Blogs

Equestrian details have been showing up all over the runways for fall 2011, and I think that this Friday’s B. Makowsky Today's Special Value is a great, wearable translation of this runway trend. I was given a chance to see these boots in person, at our fall Bootique preview, and I was really impressed by its design. This boot has a removable harness — giving you two looks in one — essentially allowing you to customizeb.  your boot to every outfit. This is perfect for me because I often have a hard time deciding which new boot to buy each fall to update my shoe wardrobe. I worry I’ll pick a style so trendy that it’s out of fashion by next season. So what makes this boot a really practical purchase for me is that it has a classic shape, with or without the harness, ensuring that I have a great classic mid-calf boot that will look chic regardless of the trends.

I was asked to share what I would wear with these boots and it made me think about how I would pair them with some of my summer pieces to transition them into fall. All summer I have been obsessed with maxi dresses and skirts and I have been working on different ways to continue wearing them into fall and winter. I think these boots (I like the dark brown) would look so great under a long maxi dress, adding great weight to the lighter summer fabric, add a belt, and a great leather jacket and I think this could be my go-to fall weekend outfit.

To show just how versatile and ageless this boot can be, I also asked my mom and my youngest sister how they would wear it. My mom likes simple pieces and preferred it without the harness, saying that it would be a nice addition to her casual wardrobe. She went with the gray boot paired with a dark indigo bootcut jean, a basic tee, and a cardigan.

My sister, however, said that these boots would be great as her college basic. Since she's on a budget, she agreed that being able to wear these two ways really helped extend her wardrobe options. She felt they were the perfect shoe to finish an outfit, adding a little more style to her basic skinny jeans and tunic ensembles.

What do you think of these outfits? What would you wear with these boots?

—Abigail Zink, Fashion Stylist