Who wears boots in hot weather? Apparently, a lot of San Franciscans do. Or at least they did this past weekend (in 80+ degree weather!)
I want to share some images of a-musing muses who – we must give them credit – are prepared for the next sudden fog covering. Whether these women were dressing for unpredictable weather conditions or just couldn’t wait to get out the boots, there were definitely some boot styles worth noticing…
Don’t you love the combination of a mini dress with ankle boots? The look was popular here in California as well as in Europe this summer. I rather like it. Yes, the boot cuts the line of the leg – oh my! – but it is also a nice relaxed look for weekend, and this boot style looks very comfortable for urban hiking.
The shorty boot style above is probably not as comfortable as the one previously shown because of its pointier toe and wedge heel which looks to be at least three inches high. Because of the style, it looks considerably more feminine. The materials of which it is made are strikingly uncommon for a boot: canvas and a bottom akin to that of espadrilles. They make it seem almost made for warm weather.
I like the way this muse pairs the boots with light colored denim, so that the break in the silhouette of the leg isn’t as drastic. The pale pink top with lace detail also keeps the look pretty/feminine and coordinates well with her hair color.
Here we go back to a look flirting with androgyny. As in the prior image, the skinny jeans are of a color with minimal contrast to the shorty boot and enable a longer line of the leg (and in fact of the entire silhouette, thanks to the black sweatshirt). I love the juxtaposition of skinny jeans on a lovely figure with combat boots/hoodie combination. It looks both strong and sexy.
The look above seems inspired by “ethnic” styles of dress, especially with those slightly flared short pants and the short western style boots. The dress with pants combination is similar to Indian dress (kurtis with pants) and seems to be very particular to the San Francisco Bay area. I can’t recall seeing this in other parts of the country or Europe, have you?
This muse obviously knows how to layer. The colors are classic and conservative: beige, black and white – probably a good idea when the cuts and lengths of garments are so unusual. The white cardigan is an especially good choice, drawing the eyes upward to the woman’s face even while below there is an abundance of interesting detail.
I particularly like the way the horizontal lines in her handbag echo the seams/breaks in the lower section of her dress. And check out that super cool yellow shopping bag!
The woman above employs a great trick to wearing shorty boots with a skirt or dress: opaque hosiery in the same color. From afar, it looks as though she is wearing tall boots, which I certainly wouldn’t object to with this gorgeous A-line leather skirt. The smooth leather of her boots and that of her skirt look to be of very fine quality.
This ensemble is quite a bit more formal than the previous ones but looks quite suitable for the weekend: not in the least bit office-y.
The look pictured above seems to have some rocker chic leanings. I like the short boot with bare legs; although they do not taper at the ankle, the rounded shape is quite complimentary.
Fringe on the boots and handbag as well as the designer looking sunglasses give a great style boost to the black t-shirt and frayed denim cut-off shorts. This muse’s look is sassy, cosmopolitan and weather-appropriate.
I have to say the ensemble above is my favorite of the day: simple and elegant. I love the navy blue dress with stretch for city walking and the way it practically blends into her opaque black hosiery. The contrasting color of the shorty boots is not an issue because of the close-to-monochromatic outfit (including black handbag).
These boots give the outfit just the right dose of casual for weekend wear. A few additional advantages are their beige color which brightens up the look, comfortable heel for walking and tapering at the ankle to avoid obscuring the shape of the leg.
A single word came to mind when I saw the above look: cute. Don’t you agree? The footwear remind me of a vintage style of man’s boot, but with built in socks folding down the sides and covering the bottom of her jeans. They are a good match for the short army green jacket with oh-so-skinny jeans, ripped at the knees. The pearl earrings add a pleasant dash of pretty.
The ensemble above is simple and works well. The short black dress looks awesome with bare legs, and the closely matching hue of the shorty boot lengthens the leg – and also tapers at the ankle as it should.
The size of the red cross body handbag is a great fit for this muse’s delicate proportions. And the iconic denim jacket is a good old standby for casual layering.
This next look is chic and classic, with a light beige trench coat over a black dress. The black sunglasses are also a nice touch. Adding to this some tan shorty boots, with simple design and squared toe, gives the outfit a more casual, contemporary flavor. They echo the color of her stylish leather backpack, which is a perfect size for this woman’s proportions and well positioned in the center of her back.
I have recently adopted this same style of handbag. It is an ideal way to boost posture and assist with straighter body alignment since you no longer end up consistently carrying more weight on one side of the body. A bonus feature is how it leaves spare arms and hands for opening doors and of course, shopping bags.
The open toe bootie is not everyone’s favorite boot style, especially not of men I have recently polled. It seems to be a little jarring to the sensibilities of some. But, as a hybrid between boot and sandal, it is quite adequate for the kind of transition dressing we are all doing these days. Worn with pants, this style is probably less strange to the eye than with a dress.
The black open toe shorty boot above might look even more odd to some, since it contrasts quite a bit with bare legs. These particular boots look handmade. The design is unique, simple and artistic. They might be described as an ultra thick slingback boot/sandal. I especially like the contrasting block heel.
I find the overall look of this muse to be ultra stylish. The combination is singular: the rare bootie with sequined black skirt and burgundy wool jacket with part smooth, part quilted black leather sleeves. I am led to believe this woman must have planned to be out and about for several hours, since the scarf was definitely unnecessary for daytime temperatures.
Here we have another simple, classic look: a pair of black high heeled wedge suede boots with jeans tucked into them, black blazer and Burberry plaid summer weight scarf. I don’t know how this woman could walk without quickly overheating, but judging from her heel height, I can guess that she didn’t plan on doing much of that anyway.
Above we have boots with an even higher wedge heel and extremely pointy toe. I am relieved to see that this woman afforded herself a little extra comfort with the short dress and short jacket.
After seeing the muses featured above with such great ways of wearing different boot styles, I have to say I am tempted to start donning at least booties – even in hot weather. I’ll hold out a bit longer yet before pulling high boots out of my closet. Are you game?