Each season I like to get my predictions in before Fashion Week kicks off. Its like drafting your fantasy team before the season starts - the only way to do it! I always start with the foundation of my team, and that would be shoes! Here are the most on-trend booties that are, simply put, so freakin’ cool!
1. Lace-up or Stay Slow:
Americans want to get everywhere fast. Of course timing, drive and work ethic are what we think of as variables to get us through life quicker however, have you ever thought maybe your shoes played a role in your speed? Maybe it's your 3 inch thigh high boots that are literally slowing you down. Select boots with just the right size heel combined with a thick sole for stability.
Lace-up glamified-military boots, known (loosely) as combat boots, have never let me down. And I can speak to both combat boots’ comfort and style factors. Obviously, let’s talk style.
The shape of a combat boot is almost generic therefore, seek out boots with a textured panel. Chevrons, diamonds, florals, even scales, make for excellent no-pattern-patterns. (No-pattern-patterns adj. When there is a faint design on an article of clothing that is barely visible from a distance because the design and the background are the same color. Sidenote: no pattern-patterns were the thing in fall market week so this subtle design is also the latest in printed pants!)
Take my ice skates for instance (far right), from afar they are a cream combat boot. Up close, you can see they actually have scales. In the tech age, we are always looking at images from miles and miles away: places, people, clothing, and so on. I like the idea of having to get up close and personal to truly enjoy the full aspects of part of your outfit. Textured boots are like hidden tattoos - they’re for the wearer.
I almost had a stroke the first time I picked up these olive green, navy, & rose combat boots (not even kidding.) It's ironic that these boots are printed like old school wallpaper and yet, are covered in grommets and chord. A boot fit for a Victorian new romantic, if you will. Swap out the chord for ribbon and see the vibe change from tea time to roller rink.
2. Tell me about it…Stud:
What cuts through a black canvas the best? That would be studs. I’m gonna be honest, I bought these maximalist studded booties by Jeffery Campbell as my new basic black bootie for bar hopping, and I get stopped almost every night I wear them. And it's not just my close friends hittin’ me with the “cool shoes, Whit,” it’s strangers from all walks of life; people that look nothing like me. From my so-called field experiment of wearing these studded booties to most bars on the East Coast, I have noticed even men (as in multiple mans) will stop me and ask where I got my boots. A black velvet (any rock fans in the club?) bootie with silver embellishment unites the people! You heard it here first!
Since I am a fashion innovator, I went one step further this year and while warehouse sale shopping (See How to Warehouse Sale), I scored a patent leather silver studded Mary Jane. The conception of Mary Janes is that they are a shoe your grandmother thinks you need and really, the leather is cheap and they blister your ankles, so you reluctantly wear them. Oh how times are a changin’!
A punk rock Mary Jane adorned with ankle hardware and cheapie buckles is a fab update on the studded bootie because the two are the same basic shape (Have you noticed my love of a pointed toe?) but, the Mary Jane allows the top of your foot to pop out. An unexpected twist on a boot. Want a different base color than black? Red looks cheap, white looks bridal. Why mess with perfection?
If you think I am crazy for calling embellished footwear a go-to 1. I am! I am always trying something novel 2. Call me after Fashion Week 3. Go with a more classic Harley-Davidson bootie. Load up on some side buckles instead to keep adornment concentrated to one area of the shoe.
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