Love Booties? The Dos and Don’ts of Wearing Ankle Boots

The fashion world is obsessed with booties. Edgy and trendy, ankle boots offer an abundance of options from classic leather granny boots to heavily embellished suede and patterned boots. Booties are everywhere! And if you don’t have a handful of bootie options in your shoe closet, it’s time to catch up.

If you have a pair of ankle boots collecting dust because you can’t figure out what to wear with them, it’s time to dust them off and start planning outfits. The short height associated with booties can make them difficult to pair successfully with bottoms. A good rule of thumb is to choose a closely fitted skinny or straight-leg jean that ends right at the top of your boot. Ankle cut jeans are ideal for this.

But there are more ways to wear them. Take a look at the following dos and don’ts of ankle boots:

Cuffed Jeans

If your jeans are a little too long or not as closely fitted as you like, you can cuff them. There are three main styles of cuffs:

• 1-inch cuff – To create the 1-inch cuff, simply turn the bottom of your skinny jeans up one turn. Do use this cuff if you’re wearing short leather booties no taller than your ankle. Do allow a little bit of skin to show between the cuff and boot. Do not let the cuffs tuck into your boots.
• 3-inch cuff – This cuff is similar to the one above. Simply turn your jeans up one turn. Do use this cuff if your skinny jeans are a bit too long. Do not use this cuff if you have short legs, as it can make your legs look even shorter.
• Rolled cuff – Create a rolled cuff by pegging the legs of your jeans and turning them up two times to create a 1-inch cuff. Do use this option if your jeans are too long or loose at your ankles. Do not use this cuff if it shows too much skin.

Cropped Pants

Cropped pants can work well with booties, especially taller ankle boots. If you choose to wear cropped distressed jeans or a shorter legging, make sure your boots are the appropriate height. Do show about 1 inch of skin. Do not show too much skin or allow your pants to come down over your boots.

Tucked Legs

It is usually not advisable to tuck pants into ankle boots, but it can work with the right bottoms. Only tuck leggings or skinny jeans that fit tightly against your leg. The legs of your pants should tuck perfectly and seamlessly. Do not tuck the legs of your pants into your ankle boots if it causes them to bunch or push up around your leg.

Skirt Considerations

Ankle boots are perfect for long, flowing skirts and miniskirts alike. However, you have to be careful with shorter and tighter skirts. The key is to not show too much skin. Do wear tights or thigh-high socks with miniskirts and booties. Do not wear booties with long, form-fitting skirts.

Once you learn how to wear booties, you will become obsessed with them. Low-cut, mid-cut, printed, embossed, embellished … there are so many reasons to love booties!