Black Boots: A Field Guide to Ankles, Tall Pairs and Lace Ups

Black Boots: A Field Guide to Ankles, Tall Pairs and Lace Ups

A guide to black boots in three shapes: ankle boots and booties, knee high and tall pairs, and combat, lug sole, moto and platform styles. I talk through how each one wears and what to put with it.

Start with a fact that surprises people: the Chelsea boot is a Victorian invention. The V&A credits the bootmaker Joseph Sparkes Hall with the patented elasticated ankle boot, and says Queen Victoria took to his elastic-sided style so happily that she kept wearing it throughout her life. His first slip-on boot used a gusset made from coiled wire and cotton, and only a few years later came the version with what we would now call elastic. Sources disagree on the exact years, so I will leave the dates alone. The point is that the simple pull-on ankle shape has been solving the same problem for well over a century.

That is why black boots are still the most reliable thing I can recommend for fall. This edit is my honest sort through thirty-two of them, grouped by height, and I would rather help you pick a shape than hand you a pile.

The first group is the ankle boots and booties, and it is the one I reach for most. The Chelsea shapes are the cleanest place to begin: the Maje Leather Chelsea Boots and the Hogan Chelsea boots H724 both pull on in a second and sit well under straight or wide jeans. The Marc Jacobs Black 'The Gigi' Ankle Boots and the Toteme Black Slim Naplack Ankle Boots are the sleeker, more polished pair, and they look right with a slip dress or a long trench.

Then there is the sharper end. The Casadei Pointed-toe stiletto-heel ankle boots and the POTAMY Square-toe stiletto-heel ankle boots are for tailoring and evenings, while the Alaïa Square-toe ankle boots give you the same attitude with a blunter toe. The Khaite Black Ona Ankle Boots and the Jimmy Choo Cece suede ankle boots sit in the middle. The Jessica Simpson Komoena Blade-Heel Slouch Dress Booties have a relaxed, slouchy line that suits a skirt. The Fabio Rusconi Rear-zip chunky ankle boots and the Halmanera Side-zip leather ankle boots round it out for anyone who wants an easy zip.

A collage of black ankle boots, Chelsea boots, knee-high riding boots, lace-up combat styles and platform booties, and a mood photo of a woman in knee high boots and a long blazer on a city street.
Thirty-two boots, one color, three very different attitudes.

Black ankle boots and booties

Black knee high and tall boots, and how to wear them

Now the tall ones. A good knee high boot changes how a hem looks, so the fitting-room test is simple: sit down in them. Check that the top does not dig in behind your knee, and that the shaft slides over a pair of tights without bunching. If you plan to wear them over trousers, try them with the trousers you actually own.

The riding boots are the most useful of the tall pairs. The Frye and Co. Foster Button Knee High Riding Boots and the Stuart Weitzman Celia Leather Riding Boots have the slim, classic line that works with a knit dress, a camel coat or straight jeans tucked in. The Vince Pace Knee High Boots are plainer still, which I like when the rest of the outfit is busy. The Prada Leather knee-high boots and the Gianvito Rossi Miles knee boots are the sleek, close fitting kind that disappear under a midi skirt.

If you want some drama, the Saint Laurent Francoise patent leather knee-high boots have a high shine that does all the work, so keep everything else quiet. The Dolce&Gabbana Buckle-detail knee-high boots add hardware without going fully rock. The Lemaire Black Knee Top Glove Flat Boots are the opposite: flat, soft looking and very easy to walk in a city in.

For a bigger statement there are the Bottega Veneta Black Tripod Over-The-Knee Boots and the Balmain Black Thigh-High Crinkled Patent Leather Wedge Boots. Both are best treated as the whole point of the outfit, with a short hem and nothing competing. The Madden Girl Cordelia Platform Tall Block Heel Boots and the Nine West Barile Tall Block Heel Boots, Regular & Wide Calf, are the practical pairs, and the second one is a welcome nod to calf width, which too many tall boots ignore.

Black knee high and tall boots

Lace-ups, moto and platforms for an edgier day

The last group is the one with the most attitude: the lace ups, the moto shapes and the platforms. There is a real history behind them. Military boots go back a long way, and the sturdy leather trench boot of the First World War was heavy enough that soldiers nicknamed it little tanks. Decades later the Space Age designer put boots in his 1964 collection, and the Met describes them as inspired by astronaut uniforms and made for men and women alike. Fashion has been borrowing from the barracks and the moon ever since.

The Ann Demeulemeester Buckle-fastening lace-up boots are the most dramatic here, and they make a plain black dress look considered. The LEGRES Lace-up ankle boots and the Alberto Fasciani Lace-up button-detail boots are slimmer and a little more romantic. The Aeyde Black Tate Lace-Up Ankle Boots are the cleanest of the lace ups and the easiest to wear with jeans. The Fendi Leather biker boots are the real moto option, and I would put them under a slip skirt to soften them.

Then the platforms. The Donna Karan New York Sparrow Platform Boots, the Nine West Danella Block Heel Platform Dress Booties and the Wild Pair Elodii Platform Block Heel Ankle Booties all add height with a steadier base than a stiletto. If you are tall already, stay with the first group.

What I would skip: anything with a heavy sole if your outfit is already full of volume, like a big coat over a wide trouser. Pick one chunky element and let the rest be slim. And skip buying a pair you cannot lace, zip or pull on in under a minute, because you will stop wearing it.

Black combat, lug sole, moto and platform boots

How I choose between them

Here is the short version of how I choose. Look at what you wear most. If it is jeans and trousers, go with a Chelsea or a sleek ankle pair. If it is skirts and dresses, a tall riding style gives the line you want. If your wardrobe leans toward tailoring with a sharp edge, the lace ups and moto shapes are your answer.

Then look after them. R.M.Williams suggests conditioning leather boots every couple of months, without overdoing it, because leather needs to breathe. For suede, they say to spray a protector on clean boots before the first wear, in one direction, in three passes, and let them dry naturally away from direct heat. That is a ten minute job that keeps a good pair looking good for years. If you want to keep browsing, I also put together Frye Campus Boots Dupe and Ariat Boots.