Ankle booties -- how to pull his off as a (short) MOTG - YouLookFab Forum

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Ankle booties -- how to pull his off as a (short) MOTG

N-Marie

Veteran

I'm still trying to wrap my head around the concept of ankle booties and how they can be styled. From my research, it seems like the most common use-cases are:

1) With dresses/skirts-
Best if matches skin color or hosiery/tight color and best with a heel (not great for MOTG) and shorter skirt (also not great for MOTG)

2) With shorts -
Looks best with shorter-length shorts, which I don't think I can pull off (very muscular thighs, ahem)

3) With pants, tucked into boot
I can't seem, to get this to work - I always get a "ballooning" of the pant around the top of the bootie. I like the tucked-into-tall boot look much better.

4) With pant, rolled over boots
Doesn't seem like I specifically need booties for this

So really, I'm not sure how to make these work for my lifestyle and whether they are worth investing in.

Does anyone have a good example of flat or almost flat bootie styling that would not be leg-stumpifying?

Dressing

14 replies

Latest reply was from N-Marie

cinnamon fern

Veteran

Also with pants rolled up to the top of the boot, like here:

http://www.lesantimodernes.com.....sabel.html

But do two-inch chunky heels count as heels for you?

N-Marie

Veteran

Hmm, good questions. The answer is.. I don't know!

Perhaps I should try to order a pair from a store with easy returns and just experiment with styling them using what I already own.

cciele

Veteran

As a MOTG, I'd wear them with leggings! The leggings can kind of scrunch on top of the bootie or go in them, depending on the opening of the booties. My MOTG uniform when my kids were younger was tunic or dress over leggings and some kind off boot/bootie

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I would say, try a wedge or a small heel, you might be surprised! How old are your kids? Unless you are wearing them to chase around the playground, SOME heel (with good support) will probably work for you.

I have one pair about 2 inches and one pair 3 inches - and they both work for my MOTG life. But the heels are somewhat chunky. I also have a pair of wedge boots that work great.

I have shortish muscular legs and was very hesitant about this look for me, but this year I am wearing it.

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April

Veteran

I think it totally depends on the age of your little ones. If they're young enough that you're literally running after them and spending time on the floor, you need fairly flat booties. Just wear them with bootcut jeans -- you'll see their bootie-ness when you sit down and cross your legs.

If you have teens or pre-teens and spend a lot of time driving them around, then you can go nuts with a two-inch heel.

N-Marie

Veteran

I have a newly walking (and dangerously running) one year old, so lots of walking bent over, crawling on play structures, dashing to avert disasters and playing in the sand - not all that friendly to shoes!

My current shoe inventory (that I wear regularly) includes flats and flat tall boots and a wedge sandals for when I have a second pair of hands on deck for baby-watching.

Suz, those boots look lovely on you - I like the close fit to the ankle, which to my eye looks very polished.

Since most legging are dark, I guess I should be looking for a black bootie then.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, and you can get a polished flat chelsea boot sort of like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Blondo-W.....f_cr_p_t_1

And for very CASUAL skirts/ dresses, (e.g. denim skirt, plain black jersey tube skirt or the like) this will work with dark leggings and not stumpify you too much. And it is easy on/ easy off, too.

I have a Blundstone chisel toe that's a less refined version of this, and it is GREAT for all round running around; when my daughter was the age of yours I wore these all the time. Not when I went out for a date (how often was that???) but most daytimes in fall/winter.

ETA: Amazon is having a boot sale right now.

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cciele

Veteran

I think the Sam Edelman Petty in animal print or black would be really cute, with black or denim leggings or black ponte pants:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/sr?k.....wordsearch

Glory

Veteran

I am a short MOTG. I have 2 pairs of booties with heels and one flat pair. I find I reach for the flat pair all the time. I wear them with bootcut jeans and skinny jeans. They are black and my jeans are a dark rinse. I am not sure if they stumpify me. They are the most practical for my current life style.

N-Marie

Veteran

Thanks for all of your advice! I just bought the Blondo black boot from Amazon (25% off!) that Suz suggested. I'll try it around the house and see whether I think it can handle the abuse my lifestyle entails...

Ariadne

Veteran

Taking notes because I wondered the same thing--most of the bootie looks I admire involve heels, and my kids are in the same stage as yours, N-Marie, so heels are just plain out.

Kristin SF

Veteran

N-Marie - did you ever keep these boots? What did you think of them? I am short (5'2" -- sometimes 5'1.5") and I think I need some kind of heel, despite the age of my kids.

Marley

Veteran

I have 2 pairs of booties that are absolutely flat - no heels - and I have pretty short legs. Here are 2 different ways that I wear them. Once it cools down where I live, I will add tights or socks - and put a jacket over the whole thing! Easy-peasy!

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N-Marie

Veteran

Kristin, I order THREE sets of black booties and returned all of them

I got the Blondo version (http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ.....02_s00_i00) but it jut looked really long to my eye (and I'm a size 6!).

I then ordered a pair of Hush puppies which were a bit better, but I still didn't love them (http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ.....03_s01_i00) - they stilll looked too long to my eye.

In both cases, I think my eye was just poisoned against a flat black boot on me - perhaps because I'm short, it looked to me like I was wearing my husband's shoes!

I deduced that the "long" look was probably due to me being used to a more substantial heel, and a preference for a rounded or slightly upturned toe.

I ordered the Clark's Dara 3 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ.....03_s00_i00) , and I liked the look much better. But unfortunately they weren't that comfortable for me (arch hit at the wrong spot).

So I've given up the search for awhile, since it appears that I have a poison eye for flat booties on myself, and I already have a more dressy/heeled ankle bootie.

I should note that I wear and love the look of tall boots so I'm not sure why in the case of the first 2 shoes it looked all wrong.

Marley - those boots look fab on you! I especially love the boots in pic #1!

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