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The Jewish Chronicle

Put the boot in

Ankle boots are the key to giving everything in your wardrobe a fresh, totally 2010 take.

November 12, 2009 11:27
Two-tone patent shoe-boots, Lanvin, £625, Browns, South Molton Street

ByJan Shure, Jan Shure

3 min read

You have splurged on the fabulous coat, purchased the pencil skirt, bought a biker jacket and are getting your eye in with animal prints, sharp shoulders and the season’s new trouser shapes. Yup, you have ticked all the key fashion boxes; you have winter 09/10 nailed. And then realisation dawns — what are you going to put on your feet to make all these fabulous new pieces work and look totally on-trend?

And the answer is a pair of ankle boots, because more than any other single accessory this season, ankle boots are the key to giving everything in your wardrobe a fresh, totally 2010 take.

The next big question is what kind to buy, since there are four basic ankle boot varieties — very short boots (aka shoeboots) sporting sky-high, often spiky heels and crafted from leather or jewel-colour suede; the distinctly mannish, Annie Hall-inspired flat, lace-up boots made to look well worn; the winter variant of the fierce gladiator sandal, with straps, studs and peep-toes; and the biker boot, which is a sort of hybrid of the last two — a bit mannish, but with straps and/or studs and a chunky heel. And the kind you choose will depend on two factors: do you need to walk more than 50 yards, and what is in your closet right now.

The walking issue is no joke: many of the glamorous boots — whether simple ankle boots or the kind which are the winter legacy of the gladiator sandal — may be fabulously covetable, but are also fabulously impractical unless you just want to stroll the few paces from car to restaurant. Platforms can make these slightly more wearable by giving you the height without forcing your foot almost perpendicular to the pavement. But if you want to be able to navigate the London Underground, or walk from Harvey Nicks to the Duke of Yorks, you had better tuck some Nurofen into the zip pocket of your Bayswater for when the pain gets too much.