Ask Angie: ensemble with tall boots - YouLookFab Forum

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Ask Angie: ensemble with tall boots

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

Dear Angie,

Most of the ensembles you posted as well as your own outfit posts feature booties and shoes. Unfortunately at this time of the year in a climate which has snowy and cold winter knee high and mid-calf boots is the most practical footwear option. However I don't feel very inspired for outfits with tallish boots for the second year in a row. Last winter was pretty mild and I was able to wear my booties well into January. This winter is different though...
Can you help me to get inspired with tall boots outfits which feel current? Can you create an ensemble (or two) featuring tall boots?

Thanks in advance!

Dressing

23 replies

Latest reply was from Greyscale

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Oooh! Great thinking, Sveta...

Believe it or not, I have decided that if winter keeps going the way it is right now, I need at least one more pair of tall boots!! Whether I really want to wear them or not!

Jules

Veteran

Yeah... Just when I really felt I had my weekday wardrobe sorted, I realized that it's probably gonna be tall boots/skinnies for the next few months. Sigh.

Gigi

Veteran

Suz, those La Canadiennes have made you lose all reason! ;^)

Sveta, I think this is a great idea. I've discovered that it's kind of tricky getting outfit proportions right when wearing tall boots. Although maybe that is my short height. Hopefully Angie can come to the rescue!

Jjsloane

Veteran

I'm interested too since I just found my dream tall boots (not that I had a shortage) in navy patent. I need inspiration please!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Gigi, I think you are right on both counts. Yes, I have lost all reason. And also, it is hard to get proportions right with tall boots for those of us who are shorter. I struggle as well with this. So any tips Angie might provide would be most welcome.

I was thinking last night about it. Here are the options I can see.

Tall flat boots with skinnies tucked in and loose top or oversize sweater. On those of us who are shorter/ shorter-legged this works best with boots toned to the trousers. But...(pardon me) yawn. I am already tired of it after four days of snow!
Tall flat or heeled boots with a dress or skirt (find your boot/ skirt sweet spot). But this requires tights and so is probably not warm enough for the colder days in our climate. Not to mention all the issues with matching/ harmonizing tights/ dress/ tall boots. (How many pairs do any of us own, after all?) If they are black they need bookending or at least balancing with the top part of the outfit. If they are black or not, do they "go" with the dress. And so on.
Tall flat boots with skinnies tucked in and an equestrian style jacket. I have a sugar eye for this -- but it feels pretty 2009 or 2010 to me. Not to say I wouldn't wear it this year, if I had the right elements....but....
Tall flat boots, leggings, tunic sweater or top or short dress. Can be a cute look on some. Isn't always warm enough for coldest days because it is tough to layer a blazer over a tunic and it might not be enough with just thermal layer, sweater/ top and then coat -- as most tunic sweaters tend to be lighter weight. Perhaps cashmere is the answer here.
Snow boots or galoshes worn to the venue (be it work or play) and removed in favour of the "real" outfit footwear -- booties, pumps, what have you.

E

Veteran

Suz, do you really find trousers that much warmer than tights? I find that fascinating, because I'm at least as warm in one of my full wool skirts & regular cotton/nylon tights + tall boots as I am in jeans + tall boots. And that's before I've added my silk long johns underneath or my tall wool socks or double layered the tights! But then I don't run particularly cold, much to my chagrin (living in a hot climate, running cold would make my life and dressing much easier!).

I guess I'm lucky in that I almost always wear slim trousers or full skirts, and I'll pair both happily with knee high boots. But I wonder if I'll get more bored, and want another option or two, when I move up north.

Emily

Veteran

Sveta, I feel the same way - and tall boots are so hard to fit! I've decided that instead of struggling with them I am going to commute in my tall boots if necessary and find a big fab tote to carry my nice shoes to work.

That said, I am pretty happy in knee high boots/slim pants tucked in/voluminous top, even if the combination isn't exactly new.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Coming up. It's all about updated knitwear to feel great in this look again. xo

Catnip

Veteran

Sveta, this is a great topic, and I'm eagerly awaiting Angie's suggestions.

Angie, could you also include a comment on wearing tall boots with boyfriend jeans rolled up (and not tucked in).

Amy

(website)

Veteran

I'm looking forward to this one too...although, I always feel a touch bolder in tall boots, so I've never really felt out of love with the look, lol.

