There's a Time, Look And Boot For Everything

citizen |

With a two- or three-inch (5- or 7 1/2 centimeter) heel, there's really not an outfit you can't wear with these boots. Photo: Ruthanne Reid
With a two- or three-inch (5- or 7 1/2 centimeter) heel, there's really not an outfit you can't wear with these boots. Photo: Ruthanne Reid

NEW YORK - There's fall and spring, winter and summer - and there's boot season. For many fashion fans, that's the best time of year.

Time to break out the cowboy boots and jeans, riding boots and leggings and maybe your best black work trousers and those cute high-heel booties you bought last year.

``Boots can do it better than almost anything when it comes to pulling your look together, but it also can cut you up,'' says celebrity stylist Cristina Ehrlich.

She adds: ``You have to put your outfit on. If your eye goes straight for the foot, then something isn't right. You want a full `look.'''

Since proportion matters, she suggests every outfit get the mirror test because what works for one skirt might not for the next, even if they're similar styles.

It's all about lines. You don't really want the top of the boot to meet the hemline; it could be longer or shorter _ and filled in, when needed, with opaque tights, says Jen Ford, fashion news director at Lucky magazine.

Ehrlich, a style spokeswoman for Via Spiga, says the most foolproof boot choice is a to-the-knee shaft and a wedge heel, probably in black suede. But, she adds, you'd be surprised how easy it is to incorporate a dark purple, bottle green or gray suede into an existing wardrobe, even one rooted in black.

With a two- or three-inch (5- or 7 1/2 centimeter) heel, there's really not an outfit you can't wear with these boots. She'd put them on in September and not take them off until April _ and that's traveling to different places and climates.

``With the wedge, you get comfort and gain a few inches. You can dress it up or dress it down,'' Ehrlich explains. ``It's chic and cool.''

``You can wear a boot in warmer climates,'' she says. ``I had been based in Los Angeles for many years and winter was still synonymous with boots.''

(If it's really warm, capture the same spirit with an open-toe bootie, she suggests.)

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL

AP Fashion Writer

Associated Press text, photo and/or graphic material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. Neither these AP Materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The AP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

A.L. Smith - Harold Washington Legacy Committee