These boots are made for walking…

Once I am dressed, that is it. I don’t tend to look back or fret. However, this weekend I was at Blenheim Horse Trials in the glorious sunshine and found myself woefully out of kilter with the sartorial mood favoured by 99% of the people there. Clearly I had missed the memo about the dress-code and I kept wondering if they all knew something I didn’t about a biblical deluge/tidal wave of mud that was about to sweep the Cotswolds on Saturday afternoon. Despite the sunshine, everyone was decked out in a special type of knee high boot. Meanwhile I was wearing my faithful H&M snakeskin slip-ons.

I couldn’t have looked more ‘towny’ if I had tried. Oh well, at least I wasn’t hot and sweaty, which I daresay everyone else was in their heavy boots.

I do love a boot, in particular an ankle boot which I think is a shorter-legged person’s saviour. But I need something I can walk in everyday. This season the vertiginous block heel is most definitely in, but I defy you to commute/do the school run in one as they are just too high. There are some very lovely ones around so if you just have these as ‘show shoes’ or ‘car to bar’ boots then go for a tan pair and you will be hitting a fashion high-note. More of these on future blogs but for now it is about that all-important, ankle boot that you can run for the bus in.

Starting off with the humble black boot. Not to be under-estimated as a closet staple. If you just want a plain pair then these Flat Leather Ankle Boots Zara £49.99 will fit the bill. They also come in a brown suede.

Another good bet is this style from Penelope boot from Dune £89.

I think that you can afford to go for something a little bit more interesting without compromising the universality of the black boot. As I love a bit of animal, these would be one of my favourites – a nice twist on a classic: Soho Boot Miss KG £85.

Alternatively, shiny gold heel trims are everywhere and these Nevern Kurt Geiger boots £195 are fab and you could definitely walk all day and dance all night in these, which must be a good test.

Black is easy but coloured boots are everywhere this season, with the most sophisticated and wearable being the grey boot, which is top of my wish list for this season. I have a lovely wedge heeled pair from Zara from years ago but they are so high as to render them dangerous, particularly with two dodgy knees. Fine for certain occasions but definitely not an everyday option. So a flat pair would be great. These Zara Plain Booties with metal detail £69.99 fit the bill (they do also come in black if you don’t want to pay the KG price).

The Chelsea Boot is still around this season so update this with a grey suede from Office: Bramble Suede Boots £68.

Another colour everywhere this season is oxblood. Not strictly speaking a flat boot from Zara, but not too toweringly high either. Leather Block Heel Ankle Boot £49.99.

So now to navy with Dune’s Parrys navy Chelsea boot £89.

Three words – tan, suede and fringing: that sums up some of the key trends for this Autumn season and combining them all in one must surely be clocking up some serious fashion points. This is one of the easiest ways to do the 70’s trend without looking too obvious. Never mind fashion, a tan boot is extremely wearable and looks great with denim. All the stores have them but this one from Kurt Geiger is my favourite as the tassels are just the right length so as not to be irritatingly and distractingly sashaying alongside you. Sassy tan suede ankle boot Miss KG £90.

If you just want tan, minus the tassels then River Island has a lovely and inexpensive pair – they call them beige but I would say they sit midway on the colour spectrum between beige and tan Suede side zip ankle boot £45.

To finish off the ankle boots with a bit of a show boot – this Joni boot from Boden £119 definitely is that in all three colour options from leopard to navy/black pony.

If it is a longer boot you are after, then fear not, more on those anon. I will, however, put this out there now: the over-the knee/thigh boot is just too much of a pantomime look for me. It is all very well if you are pushing the 6 foot mark. I would need another foot added to my height to pull them off. Even so Puss in Boots and Dick Whittington are just not my style muses this season!