The short answer is YES! And by boots I mean booties, shooties, mid-calf boots and knee-high boots. When to stop wearing boots comes up on our forum every year, and each time I suggest the same thing: weather permitting and if you’re comfortable with the coverage, wear any style of boot year round. Gone are the days when there are cut off points that define when it is and when it isn’t stylish to wear boots. 

In fact, mid-calf boots, booties and shooties have become as fashionable and on trend to wear in Spring and Summer as the quintessential sandal. Especially with shorts, short shorts and minis in warmer temperatures. Over the last few years, retailers have been selling women’s boots year round because there is a market for it. These are new stock Spring and Summer boots and not remnants of Winter collections on deep discount. Spring boots, and Summer boots for that matter, make sense for four important reasons, which I’ll recap here: 

• Spring and Summers can be chilly, making boots a practical solution.
• Everyone has a different inner thermostat.
• Inside temperatures can be frigid.
• Boots are comfortable.

That said, there are ways to make outfits with boots look more Spring-like so that your style feels refreshed going from Winter into Spring. 

• Wear boots with bare legs, or achieve the bare leg look with nude hose.
• Wear light coloured boots in shades of white, dove grey or taupe.
• Wear bright, pastel or metallic boots.
• Wear perforated styles, peep-toe boots, or boots with cutout detailing.
• Wear boots with white clothing, either on the top or bottom, or both.
• Wear booties with skirts and dresses that have shorter hemlines.
• Wear boots or booties with shorts.

Here in Seattle it’s cool enough to wear boots virtually year round. I end up doing so for nine months of the year. I wear light coloured, knee-high boots and booties in the Spring with trousers, jeans, skirts, long shorts and dresses to keep my feet warm and comfortable. I wear them with or without nude hose when exposing my legs. I try not to wear boots at all in June, July and August, just to change things up. But I often wish I were wearing them indoors in arctic air conditioning. 

Over to you. Do you wear boots in the Spring?

I’ve written many posts on jackets and coats over the years, and I’m sure I will add more over time. After all, jackets are fab, and some styles have a high longevity quotient. Here’s a summary of the posts to date all in one place for easy access. 

Fit & Proportion

As with most clothing these days, you need to assess items across three different fit categories: body con, tailored and oversized. Believe it or not, but body con jackets do exist! Body con coats do not make sense, so I’d stick to tailored or oversized fits for outerwear. Remember to shop across petite, regular and tall departments to achieve perfect fit, and be sure to do the sit-down tests before making a purchase.

Here are guidelines on how to fit a tailored jacket. Once you have a handle on the basics of tailored jackets, you will find it easier to assess body con and oversized jackets too. Boyfriend jackets are generally oversized, and here are guidelines on how to fit that silhouette. Trapeze jackets are a different animal and require their own set of fit guidelines.

Sometimes jackets will not button up without pulling across the bust and midsection, but will fit perfectly everywhere else. That’s not always a deal-breaker in my book. We wear jackets unbuttoned most of the time so leaving it unbuttoned to create a great fit is a reasonable solution. Of course, outerwear MUST fit correctly when buttoned up because you are braving the elements and need insulation. Here are guidelines on how to fit coats, puffer coats, and capes. 

If you find woven jackets uncomfortable and constricting, opt for a style with stretch. These days you can find most styles of jacket — from classic blazers to denim — with ample stretch. If that still does not satisfy your needs for comfort, opt for knitted jackets in Ponte knits, jersey and fleece. They are particularly fab for a full bust. Sweater coats are another option, and here’s how to select a flattering style. An oversized woven coat, especially in a cocoon style, is another way to prevent that “straightjacket”  feeling. 

Silhouettes & Styling 

Fur jackets, faux fur jackets and trapeze jackets are retro and therefore always in style. I consider a moto or biker jacket to be an iconic classic, and therefore also always in style. Jackets with strong shoulders seem to waft in and out of fashion. That said, I think we might be at the point where they have become a perennial fringe trend. 

