I have recently been imagining smooth, plain knee high boots to wear with skirts just below the knee or midi length. But this is turning out to be impossible to find. I have muscular calves and very short legs, so knee-high boots are too tall, making the top bulge hugely around my leg.

I stopped by Bloomingdale's to try on a pair that seemed promising. No luck, but on my way out, I noticed a whole display of over the knee boots. I realized that they actually fit my short legs better, unintuitively! The boot doesn't bulge out at the top of my calf because it keeps going higher.

I always thought over-the-knee boots were way too much look for me. I know my style can be edgy, but I'm timid about things that read as extreme to me. I was a teen during a phase when OTK boots were not "in" at all, so they seemed fetishy at the time and I think my brain is stuck on that image. Now, of course, we've had years and years of them being on trend, and they seem to be having a tiny resurgence this year.

Soooooo. I fell in love with these Ash boots. They aren't clean and simple like I thought I wanted - they have dramatic zippers, though they're not particularly shiny or glossy. They remind me of some Demeulemeester looks. Sorry that I didn't get any photos.

Would I manage to wear them? I work in a very casual environment where dressing up stands out. I'm afraid I would just never wear them.

(You may remember that I did get really wonderful mid-height boots last year, Tsubo Loe, shown below for comparison. Perfect over jeans and fit like they were made for me. Alas, they have the same diagonal zipper look as the Ash boots so I probably don't need another pair with the same look!)

There's one pair left at Shopbop and if I do want them, I should snap them up now while the discount is still going...