Metallic boots are a great way to jazz up an outfit, especially for the holidays, when you have grey, or salt & pepper hair to bookend the look, or when your wardrobe is neutrally-rich. Metallic boots add shine, which is festive, eye-catching and unique. Silver boots are especially popular because they’re less bright and gaudy than most gold boots. Pewter boots straddle the line between silver and gold and are another way to go.

Silver boots come in all sorts. Heeled, flat, matte, extra shiny, dressy, casual, minimal, maximal, high shaft, low shaft, so take your pick.

Here are four outfit formulas that incorporate silver boots in easy ways. Note that none of the models have silver or salt & pepper hair to bookend the look, but that would add something extra to the look.

1. Skinnies, Black Top & Silver Boots

Combine a pair of dressier blue skinny or straight leg jeans with a festive top and silver boots. The top needn’t be black, but that might be what you have on hand. Finish off the outfit with a silver bag to match the boots, or another bag that works with the palette. Silver jewellery picks up the silver of the boots.

2. Flares & Silver Boots

Pointy toe heeled boots or pumps are a classic worn under flared jeans and pants. The combination is dressy, streamlining and elongating. Here the model is wearing a black top with waist definition, but a colour or pattern works just as well – as will a fluid fit. The eyelet detailing of the top does effectively pick up the silver of the boots. Adding silver jewellery will do that too. Personally, I find the jeans here two inches short, but that’s subjective.

3. Flared Midi, Fluid Top & Silver Boots

A soft flared midi skirt worn with a fluid, untucked welted top is a comfortable and modern combination. The pairing can shorten the leg line so in this case heeled boots are a good bet. The silver boots are low contrast to the model’s skin tone which further elongates the leg line. The silver complements the white in the pattern of the skirt, which pulls the outfit together.

4. Column of Black & Silver Boots

If you wear a lot of black, breaking up the head-to-toe column with silver boots is extremely effective. The same can be done with a column of navy, ink blue, red, grey or a pattern. Here, the black trim of the boots complements the black of the outfit. Although this is a skirted look, adding silver boots to black pants and top is as fabulous. Just about any colour or patterned handbag would work here.

I prefer warm metals so it’s gold boots for me. I have a flat smart casual pair that I bought last year that became instant workhorses. I wear them day to day instead of on occasions because I like glitz and shiny things. I often complemented them with a matching gold belt. But now that I’m off wearing belts with high rises and exposed butterfly jeans, we’ll see what happens. My gold boots are great to travel with because they’re very comfy and go the distance. I wear them in the Winter and Spring when I feel like more of a party on my feet. They are particularly good with white jeans. The metallic leather scuffs quite easily, but not too bad. I’m an urban walker and don’t let my shoes boss me around.