How To: Wear Ankle Boots for Short Legs

Last year was all about the riding boots, and second-skin over the knee boots for me. This year, I've already worn my Chelsea boots to death, and I love how you can style ankle boots so many ways. BUT: what about for us petite girls? How do wear ankle boots without the visual that we have stumps as legs? 

Good news is short gals can pull off ankle boots of any height. The secret is in the formula of ratio-that means since the top of the boot cuts off at the ankle, we don't want the eye to stop there. The goal is to create an elongated look for clean line. One easy way to achieve that is to make sure the boot is the same color of the pants you are wearing, see my 'comfy' look as an example. Personally I love a skin-tight cropped pant/legging/jean that hits at my ankle bone. If a little bit of my skin shows above the boot, it's fine. It definitely doesn't look good if your pants are so long so they bunch around your ankle into your boot, this just looks sloppy. For my 'chic; style, I paired gray denim with an edgy boot but kept a common color theme throughout the outfit. If you don't own gray jeans, GET SOME. They are seriously an amazing staple piece. And double glitter for 'holiday'? Yes, it can be done! Keep both pieces a solid color and free of embellishments so there is not too much going on. The semi-sheer black tights are optional, but work even though the boots are light since it is a short dress in a simple silhouette (actually, if I didn't wear the tights, the boots would blend right in my freaking pale skin tone). Add a short fur jacket in a similar color tone to the dress, and you have a unique but pretty way to show off those disco boots. For 'sexy', I wanted the silhouette to match the vibe of the boot, but paired with a chunky sweater it can be appropriate for day as well. And for 'casual', well I don't know a girl who doesn't own this boot style so I paired my favorite color combo together for a perfect shopping outfit! 

I know I rambled, but I love boots and I love styling and I don't know how to do it in short form! Hope this helps anyone who may have had some doubts about purchasing boots, or has a pair that permanently sleeps in the back of their closet! 

xo

How to Wear Chelsea Boots

 

 

 

Boots can be tricky to style in my opinion since they take up more visual space on your foot and leg. The two hardest boot trends to style I think, are over the knee boots and flat ankle boots known as Chelsea boots. Here, I featured three different Chelsea's in a neutral color (yes, leopard print is a neutral) to anchor the look as the main piece. I didn't intend to create all neutral outfits, but hey, it is fall after all! The accessories I chose can really be worn with all three of these outfits. I know when I spend money on bags especially, I think how I can mix and match it with what I already own, that is how I determine if an investment piece is worth it or not!

 

So to be honest, I bought my first pair of Chelsea boots from Nordstrom about 4 years ago, and didn't wear them for TWO years because I didn't have what I thought was the right type of denim or tops to wear with them. My favorite look for these particular boots is a skinny and distressed pair of denim, which I included my favorite high-waisted pair from Topshop above. Now that my wardrobe has matured more with new jobs and getting older, it's fun shopping in my closet and coming up with new looks to pair with this particular style boot. The Chelsea tends to come across kind of edgy, but that doesn't mean you cannot style a preppy, classic, chic, or feminine look with these easy and chic boots. What are your favorite boots for fall?

 

xo