Work That Bootie!

So it seems the new trend to stay is the ankle bootie. Madonna planted the bootie shoeaholic seed in us when she traded her pyramid jacket for the rhinestone studded black ankle booties in Desperately Seeking Susan. However, if you don’t have legs like Madonna and can’t really rock the rhinestone studded look at work, this can be a bit tricky to pull off for a more professional outfit. Thankfully, because of the rage that the ankle bootie has spurred in the shoe world, there are TONS of options for legs and office settings of all types.


The thing you want to get right is where the top of the ankle bootie hits your leg or ankle. If you have perfect legs, you can wear pretty much any style, especially the ones that are cut straight across and can even have a higher rise on the leg. Shoot, you could even sport those mid-calf boots fabulously! However, if you’re like me, with more curve to your bone ;), you have to be a little more discriminatory about choosing which pair becomes the newest member to your shoe closet.


For curvier legs, its best to look for ankle booties with a lower rise, meaning closer and lower to the ankle, AND have some sort of dip or none straight cut across the top. The reason this is the *most* important thing to look at when choosing ankle booties is because it’s likely to “cut” the length of your leg making you look shorter, depending on the color. I say it depends on the color because if you’re picking an ankle bootie the same color of your skin tone, then you’re free and clear. The reason, or at least one of the bigger reasons us girlies love our heels is because it makes us feel *so* freakin tall! You’re doing yourself no favors cutting your leg short with a horizontal line where it’s easy to get “visual inches” of height if you get a different cut on your ankle bootie.


The ones in the picture above are the ‘Guardian’ by Diane Von Furstenberg and available on Zappos.com (http://www.zappos.com/product/7669152/color/1072?zlfid=111). These made me scream “ELEGANT” in my head the moment I saw them. These work for any shaped leg because of the flattering angle of the front top of the ankle boot. The suede makes it suitable for the office but the shiny patent like finish on the small platform edge and heel make it perfect for the day-to-night look. These are great to take you through the seasons because of their classic lines. The cut outs along the front laces keep the boot from being too heavy for the late summer months and really get your creative juices going for pairing them with great colored and graphic tights for the Fall and Winter seasons. By the way, I’m *SO* loving the DKNY tights that are part of the Fall ’10 collection!! More on this later. ;)


Anywho, if this is still scary territory and want to ease your way into ankle bootie land, try skin tone colored booties first. Make sure to have Band-Aids handy should there be a little rub around the ankle. It takes a couple of wears before they loosen up a little and mold to your ankle’s shape. In no time will you then be workin’ that bootie! ;)