Mini, midi, maxi
How to find the right pair of boots to suit every hemline
Whether or not you mark the changing of the seasons with a wardrobe clear-out and switchover, wrapping summer dresses in acid-free tissue paper and packing them into the loft, or you have a year-round wardrobe full of easy-to-layer pieces that you build up as the mercury drops, there are easy shifts that require very little thought, like swapping a cotton blouse for a lightweight knit, and trickier ones.
Zipping – or lacing, or pulling – up your boots for the first time this autumn is definitely in the latter category. Suddenly, the cropped trousers that look so good with flat pumps and trainers look all wrong, showing an inch of leg above last year’s trusty ankle boots. Ditto maxi dresses and skirts (rendered modern by the addition of chunky sandals, but witchy by pointed-toe boots), wide-leg trousers and culottes. Knee-length skirts and knee-high boots seem like a good match on paper, but feel a bit too much in practice. And if, like me, you rely on a flash of bare ankle to balance out oversized silhouettes, encasing said ankle in a boot can throw off a whole silhouette.
Key to getting it right is mix-andmatching your boots and hemlines. There are different horses for different courses, like fitted sock boots for outfits that need that proportion-balancing narrowing of ankle and hiking boots to toughen up those maxi-lengths. Here are the pairs to put with every hemline in your wardrobe. Mini, midi, maxi: we came, we saw, and we found the
boots to suit. Best with jeans: almond-toe ankle boots
For your go-to pair of jeans, look for ankle boots that finish above your hemline, so there’s no visible gap. Avoid anything too chunky – something sleeker will balance out the casualness of your jeans for wear-everywhere versatility. If you paired your jeans with espadrilles or stacked-heel sandals for the summer months, then a stacked heel ankle boot is an easy swap: There are great options all over the high street: & Other Stories’ square-toe pair looks more expensive than its £135 price tag (stories.com). Almond-shaped toes are always in fashion. If you wore jeans with flat sandals or trainers, then try flat Chelsea boots: Russell & Bromley’s are the best.
Otherwise best with wide leg trousers: pointed-toe ankle boots
Floor-sweeping wide-leg trouser have vergingon-magical leglengthening properties, but there needs to be some separation between hem and pavement for them to work. All that fabric will swallow up round-toes, so look for elongating pointed toe boots that will peek out the front instead. Ankle-length is best as any higher could ruin the line of your trews. Whistles’ Celia ankle boots (£195, whistles.com) – a smarter style is available each year – have a very walkable 5.5cm kitten heel, and though kittens are relatively high-maintenance (avoid cobbles if you can), they’re easily and inexpensively reheeled by a cobbler.
Best with maxis: hiking boots
The same logic applies here: you need a boots that separates hem from pavement. But pointed toes and full length skirts or dresses can look a bit witchy. The most modern – and comfortable – choice is a pair of hiking boots. If you were one of the shoppers who caused Grenson’s Nanette boots to sell out repeatedly last winter (they launched a few years ago, but 400 pairs were sold in the hour after Holly Willoughby wore them on I’m A Celebrity), then this is the perfect hemline to wear them with. If not, they’re back in stock, and available in 14 different colours and finishes from £275 (grenson.com). Kurt Geiger has a great range, and M&S has a classic black pair for £59 (marksandspencer.com). Hiking boots will also work with mid-axi (in between midi and maxi) lengths, once again avoiding that gap between boot and skirt.
Best with midis: knee-high boots
As mid-lengths are already drawing a horizontal line that cuts you off mid-shin, adding another would only serve to make your legs look shorter than they are. Look instead for a pair of knee-high boots that extend up under your hemline. These could be flat or heeled (a heel will add that extra bit of elongation), fitted or slouchy. LK Bennett’s Sirena boots, in glossy caramel or green mock croc leather, will elevate simpler outfits, or for something more classic, try Duo boots, which offers a range of different calf-widths to fit – Lisa Armstrong, The Telegraph’s head of fashion, is a fan (duoboots.com).
Best with culottes: knee-high boots
Choosing the same colour as your culottes will give the illusion of longer legs, but a contrasting colour will also look stylish. Hobbs’ Imogen (£299, hobbs.com) will work well with most colours, and Loeffler Randall’s 5cm Gia boots are a wear forever buy, £540 (loefflerrandall.com).
Best with on- or above-theknee lengths: low-cut ankle boots
If you’re petite, then above-the-knee skirts and dresses might appeal more than midis and maxis. Rather than trying to bridge the gap and straying into Sixties go-go territory, I’d suggest opaque tights and boots that finish just where the ankle narrows: those that cut down into a slight V at the front are particularly flattering – try Boden’s Cuban-heeled Stratford boots (£130, boden.co.uk) or John Lewis’s Wiley (£109, johnlewis.com). Choose boots and tights in a similar shade to create an uninterrupted block of colour.
Best with cropped trousers: mid-calf boots
Unless you’re very shapely of leg, this length of boot will look unflattering when paired with shorter skirts or dresses, as it covers the ankle and cuts across a wider point of the calf. Try them with cropped trousers and you’ll see the appeal. Aeyde (aeyde.com) and Miista (miista.com) do them well and offer everything from Cubans to lace ups in a variety of colours.
Best with skinny jeans: cowboy boots
If you can’t bear to be parted from your skinny jeans, then this season’s top tuck nods to the Princess of Wales’s late Eighties’ busy-mum style. Cowboy boots might sound like fashion-victim territory, but the latest iterations just borrow a bit of that spirit without crossing over into yee-haw, and they’re more city-appropriate than flat riding boots. Stonewashed denim is best avoided, but all other washes work: pair mid-blue jeans with tan or black boots, indigo with brown, black with black and white with tan or pale grey. Mango has a great knee-high pair for £99 (mango. com), or head to Topshop for an ankle version, in leather (£89, topshop.com) or faux (£79).
Best with tapered/ cigarette trousers: sock boots
Trousers that taper to the ankle benefit from the aforementioned ankle-flash; think Hepburn circa
Funny Face in black cigarette pants and loafers. But there is a boot that offers that all-important narrowness: the sock boot. LK Bennett has two different heel heights of suede sock boot, the 7cm Kayla (£295, lkbennett.com) and the 5cm Alexis (£265), which both zip closed for a snug fit, or try Zara’s black pair (£59.99, zara. com). Look for a pair with plenty of stretch: you want them to accentuate the narrowest point of the leg so they should be as close to spray-on as possible, but you don’t want a wrestling match at the beginning and end of the day.