shoe question: what's the point of ankle boots? - YouLookFab Forum

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shoe question: what's the point of ankle boots?

crazyone

Veteran

I get the point to wear them with dresses/skirts, because you can see the entire shoe, but they're also notoriously trickier to wear this way. Otherwise, with pants, they mostly just look like high vamp shoes, especially if you're following PPL I guess if it's snowing outside or something they have their purpose, but I feel that most of the detailing on booties/ankle boots/mid-calf boots is wasted unless you wear them with dresses. For this reason I strongly prefer knee high boots or other boots that get tucked into rather than worn under something.

Dressing

22 replies

Latest reply was from Kate

bj1111

Veteran

i have the same isse with them. plus, at 5'2" they are stumpyfying even with low contrt dressing. i prefer low vamp shoes to get all the leg i can.

Diana

Veteran

I mostly wear mine with skirts and dresses (I'm not overly concerned about my leg line though...), but I do sometimes wear them under pants. I get tired of always wearing skinny pants+tall boots and sometimes I just want to wear my bootcuts and trouser jeans. Boots are BY FAR the most comfortable shoes for me, and I pretty much live in them all winter, so I guess it's mostly a comfort thing (plus when it's cold out it's nice to have your feet stay warm and dry!).

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

I LOVE a sleek ankle boot with straight leg jeans - shows off most of the boot (no tucking).

I LOVE my cowboy boots with boot cuts. A classic yet hip combination.

I LOVE my little ankle boots tucked into skinnies.

Ankle boots are much more comfortable and warmer than a high vamped shoe.

I am on Team Ankle Boot too

Mitzy

Some of us like the look of a boot but can't find or afford knee high boots that fit our calves. I wear ankle high boots with pants all the time. I have very large calves and only one pair of full length boots that fit. My ankle boots have lower heels. One pair has a cuban heel and the others are flat. I want some cowboy boots, too.

Inge

(website)

I'm with Angie on this one;-)

I too really love the look of skinnies (or ponte knit leggings, or jeggings) tucked into ankle boots. But I do understand what you mean, sometimes it's a shame that beautiful detailing is hidden underneath trousers and pants...

san

Veteran

I love ankle boots and have for most of my adult life, but I find them very difficult to wear. I guess I haven't found the secret, I have never worn a pair.

Scarlet

Veteran

You can wear any color sock you want, they are warmer, and I like skinnies tucked into booties or straight legs, like Angie mentioned. I couldn't do without them.

Louise

Veteran

I find trousers with ankle boots warmer than with shoes when it's chilly, but my favourite way to wear ankle boots is with dresses and leggings. I don't have many high vamp shoes x

Dashrashi

Veteran

I wear them (to work) under trousers so that I can wear warm socks without having a boot line up by my knee under my pants. Boring, but practical.

Mamapicklejuice

Veteran

I think the confusion comes from the fact that it seems like the style now is to put all the decoration on the ankle part, which would be hidden if worn with boot cuts and so on. So unless you're used to pairing ankle boots wth straight legs, skinnies, etc, it seems like a waste of good design! I struggle with this, too, because I really don't want to pay for something which is just going to get hidden.

I agree with the socks and warmth points mentioned above.

Freckles

Veteran

Can ankle boots have the sole like a real winter boot so you have traction? I see many that I love but they have leather soles like a dress shoe.

crazyone

Veteran

MPJ nailed the crux of my question in her comment above, sorry I didn't make it clear. I do understand the warmth/wear under bootcuts argument, and have done so myself, but I guess I don't understand wearing boots like these, which are very pretty, under bootcuts. And I guess I've found the tucking into ankle boots look tricky.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/fr.....aMdipTrQmw

nicoleb

(website)

Veteran

Ack! I love, love, love ankle boots! In fact one of my "must have" this coming fall/winter is to find the perfect black wedge ankle boot cause i missed out last year.

I love that i am wearing boots but still not lose my slim calf part of my leg that can sometimes happen with regular boots. And they're just so...cute.

One thing i do get irritated with is the peep toe ankle boot. Living in MN if i buy a boot i want to be able to wear it any time of year i feel like and obviously i can't be walking around in the middle of winter with a peep toe.