I believe that the right leather jacket is completely appropriate in some office settings. Striped jackets have become a mainstream look and here are tips on how to style them. Cropped jackets are available every year and look particularly great with skirts and dresses. Denim jackets worn over a skirt or dress look fabulous when they are snug and short. Bomber jackets are the new rage and my guess is that they are here to stay as a mainstream staple. And here are five ways to style a vest, which is essentially a sleeveless jacket.  

Trench coats are another iconic classic. They do not need to be beige, Burberry and double-breasted. Trenches come in all sorts of styles, colours, fabrics and lengths, so choose a look that works best for you. I have three that I’ve had for years and still wear regularly. Single-breasted coats and trenches tend to be more versatile, look great worn open, and flatter a full bust. That said, these days, it’s fashionable to wear double-breasted coats, trenches and jackets open, but the method works better with beltless styles. And double-breasted button positioning tends to look more flattering, especially on a full bust, when the buttons are positioned more closely together. 

Lots to digest! If there are further fit, proportion and styling challenges regarding jackets and outerwear, post them in the comments section and let’s get them sorted.

“My grandfather had just five jackets in his whole life, but those were holy jackets. So he looked after those jackets like sons.” I loved this quote from the J.Crew short film about the Vitale Barberis Canonico Mill, where fabrics for their Ludlow suit are produced. A sweet ode to suits, dressing up, and good-quality fabrics.

In Chanel’s latest digital film we hear Mademoiselle Coco explain the concept behind the timeless Chanel jacket: she wanted to “enable women to move with ease, and not change their attitude or manner, depending on their dress”. Quite a revolutionary idea in 1954!

Fab Links from Our Members

Marlene1 was intrigued by these ads from a 2006 Gap campaign over at Coffee Stained Cashmere. Would you wear these looks today?

For the creative types among us, how about making our own clothes, shoes and accessories out of food, asks Karie. I’ll take the German chocolate bubble dress, pretty please.

Kat at Corporette talks about how to look professional in flats. Angie thinks she nailed it and obviously, fully supports looking fabulous in flats!

If anyone still has doubts about whether or not it’s worthwhile to tailor a garment, Gaylene thinks the pictures in Sally’s post should provide the definite answer.

Annagybe points us to this article about Native American fashion that is truly authentic.

Missey is exploring colour theory to come up with new clothing combinations for her existing wardrobe, and is feeling inspired by the Pantone Spring 2013 colour guides from Brandi.

Last but not least, Vildy enjoyed this Guardian interview with Pedro Matos, the Darfur Sartorialist, in which he talks about his life as a street photographer in Darfur. 

Wearing relaxed tops with full skirts is one of my favourite outfit combinations at the moment because the proportions feel fresh, modern and new. My clients are generally excited about the look because it’s comfortable and easy to put together. A looser top also dresses down a full skirt, which makes it more versatile. 

The photos below show an assortment of relaxed untucked tops worn with full skirts. The crucial part of the top styling is its banded bottom. That’s the part that creates outfit structure because it reins in the volume of the top and the flare of the skirt. This tiny bit of structure hints at a waistline, which makes the outfit flattering to my eye. The banded top also allows for easy semi-tucking.

The tops here are standard length, and pulled up a bit to create a shorter effect over the skirt. Their soft drape does help create additional structure, as does scrunching a long sleeve. The necklines are crew, but scooped, boat and V-necklines also work. 

Although most of these skirts are above the knee, the relaxed banded top concept works for longer skirts too. Relaxed tops that are not banded will work with full skirts when they are cropped. The much shorter length highlights the waist thereby adding structure to the outfit. 

While I still love the classic combination of a formfitting top tucked into a full skirt, I haven’t sported it for a while. I’m all over these new proportions this year, and will wear them until it’s time for a change. How about you? Do you like to wear a relaxed top over a full skirt. If you haven’t tried the combination yet, does it appeal to you? Or do you find it frumpy and juvenile?