All I’m sayin’ is you asked for it. 😉 I was so pleasantly blown away by your awesome responses to this post, so…it’s a thing! A new Trend to Try is here, and I’m stoked because these babies are caaaaaaaute! If you follow me on Snapchat, you might’ve seen a recent Snap Story documenting a trip to , aka one of my favorite places to shop. I knew that fall styles had just been brought in, so I went a *wee* bit ham on the shoe front…I ended up scoring four pairs: Circus by Sam Edelman block heels, studded flats (as seen here), and two pairs of booties. (All for less than $100 total, I might add). One pair of booties in particular had mah heart from the start. They were a gorgeous cranberry-burgundy color, Calvin Klein, patent toe, gold hardware detailing…#swoon. I’m a hardcore fan of booties for fall, and I’m an even bigger fan of berry hues from head to toe once the leaves start to turn.
Quick refresher on Trend to Try: We take a look at a trend, and we talk how to a.) rock it, and b.) shop it. Simple as that. We don’t just do basic outfit posts around these rosy parts…ain’t nobody got time for that. Instead, we make it valuable and useful by loading you up with some actual trends and tips to consider for your own closet.
Today’s Trend to Try: Burgundy booties.
Booties this season don’t just need to be berry or plum-hued to be cool and chic! Any colored booties will do. Lovelovelove ’em because they…
a.) Work all day long. From brunch to meetings, from class to coffee, all the way to happy hour, these babies are classy and comfortable while being on trend – win win.
b.) Feel badass. Put on your favorite heeled boots and go strut around the sidewalk for a hot sec – tell me you don’t feel like Beyonce. That boots-are-made-for-walkin’ song was onto something, peeps!
c.) Are more fashion-forward than basic neutral boots. Don’t get me wrong – I’m ALL about neutral boots this time of year. Heck, I’m all about neutral *everything* this time of year and always find myself opting for more subdued shades than my typical brights and bolds. But booties in an on-season trend color? Yaaaaaas honey. Plus, here’s the thing: They still work as neutrals.
How to Rock it:
- If using burgundy booties as a pop in your outfit, opt for quality. They’re showing, and rightly so! While I got lucky with gorgeous quality boots at a fraction of the price (Bless you, Burlington), don’t be afraid to splurge a lil’ if they’re booties you know you’ll wear time and time again as the main pop of your outfit.
- What’s on top matters. The biggest ticket with booties is the fit of the ankle. Watch where the top of the boot lays against your leg. Ideally, to really rock the booties trend, you’ll want them to be…seen! Try snugger-fitting pants like jeggings or leggings that seamlessly fit within the tops of your booties, no fidgeting or readjusting required.
- If you see it, sock it! That is, if you can see skin, add higher socks. If you’re wearing capri leggings, for example, but your booties stop at your anklebone, you might be left with an awkward space of skin hangin’ out between the top of your boots and the hem of your pants. Don’t leave it at that. Throw on boot socks to fill the space (and keep your ankles warm, lesssssbereal).
- Pair as you would any other solid neutral boot color. If you’re sitting there like But what the heck do I wear with purple boots, Erica????, I gotcha covered, girlfriend. If you cut off my feet from the above pics and insert literally *any other boot color*…the look still works. Why? Because the rest is neutral, too! If you’ve got a primarily neutral, versatile ensemble happening, it’s easy to cut and paste accessories as you wish. You could take off these burgundy booties and wear black, taupe, grey, green…heck, you could wear pink polka dots and it could work because the sweater and pants are more chill, neutral, and conservative.
- To make them pop, think: Less is more. If you really want the booties to be the focus of your outfit (like mine), go more monochromatic everywhere else.
- Otherwise…more is more. If you just want something fun, it’s more than okay to match colored booties with other colors in your outfit. If you like color, go with color. Just do you.
How to Shop it:
- Shop off-price. Granted, this is a “how to shop it” tip for *many* trendier pieces. If you can find it an off-price retailer (ie: Marshall’s, TJ Maxx, HomeGoods, Burlington, etc.), do it. A common misconception is that off-pricers are just cheap, unwanted stuff. …can we look at these burgundy booties again for a hot sec?! Who the heck in their right mind wouldn’t want these?!?!?!?! After having actually interned at one of the above in college in the marketing department and having the opportunity to travel to NYC with buyers to shadow the actual product buying process, I can tell you firsthand – that’s just not the case. Shop off-pricers to find the best steals and lust-worthy gems hidden in the mix. These Calvin Klein booties would be closer to $100 at Nordstrom – I paid $30, not even on sale. #win
- Opt for fun detailing to dress things up. As soon as I found these, I fell in love with the patent toe and gold hardware. You can basically never go wrong with a patent toe, and the gold was just an instant pop of sophistication and chic. Some of the options I linked below have fun fringe or a cool cut-out. As they say, it’s all in the details!
- Don’t eyeball size. Especially with boots, think of what socks you’d be wearing with ’em before buying. If you wear a 7 in sandals and they fit to a T, chances are you might be more comfortable in a 7.5 in boots to have sock-room, so you’re toes aren’t smushed against the front rubbing.
- Consider heel height. I typically get taller boots for my statement strut. 😉 I definitely love me a good heel in short booties, too, but I just always gravitate towards lower heel heights in booties for pants. All just food fo’ thought!
- In any colored booties, consider what in your wardrobe you could pair with it. Burgundy booties worked for me for fall, because I always load up on cozy neutrals and berry tones that I knew would pair perfectly. If that’s not your style, though, grab booties in a fun color that does fit *your* closet.
How would you rock burgundy booties?
I’d lovelovelove to hear how you would style these in your own closet, and/or your other favorite boot trends for the season! Are you more of a booties or boots gal? Do you go more neutral, or would you rock a pop o’ color? Let me know in the comments below!