Boots, glorious boots
Monday, November 01, 2010
There’s nothing better than pulling your favorite pair of boots out of summer storage and wearing them for the first time, paired with a chunky sweater and maybe some skinny jeans on a brisk fall day. Boots are the must-have, wear-with-just-about-anything shoe of the season and as with nearly every fall, the selection of new styles is seemingly endless. So if you’re in the market for a new pair of boots (or three) this season, here are some suggestions on what and how to buy.
Some of my favorite trends in boots that are worth investing in this fall are: booties or ankle; over-the-knee (make it a low heel as you want to look chic and not cheap); biker or riding; tall or knee (with a kitten or high-heel); and any one of these styles in a lace-up. Within all of these looks you’ll find huge variety of ‘artistic’ interpretations by designers as well as a huge variance in price.
A few tips on how to choose the best pair for you:
-Consider boots an investment piece so spend as much as you can on you pair(s) of choice. Don’t buy boots that are cheap because if they are really inexpensive (Barney’s warehouse sale deal-of-the-century aside), then they’re most likely not well made and are not going to stand the test of time when it comes to wearablity and/or comfort.
-Avoid an impulse buy and choose your boots wisely. Think about what style of boot is best for you before you make your purchase. Look at your existing wardrobe and figure out where the holes are in your footwear, and also what boot will work best with the clothing that you already have. Spending hundreds more on items that will work with your new purchase makes no sense, and as these boots should be an investment, you want to make sure that you buy a style of boot you could see wearing for years to come.
-Make sure you buy your boot in the right size. This last tip is really critical and may seem like a no-brainer, but when a simple mistake like purchasing a boot that is a too small and even too big there’s not much you can do to make it right. Keep in mind that although leather stretches, it will only give a little in the width – not the length, and also not enough around your ankle in a fitted boot to make them comfortable enough to wear all day. Also a boot that is a bit too big will only get bigger and even if you wear thicker socks or use insoles, you’re going to have a sloppy looking fit in the end.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant, for more information please go to www.cabinetdenvie.com.
Some of my favorite trends in boots that are worth investing in this fall are: booties or ankle; over-the-knee (make it a low heel as you want to look chic and not cheap); biker or riding; tall or knee (with a kitten or high-heel); and any one of these styles in a lace-up. Within all of these looks you’ll find huge variety of ‘artistic’ interpretations by designers as well as a huge variance in price.
A few tips on how to choose the best pair for you:
-Consider boots an investment piece so spend as much as you can on you pair(s) of choice. Don’t buy boots that are cheap because if they are really inexpensive (Barney’s warehouse sale deal-of-the-century aside), then they’re most likely not well made and are not going to stand the test of time when it comes to wearablity and/or comfort.
-Avoid an impulse buy and choose your boots wisely. Think about what style of boot is best for you before you make your purchase. Look at your existing wardrobe and figure out where the holes are in your footwear, and also what boot will work best with the clothing that you already have. Spending hundreds more on items that will work with your new purchase makes no sense, and as these boots should be an investment, you want to make sure that you buy a style of boot you could see wearing for years to come.
-Make sure you buy your boot in the right size. This last tip is really critical and may seem like a no-brainer, but when a simple mistake like purchasing a boot that is a too small and even too big there’s not much you can do to make it right. Keep in mind that although leather stretches, it will only give a little in the width – not the length, and also not enough around your ankle in a fitted boot to make them comfortable enough to wear all day. Also a boot that is a bit too big will only get bigger and even if you wear thicker socks or use insoles, you’re going to have a sloppy looking fit in the end.
Jennifer Bakken is a San Francisco based wardrobe consultant, for more information please go to www.cabinetdenvie.com.
