How To Find The Right Boots For Your Body Type

At the beginning of the month, Kelly blogged about wearing the same, high-quality clothing repeatedly.  I couldn’t agree with her more.  Especially the part about the Frye boots; boots are still in, and will be for a while.  I’m not sure what has caused Frye to become such a brand phenom, but it has, and they are a good investment.  If you don’t want to invest in a pair of Frye’s, I understand (that’s sticker shock right there!)

The good news is there are plenty of reputable boot makers out there and now is the time to buy, buy, buy!  It’s after the holiday season, winter is well underway and that means: sales, sales and more sales (be warned: it also means limited sizes and colors.)  Let’s talk about how to choose the style of boot that’s best for you.

I once spoke to an entire room full of women from every demographic – and every shape, size and color.  After my presentation, a woman approached me and asked me if she could wear boots with jeans, as she gestured to her body.  She was shorter in stature and she described herself as being wide and large, and said she felt that boots just made her look even larger!  I could understand her concern; the shorter we are, the more aware we tend to be of things that make us look even shorter and/or wider.  I told her two things: the good news is that there are boots out there that can balance out any body type, and the bad news is you will have to hunt for them.

While I would love to give generalized advice (if you’re short, wear this style; if you’re broad-shouldered, wear this style) I can’t.  We are all so completely different, that I have no formula that would work for everyone.  It’s a matter of hitting up a store with great customer service (my go-to is Nordstrom) and a large variety of boots.  Wear the pair of pants you plan to wear the boots with (jeans, leggings, or skirts if that’s your thing) so that you can see what they will actually look like, and wear the socks you would normally wear with them (there is nothing worse than a pair of too-tight shoes!)

Snap pictures (the salespeople at Nordstrom have seen it all) and bring a friend.  Pay attention to little details, like where the shaft of the boot hits your calves.  Does it hit at the widest part?  That tends to be unflattering on anyone.  Does it stop far enough below the knee that it accents the curves of your calves and knees, making your legs look shapely (and usually leaner)?  I don’t have a lot of shape to my legs, so I prefer and look best in, boots that hit right below my knee; it gives the illusion of curves that aren’t there!)  Buckles, wider soles and ankles, and other details can help balance out the shape if you have broader-shoulders (or are broader in general.)  A tight boot that hugs the feet, calves and ankles can make you look wider if you aren’t careful.  A wider shaft can make your legs seem thinner, and a close-fitting shaft can make them seem larger.

Let’s recap the formula I can give you:

Shaft height: the line (I prefer curved lines, or that V-shape) and height (I prefer just at the knee) can work for you or against you

Shaft width: loose or tight, this area can make you look thinner or larger

Details around the calves: buckles, straps and more can help balance out your shape, or make you look shapeless

The Sole: a sole that extends past the shoe area can help balance out your proportions, but can also have the opposite effect.

Erin B. has an undying love for everything but loading the dishwasher. She is the editor/curator/self-loather at Pretty, Polished, Perfect, a blog about her search for all things……pretty polished and perfect! Sarcasm is her middle name, and she isn’t above using embarrassingly funny anecdotes to entertain the masses. A married mother of three boys, she is only human (though she is often mistaken for Wonder Woman.)