I wasn’t planning on buying new booties this year, but in reviewing my footwear in anticipation of the fall/winter, I remembered I’ve been wanting some simple black (and/or maybe dark brown!) casual booties with the following:

- a low or moderate walkable heel
- good all-day comfort
- simple, versatile, modern classic styling with no extra detailing or hardware
* a higher shaft to cover the ankle so they can be worn with rolled jeans, cropped pants, and midi skirts without a flowerpot effect
* a sock boot or similar that closely hugs the ankle
- weatherproof is a bonus

I have several pairs of black booties, but some of them are a bit dressy and/or high-heeled for everyday type wear. I am not getting rid of those because I love them and they have their use, but I am keeping in mind that I *do not need* any more dressy boots!

I currently have in my possession the fab Aquatalia booties that Angie recommended from NAS (just got on sale), a pair of the black Eileen Fisher stretch boots, and the wild card, the Donald Pliner dark brown boots below, found at Nordstrom Rack for a very good price. All are comfortable and would work nicely for my purposes, I just need to do an at-home try-on for a while to see if they feel like they can go the distance.

The height of the EFs gives me a little pause, but they do feel very comfortable on. The actual angle of the foot in the boot is similar to the Pliners, but the platform makes them look more dramatic than they feel. I do like a refined style with a lug sole!

My most recent favorite black boots — the Seychelles pictured below — have been worn a ton since I got them a couple of years ago. Their one drawback is that they don’t look great with skirts or crops because the shaft is so wide on the ankle — I wear them with rolled jeans that I can adjust to the right length to accommodate the boots. I would definitely keep those boots until they die because they are so comfy.

The brown is a bit of a current fixation of mine. Craving a variation from so much black, perhaps, while brown is trending. But I need to make sure I’d wear them enough. If the style is this classic, I’d conceivably have them for many years and could justify them in addition to a black pair. Might need to do a little closet editing to make room!

How are you feeling about your F/W footwear, fellow Fab people?