Words by Eleanor Hibberd
The dip in temperature isn’t all doom and gloom. When the mercury plummets, so too does one’s pedicure bill, and cold mornings herald our favourite time of year: boots season. Find your stride with the trending pairs everyone will be wearing this winter.
We’re calling it – ‘demure fall’ will be all about the kitten heel. The diminutive style has been dominating the footwear scene for the last few seasons, with viral pairs from the likes of Miu Miu and Gucci leading the charge in chic slingback silhouettes. Come autumn, the trend can be found lending its understated elegance to ankle and knee-high boots alike at Neous, Toteme, Ganni and more.
To say this leggy trend made its presence known on the AW24 runways would be an understatement – with endorsements at Burberry, Gucci, Fendi and Chloé, to name but a few, over-the-knee boots firmly cemented themselves as the It-style of the season. Some were worn with cosy coats and tactile layering, some with glam mini skirts, others effortlessly pulled on over jeans. Perhaps most memorably, Chloé juxtaposed its buttery leather pairs with diaphanous boho chiffon – a look that captured the whole internet’s attention when modelled by Daisy Edgar-Jones on her much-papped press tour this summer.
At the other end of the spectrum, for the maximalists among us, there’s always the possibility to tread a different path. Find your own footing in a more unique trend that’s all about personal style. From metal studs and metallic leathers to snakeskin prints and high-impact embellishments, these boots have little in common except their ability to draw the eye – it’s all about what you like, not about conforming.
The words ‘biker boot’ have taken on a nuanced meaning over the past few seasons. Where once we might have defaulted to a laced-up utility aesthetic, the term now popularly refers to a motorcycle style complete with plenty of metal hardware. Pioneered by Miu Miu for Autumn/Winter 2022, the trend has since taken on a life of its own with interpretations by Jimmy Choo, Ganni, Loewe and more having become the cool-girl shoes of choice, lending edge to pretty much any outfit.
