I have successfully resisted knee-high boots for years. I rode out the last cycle when they were in fashion about 15 years ago when everyone put their skinny jeans in. I knew that look wasn’t for me.
For the past few months, however, I’ve wanted to wear something other than tights under skirts or dresses. So I caught what I called “high boot fever.” I would never wish this disease on anyone.
I set out on a Goldilocks-style journey to find just the right pair.
There are styling challenges. I have long legs and hate it when boots touch the widest part of my calf. Boots also tend to be cut offensively narrow. I like that Vince offers wide-calf boots and am disappointed, though never surprised, that more designers don’t follow suit.
My friend Krissy has a pair of kitten heeled Manolo Blahniks that she got from the RealReal for less than $200. She shared this when I texted her about it: “Manolo studied how heels affect hormones and knows the exact wave of the vagina during orgasm and mimicked that with the wave of the shoe.” Is it science? Is it all apocryphal? Do I care if my boots can literally be orgasmic? (The answers to those questions are: probably not, could be, and no way.)
I couldn’t find hers, and while I loved the Manolo Blahnik Ocularas, the heels were too high. So did Jimmy Choo’s Kinsey 95s. I wanted three inches, maximum. I can’t sustain walking or standing in anything higher than that.
Reformation’s Remy and Bottega Veneta’s Cavallo and Rachel Comey’s Boeri were too unstructured in the calf, closer to riding boots. I craved boots that showed off the shape of my calf and ankle, but I also didn’t want stretchy boots. Dries Van Noten has a whole range of high patent leather boots, but patent leather is too fetishistic for me. (If anyone is looking for boots that are a little kinky, please buy them.)
Finally I found my dream pair.
I really resisted buying this one, but they checked every box: snug, chunky heel at the right height. I also like the cool walnut shade of brown. They look like something Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy may have worn. I watched for weeks as they started to sell out online. Finally I knew what to do. Over Thanksgiving weekend, I sold a ton of clothes and shoes on Instagram to fund them. Was that a deus ex machina, or was I using a thriving second-hand market to my advantage? While you decide, I’ll wear them with a vintage Chloé dress from the Karl Lagerfeld era. ($1,950)
These are a little slouchier than I wanted, but I love the short but interesting curved heel. The front seam and square toe box look… well, expensive. I’d wear them with loose pants, tucked in, and maybe a chunky sweater and walk my dog feeling like I actually had my life in order, because that’s a pretty sophisticated look. ($1,280)
I’ve found that brands like Rossi, Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo are still wearing their tall boots that were popular last time. Unfortunately, when I’m wearing something that looks cool (leather jackets, anything with studs, almost anything black), I look like I’m in costume. These brown suede boots are soft (literally and figuratively and probably emotionally). If I saw a woman on the street in a black dress and coat with brown boots, I’d probably follow her to see what she was up to. ($1,695)
Classic almond toe, great stacked heel, interesting seams that don’t distract. If I were in the market for black knee-high boots, I’d seriously consider these. Maybe with a jacquard pencil skirt? Or, for spring, with a full cotton skirt and a tucked-in shirt? ‘Classic’ is such an overused word when writing about fashion, but it’s important to be able to wear something for years without being dated. ($1,350)
I recently saw the documentary “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” about the New York music scene of the early 1900s – the Strokes, Interpol, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs – and this couple looks like what a young woman with her side-parted, a lot of eyeliner and a dress with an empire or dropped waist (waists were everywhere 20 years ago) would be worn to one of those shows. I like the idea of wearing them with a neat tea-length dress for a bit of excitement. ($725, on sale now for $435)
