SIMPLE STYLE
ANKLE BOOTS
“Higher, more spindly heels are best kept for when you want to ramp up the sass”
As temperatures fall, thoughts turn to boots. Buying a new pair of boots, like buying a winter coat, marks the changing of the seasons as much as leaves dropping from the trees or the return of
Strictly. And it is an exciting prospect. Boots offer your feet – exposed throughout summer – comfort and protection. They envelop toes and heels safely, enabling you to tramp merrily along rain-splashed pavements without fear of chilliness or wet feet. You can wear them with skirts or trousers, to work or to play. They make life simpler and smarter. They rock.
Until a year or so ago, knee-length boots were the winter footwear of choice; worn over straight-leg jeans, they defined a decade. But a shift in fashion thinking has taken place and now boots are shorter and show your calves. Now it’s all about ankle boots.
There are two types of ankle boot to consider: those with heels and those without. During the Edwardian period, a short, laced boot with a neat heel exposed the curve of a leg when flashed beneath a long skirt. A shy-yet-sexy look that is worth replicating today. A chunky, mid-height heel is the more modern option and will give you a little elevation – handy if you have a plumper calf. Higher, more spindly heels are best kept for evening or parties, when you want to ramp up the sass ( like Siouxsie Sioux, pictured) and can safely totter towards a taxi at the end of the night.
For maximum attitude, a pair of Doc Marten’s wins hands down. Lace up a pair of these air-cushioned-soled, welted, yellow-stitched lovelies and there is no way you will walk normally. You will stomp. These boots are bad ass, which is why they’ve consistently been the choice of sub-cultures ( punks, goths, skinheads) for decades. This appropriation by youth movements belies their origins as a comfortable boot for housewives and the military, invented by a German doctor following a ski accident.
For a practical, less clompy option, there are plenty of flat ankle boots with a block heel. In suede, patent leather, even a metallic finish, with a side zip to slip your feet into with ease, these are the ones you’ll wear all winter. And you’ll love them for it.