How to find the perfect ankle boots
Getting dressed (without the fuss)
Meet The Telegraph's Timeless Style columnist, Anna Harvey: the Ex-Vogue deputy editor, consultant to Princess Diana and author of Timeless Style: dressing well for the rest of your life (£18.89, Double-Barrelled Books).
In her column this week, she navigates the stylish - but tricky to wear - ankle boot...
As the weather deteriorates into winter, my thoughts turn to my feet and how to keep them well protected and above all, comfortable. Ankle boots seem to look so good on other people and yet I have always struggled to make them work for myself. I love the idea of a neat boot with a small heel peeping out from under a long or midi-length skirt, as they did in Georgian times. Of course, ankles then always seemed perfect, whereas now they seem less so. Artistic license, possibly, rather like retouching today.
Navy velvet, £275, Moloh; Leopard, £220, Hush; Grey suede, £140, Boden
However, I am happy to report that I have at last had some success. I’ve been looking for a pair that will work for both evening and day (I don’t ask for much), with lowish, block heels, as it seems to me that these are the most practical if one is planning to wear them a lot, and I actually found several dark leather and suede pairs in shops such as Dune, Russell & Bromley, and Blue Velvet. Not all had good heels - some were too spindly and would certainly have been ruined between paving stones in no time; others were too high, but there’s certainly plenty of choice out there. I found a particularly good pair at M&S which is both flattering and comfortable. They’re black suede with an Insolia inner sole (specific to M&S and inserted for added comfort), a medium block heel and a zip on the inner side. They come up to just above the ankle and are wide enough not to cling unflatteringly.
The best knee high boots to buy this autumn - and how to wear them
Still, wearing ankle boots can be quite challenging. Trouser legs need to be narrow enough to skim the top of the boot or tuck well inside, not catch continuously on the leather, which looks and feels uncomfortable. Wider trousers should always be long enough to cover most of the boot, falling to the ground. If any shorter, wear them with a flat boot. Some elastic-sided ankle boots fit so snugly into the ankle that they avoid all the above, so if in doubt, try to find a pair of those.
Lace-up ankle boot, £215, Russell & Bromley; Sam Edelman burgundy, £140, Net-a-Porter; Black with Insolia, £45, M&S
And if you have thick ankles you may feel that from a proportion point of view, ankle boots cut the lower leg in an unfortunate place. They certainly can do so but wearing them with a longer, fuller skirt gets round this problem quite neatly. Ideally, wear them with opaque dark tights, probably black, as these flatter the ankle and calf far more than sheer. If you prefer a shorter, straighter skirt then you may not like an ankle boot on yourself at all - it’s not an easy look to pull off for anyone with anything but a stick leg. In this case I would forgo the ankle boot and settle for knee-length. But if you have long, slim legs then lucky you, because you can wear pretty much any boot you like and get away with it.