal hardware and studs are still hangingin there and is now more socially acceptable. Pity for me as I like the edge and I think this particular edge has become predictable, but like many others I still enjoy a bit of hardcore metal some days. It is a wonderful marriage with denim, a biker jacket and a soft silky top or just a plain T. Now what has made a come back and that I hadn’t been looking out for is the good old Chelsea boot. Even Victoria Beckham climbed down from her heels and donned some black Chelsea boots. Such a simple design, its quite refreshing and I suspect it will stay with us for sometime.
This style looks great with opaque tights and a skirt or dress. Just please do me and yourself a favour and be certain that your tights are opaque, as in not see through! A pet peeve that I will get to on another posting.
The local shoes pictured are all available in stores or online. All other pictures, thanks to Pinterest.