Mid-calf and knee-high boots are hard to fit when their circumference is wider than your calf. The visual of a stem in a flower pot comes to mind. In some cases the gaps are intentional, and tend to work best with slouchy boot styles. The gaps work less well with boots that are supposed to create a tailored fit around the lower leg. 

As a gal with a 13 inch calf measurement, I know how hard it can be to find tall boots that create a snug fit around the lower leg. One solution is to wear boot liners, leg warmers, or knee-high socks to “fill the gap” around the top of the boots. Pull the socks above the tops of the boots, then scrunch them down to close the gap. Leg warmers, in particular, are a great way to create bulk on the calf but not on the foot.

The photos below show examples of boot liners and leg warmers peeking out from the tops of boots worn with skirts and dresses. But feel free to wear the same boot and sock combination over skinnies, leggings or jeggings. You’ll create a fun textural interest and layered effect on the leg line, which works especially well with chunkier knitwear and casual outerwear. 

Keep the socks low contrast or the same colour as the boots so that they are an extension of the boots. Match black or charcoal socks with black boots, and brown socks with brown boots. Alternatively, keep the socks low contrast or the same colour as the pants so that they appear to be an extension on the pants. For example, wear burgundy boot liners or leg warmers with burgundy skinnies and tall black boots. You can also create a high contrast between both the pants and the boots, which can be a fun look if you don’t mind the horizontal break across the leg line. 

The sock filling technique is best suited to casual and smart casual wear, and is less fab with dressy outfits or formal career wear. The visual effect is also quite maximal and heavy, which might not be your cup of tea if you prefer a simple and streamlined look. That said, purchasing an inexpensive pair of boot liners or leg warmers might make an existing pair of ill-fitting boots wearable by masking the gap. It also might make you purchase a pair of casual boots that are perfect in every respect except for a calf circumference that is too wide.

The YLF email newsletter, which we sent out yesterday, is a recap of the previous month’s posts. The new format of the newsletter is very visual, so we focus on outfits and ensembles, but there is also a brief summary of trend-related posts, and a small feature that collects posts on a particular topic. This month the feature is Colour & Pattern. 

If you aren’t yet a subscriber, please consider signing up. Note that this applies to forum members too, because the newsletter and the forum are two separate signups.

When you sign up for the newsletter you can also ask for daily email updates for the YLF blog and finds area, but this is optional.

Finally, you can see the October newsletter here if you didn’t receive the email version that went out yesterday.

We’re temporarily leaving stunning Fall foliage and grey Seattle skies for sunny Santa Monica. While there at the end of September we took the opportunity to do a photo shoot on the beach near our hotel. Greg and I snuck out at the crack of dawn one morning to take these pictures. 

I have worn my Kamalikulture Oval Dot Turtleneck Dress a lot over the last few months, and I brought it along to Santa Monica to wear in the evening, for sundowners on the hotel veranda and supper thereafter. I prefer this Kamalikuture dress to the first one I bought simply because I’m more in love with the pattern. But both frocks have been great purchases and easy to style. The non-crease and lightweight nature of the dresses makes them ideal to pack in a suitcase for a trip. 

As with most dress outfits that don’t require additional layering, there is little to it. Pop on the frock, add shoes and bag, and you’re done. Extra accessories and topper are optional. In my case, I bring along a topper just in case I feel cold.

I chose a very casual, two-tone denim jacket. I prefer the dress without additional layers because it’s at its most simple and strongest that way. And that to my eye is best. But I’m glad I had the option of wearing the jacket. The cool sea breeze is not to be underestimated, especially at night when you’re dining near the beach.

I finished off the outfit with ankle strap pony pumps, my favourite Summer shoes of all time, and which are now in hibernation until warm weather returns. A pastel turquoise clutch adds a trendy element to the outfit, and sunglasses protect my eyes from the bright Santa Monica glare. Watch and wedding ring are all I need in the jewellery department.

The high neckline might imply to you that this is a cold weather dress, but it’s very lightweight and something I comfortably wore in Summer and early Autumn. Unless the heat is sufficiently cranked up indoors, I shan’t be wearing my Kamalikulture dresses for a while because they just aren’t warm enough. Cold, wet weather has hit Seattle and I’ll be in cozy knitwear, separates and boots for a good long while. I’m already missing the beach, the warmth of the sun against my skin, and wearing this dress.

Invisible Woman talks about the evocative powers of scent, and why it’s important to choose the right perfume.

An interesting read in the LA Times explains why perfumers are returning to classic scents that “evoke the glam, retro feel of perfumery’s Golden Age in the first half of the 20th century”.

Barbara Herman shares five tips if you are thinking about exploring the fragrant world of vintage perfume.

Fab Links from Our Members

Bridgette Raes talks about “anticipatory anxiety” and goes into the reasons why a person might be reluctant to change their hairstyle or upgrade their wardrobe, even if they want to. Laurinda found this quote inspirational: “it’s a heck of a lot easier to deal with the fall out of that change than living with the paralysis of over-thinking it and not doing anything about it”.

Vogue published a selection of designer-made Halloween masks. Angie especially loved the shirt and the cats.

HiggsMistress found Susie So So’s blog post “Call Me Picky” quite entertaining and enlightening. Her comments on stripes and complementary stitching had HiggsMistress checking her striped tops to make sure they matched.

This one’s for anyone who’s missing “What Not To Wear”. Nancylee informs us that Clinton Kelly is now available to answer your fashion questions (courtesy of Macy’s) on all the social media platforms. Just use hashtag #HelpMeClinton.

While reading Lisa’s post about field jackets, this quote caught L’Abeille’s attention: “Fashion at 50+ requires a fairly strong sense of self, and a good visual imagination, to get rid of cues meant for other demographics”.

DonnaF was looking for styling ideas for her Mum’s taffeta Dior New Look skirt and thought that the slide shows on Diorable Style, especially the year by year review in the middle, were great. She adds that it also demonstrated how dated prints and patterns can become.