Cowboy Boots: The Trend

Yesterday I took a 16 year old to church with us.  We’re good friends with her and her family.  In fact, you may remember her as she’s the one we took with us to Disney this past spring.  She had her big Sweet 16 birthday party Saturday night and on the way to church she was telling me she wanted to buy some boots with the money she got.  I asked her what kind because you know I wanted to test my in-style-ish-ness and she’s planning to get a pair of cowboy boots and then those flat boot thingies that go to your knee with the straps around the top.  Yeah, no idea what they’re called.  I felt like I was at least a little on the right track as Scott had just mentioned last week he liked the new Cowboy Boot look and also Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) of Friday Night Lights always looks adorable in them as well.

So of course I had to do some research because while I’ve been vaguely familiar with the look, I wasn’t quite sure what kind of outfit to wear with them or what color to get.  My only run-in with cowboy boots in the past have been the black fake-leather ankle-boot variety in the mid-90s and I daresay THAT would not work. 

It was time to do some research.  And where else do you look except the celebrities?  Oh yes, I could go to the mall in the “big city” but that would require much more time and effort and well, I’d turn into those old people-watching stalkers with coffee sitting on the bench.  This way I’m just a middle-aged celebrity stalker sitting in front of my computer.  So here we go.

First and most popular seems to be wearing cowboy boots with a dress:

 

What I learned:

The dress should be cute and flowy or at least A-line and a few inches above your knee.  The boots should be mid-calf and a mid to dark shade of caramel brown.  Black is ok if you are wearing a black dress.

Next is similar but with a skirt:

What I learned:

That’s not the best outfit on Rachel but I did learn that red boots are ok.  Also, you can go a little longer with the skirt but it should be very flowy. 

Next is super short shorts:

What I learned:

I will not be wearing boots with an outfit like this.  Although it is super-duper cute on them, I just probably should leave that alone.  But the point?  Wear the short shorts and the boots on the high side of your calf.  Color doesn’t appear to matter.  Who’s really going to be looking at the boots with shorts this short anyway?

Next is boots with pants:

What I learned:

We’re still tracking with the brown/caramel with some red thrown in and mid to high length boots.  But in order to get this trend right, you need to wear skinny or close to skinny jeans and tuck the jeans into the boot.  Wear a cute, longer top and layer it with a jacket if it’s cold.

Next up is patterns:

What I learned:

Do not do patterns unless you want to look unstable eclectic bad or you are Taylor Swift and you are on tour.

 

So in summary, since we are going into winter here, I’d recommend either caramel or red boots with your skinny jeans tucked in. Or, if you are feeling like you can brave the cold or are having 75 degree weather in November, go for a skirt or dress and layer with a sweater or jacket!

And I’m not sure why I did all this research because when I asked said 16 year old what to wear with them she said a high-waisted flowy skirt or tuck them into your jeans.  I should have just listened to her. *sigh*

*Update*

After a little more research at my favorite shoe retailer, Nine West, it looks like they’re going a little shorter for boots this winter but still are saying tuck your jeans or even leggings into them!