This post is combining NAS option with a
diatribe on PPW’s (perfect pant widths) and how to match up footwear.

Here
is another NAS item I really like, but am debating just on the basis of where
my boot capsule should be heading, in
case I need to look in a different direction.

These are the Paul Green’s in dark gray
suede. I swore I was not going to get even 2” heels because I need some true flat booties (meaning only 1/2-1") but they looked great to
try. They fit very well.

One problem is, I am having to realize that
typical ankle boots require a wide-ish or bootcut leg pant. I picked this color
to go with both black and with some gray stripe and check pants, but the gray
ones are more straight and they won’t fall back over the boot when moving
about. But, these boots do look good with about 5 pair of either AT trouser pants (the
original wider leg that’s about a 20” hem opening) and bootcut or slight boot cut trousers.

I’ve shown them here with tights so you can
see them better and the amount of ankle gap (should have used nude hose) so as to ask, could
these be worn like this as well? There is still some flower-pot effect
though less than some, so I wondered about that plus the height—are these
pants-only boots, and for a dress one would need a lower bootie or more intentional
mid-calf or tall along with closer fit.

I ask because I have quite a few
dress/skirt outfits that I’m wearing
with dark gray, as opposed to black, tights for a softer look (the dress or
skirt may be gray or a print with gray) so I could see wearing gray booties of
some sort. If these worked for that, that would substantially increase the # of
times I would wear during fall and winter and into early spring and mitigate the pant width limitations.

On to the essay on PPW’s and footwear. I
already knew that the sort of straight-not-slim trousers were going to create some issues. This kind of
straight trouser works well for me as it’s less frumpy-prone than the wider
leg. However, that pants width will not
slide over most typical ankle boots/booties.

I am figuring for those I will need to be
very fitted at the low calf, which is kind of a HEWI already, or possibly a
lace-up style to get that fit, and maybe even a taller boot shaft that I used
to think. Alternatively, the footwear needs to have no shaft to speak of , so a
shootie. I got my Born shootie for this purpose but am having trouble finding
something lower or more refined or both. That’s because I don’t do well with a
narrow shoe heel (meaning “heels” not fit of my heel) which is often part of
the shootie look. Oxfords are a problem because there’s too
much “stuff’ on top of the foot, and even loafers may give a problem (the
narrower the pant hem, the more a loafer will work).

So, if
you’ve made it this far, feel free to give feedback on the above booties
in general and with skirts, and any observations or success you’ve had with
finding footwear for these not-wide, not skinny pants.