Black ankle boots are a wardrobe essential for me. I have the ecco one below for winter, and the wedge one which is only good for shortish wears.  I also have the coach lace up ones, and I've been wearing the Merrell hiking boots when it's particularly icy/slippery/nasty out. I bought the Born Cichy (5th find) last October and they were good, but after about a half-dozen wears the sole cushioning seemed to disappear around the ball of my foot and they hurt to wear. I still don't understand what happened but ouch! 

I've been looking for the last few months for another black bootie that is not chunky, has a toe that is not super-round etc, e.g. a more "polished" style. My feet demand very thick sole cushioning and I also usually add superfeet insoles for stability (they don't add much cushioning). I've spent many hours without finding any. At this point in the winter there is not much available in my size, a lot is final sale etc. I am shopping exclusively online because there are so few shoe stores anywhere near me, and I have to confirm fit/comfort for a few hours at home, so shopping at B&M stores involve a 45 minute round trip to buy and another to return. 

So I'm thinking it's best to stop, wait until next fall, wear what I have. I do have booties in other colors.  It's getting a little warmer here but we'll have snow/ice on the ground for several more weeks (2 more snowfalls of 3" + in the next 5 days) but after that I can gradually start wearing sneakers. I have some loafers but they ALL need to be replaced Maybe I'll start shopping for loafers instead.

I guess I'm looking for "stop the hunt"  and "wear what I have" enabling.