Diana

Veteran

Ooh, I'd love to see this post too. I'm with Sveta - this winter is looking to be really brutally cold and snowy (to the point where I'm currently considering getting a second pair of snow boots...). I'm happy with my skinny pants/tall boots/jacket or big sweater formula but am always interested in new ways to wear them too.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Catnip, we can address that right now. If the tall boots are sleek, you can roll BF jeans over them (not tucked). Kind of like wearing pedal pushers over boots back in the day - late '70s and early '80s.

You can also tuck mid-calf boots into streamlined BF jeans. My BF jeans are too baggy for that vibe - and I end up feeling RATE, which is not my style. So to add back in the Polish, I wear mid-calf boots with slouchy skinnies (more structured). See pics below. I hope that makes sense.

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Diana

Veteran

I stuff my BF jeans into midcalf or even tall boots sometimes. To Angie's point, it's a RATE look so you have to like RATE. With tall boots, it's kind of an equestrian/breeches sort of vibe. I unroll them and put my socks over the hems to keep them down, and I generally pair them with boots that are pretty fitted at the top.

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Catnip

Veteran

Angie, thanks so much! That's a big help.

Sveta

(website)

Veteran

I feel better now knowing that others struggle as well so it is not all in my head

Angie, thank you so much, I cannot wait for that post!!!
I don't have a proportions issue with this look but rather it feels stale to me. Also taller boots limit the style of the bottoms you can wear with them which adds to my dilemma. I don't like the look of tall boots when pants or jeans are not skinny but when they are really skinny on me I feel that I need a longer top length - a tunic rather than a top which covers my but at the least. So here is another limitation - a single style of the top. If I am limited to wear one style of the top and one style of the bottoms every single day of the week I get incredibly bored!
As for the skirts: my boots are black flat riding boots and somehow I am not thrilled how they look with the skirts: feels too heavy somehow.
Two other pairs of boots I have are too cold for below freezing temps - no insulation and very thin dressy sole so I cannot wear them outside much.
I guess I need to go boot shopping with Suz...:-)

Catnip

Veteran

Diana, thanks to you also. I like the sock trick.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Your reasoning makes sense, Sveta. And I second the tall boot shopping with Suz. xo

Glad it made sense, Catnip.

Cute pics, Diana.

columbine(erin)

Veteran

I look forward to more ideas for tall boots, too. I recently got some tall black boots from Target and a dark purple wool coat from Macy's, and am looking for different ways to wear them. So far, my pants are all too short, so I'm attempting to winterize a couple sheath dresses; they seem to have the right proportions for the boots and coat.

Lisa

Veteran

Thanks for requesting this. I have one pair of bootcut jeans in my closet right now and I keep having to put them back for a pair of skinnies and tall boots. If it isn't rain and ice, it's snow, or it's salt, or all of the above lately. I think we are going to have a very wet winter this year.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Ooh - I can't wait for the post!

It sounds as if there are different issues at play for us.

Some of us have figure flattery concerns (for Sveta it is hips/ thighs; for me it is length of legs -- or rather, lack thereof...)

Some of us are tired of the options we know.

Some of us are just darned cold!!

It does look like a brutal winter coming up, Diana, and I am with you on the snow boots! My last year's pair are really not in great condition and have a leak. I CAN wear the new La Canadiennes in the snow but they aren't super warm. Waterproof, but not for super cold weather.

E, I do find pants warmer than cotton-nylon tights, for sure. The air gets up under skirts. Not ALL pants are warmer, of course! It depends on the fabrication. But a heavier wool pant or even denim with thermals is a lot warmer to me than a skirt and tights. Plus, I get so tired of wearing opaque tights, and the sheer ones are truly not warm at all! If I'm not going to be outdoors for a length of time I don't mind, but if I'm going to be out walking for an hour or so, it makes a difference.

Tanya

Veteran

Count me as another one who can wait for this post/posts Angie. Skinny jeans/pants tucked into tall boots are a staple for me, but the look was starting to get stale. I figured that, for me, the problem was what I was wearing on top - the sweater tunics and sweater dresses I was wearing over the pants were starting to look pretty dated (and worn too). No wonder as they were 4-5 years old. So I threw them all away at the beginning of the fall and bought some updated shapes/colors. I really hope I did a good job and can't wait to see your posts.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I hope the post is helpful, and I'll do ensemble posts to flesh out the ideas on that post.

Tanya, you are spot on.

Suz, I am sooooooo with you. Thermals under wool trousers and jeans is still much warmer than fleece tights with skirts and dresses.

Greyscale

Veteran

Good timing for me on this post. I've decided my tall boots aren't quite right (too tall and wide around the top). I can sell them and find a perfect pair - but I haven't decided if it's really a wardrobe item I want or not. Looking forward to some inspiration!