Louise

Veteran

Ahhh I see what you mean C1. I personally would wear those with skirts and dresses and keep ones with unembellished ankles for under bootcuts x

Janet

(website)

Veteran

I love ankle boots but then I also love all kinds of boots!

Except those open toe things. I agree, Nicole, I just don't get them. If it's cold enough that I want boots on, I certainly don't want exposed toes.

Anonymous

I love ankle boots worn with skinnies or bootcuts. I don't like my socks showing with a more open/lowcut shoe so the ankle height pretty much covers up this little irk.

mrseccentric

(website)

Veteran

what's the Point!?!? what's the point of shoes that AREN'T ankle boots!?!?!?!

heehee - i love 'em, obviously! the extra support on the vamp makes it much easier for me to wear a heel, and i'm in dresses and skirts 50%+ of the time, so any detail shows then. i love the look of boots, but i have nerve damage in my legs, so taller boots can fuss with that. with ankle boots i get the boot 'look' without that added pain. i have slim ankles and luckily am pretty long from foot to knee, so i can wear ankle boots without 'stumpification'.

for me, when i sit down in long pants the pants shorten up and you can see any boot detailing. if i had to choose only one shoe to wear, it would be an ankle boot!! steph

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Steph, you crack me up. And my sentiments exactly.

C1, those Fryes are perfect under boot cuts - you aren't loosing much detail. I would also wear them tucked into very faded skinny jeans.

Problem solved: don't choose an ankle boot with lots of ankle detail if you are going to hide it under jeans or trousers. Choose another style!

Aziraphale

Veteran

Another fervent yes for ankle boots here. I have worn short boots since the early 90s under bootcut jeans, where they don't give you a leg-stumpifying effect. It's true you don't see them under bootcuts when standing still, but a lot more of the boot shows when you're in motion or sitting. And, as others have pointed out, you see nearly all of the short boot if you wear them with cigarette pants, and you see it all when you tuck your skinnies in. I think they almost look more stylish than long boots (although I'm a lover of all kinds of boots), and are certainly more versatile.

Kate

Veteran

I love my ankle boots too! I wear them with skirts and dresses, and with skinny/straight jeans tucked in or left out. When I was last visiting my family they were my main shoes for the three week trip, and I got a compliment on them almost every time I wore them out somewhere. My mom thought it was hilarious, and would start laughing before the person had even finished complimenting me!

lady going for a run, stop and points at my feet, "Great shoes!!!"

*mom starts laughing like crazy*

me, with a big smile, trying not to laugh at my mom, "Thanks!"

By the end of the trip I had gotten so many compliments, and my sister had said so many times how she wished she had a pair of ankle boots like mine, that my mom ended up buying a pair for my sister, but in the taupe color! http://www.zappos.com/eric-michael-soho-taupe

ETA: My heels are narrower than the front of my feet, so I pretty much have to be strapped into my shoes for them to stay on and be comfortable. No ballet flats for me, and I'm not big on low heeled mary janes. The result is my everyday footwear is sandals, ankle boots, and boots. When I wear heels they are t-straps.

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crazyone

Veteran

Thanks everyone for your responses! I see what many of you are saying, and I'm glad they work for you--they certainly are often comfortable and warm, and I understand that they're a good solution with certain medical concerns, too. I guess the look of wearing boots under bootcut jeans just doesn't appeal to me (aesthetically, I like seeing the top of a shoe), and for skinny jeans, I think tucking them into knee high boots is more flattering because they cut you off closer to the knee, which is a natural break point anyway.

Kate: what about loafers and flat oxfords? I'm not a big ballet flat person either, but I like shoes I can slip in and out of easily.

Kate

Veteran

C1, theoretically loafers and oxfords would be great too. I've found that I like having distinctly feminine footwear (while still being comfortable, durable, and highly walk-able; a tall order!), and most loafers and oxfords come across as a bit too masculine or gender neutral for my taste. I've never actually seen a pair of loafers that I would want to wear/own. I've seen some oxfords that I like, they tend to have a bit of a heel (like these: http://www.zappos.com/frye-mag.....d-vachetta). So for me it's just a personal preference. There are also a lot of ankle boots that are more masculine than I would want, it took me a lot of searching to find my perfect pair!