Stylish ankle boots (aka booties) are a must for fall, winter…and spring, come to think of it. That’s ¾ of the seasons y’all, so we gotta stay on top of our ankle boots. With today’s massively delicious selection that’s not a problem, but oof, women’s booties used to often be disconnected from what actually looked good with clothes. There is a specific style of ankle boots from the past that I am still purging from my clients’ closets that bum me out. They have a round toe, low heel, and stop low at the ankle. This boot is very comfortable, but makes your legs look short in dresses and isn’t even flattering with bootcut jeans. But enough about the past. Let’s talk about the best booties for women now.
Stylish Ankle Boots
The most versatile and flattering women’s booties are fitted to the ankle, stop about an inch and a half above the ankle bone, and are either almond-toed or square-toed. Although I love a pointed-toe bootie, it’s all about balance — you want to avoid an overly pointed toe or an over-extended square toe for that matter. Other stylish women’s booties I am loving are lace-up booties or slim combat boots.
In terms of color versatility, below are the core ankle boot colors that I recommend most women have in their closets since they will work with almost everything in your eclectic wardrobe…
How To Wear Stylish Ankle Boots
Ankle booties can be paired with dresses, cropped pants, and boot-cut jeans. They also work with fall skirts in leather and tweed, as well as leggings, joggers, and cuffed jeans. It all depends on the style of bootie of course. You want to pair your casual lace-up combat boot with your casual joggers, and your dressy pointed-toe booties with your dressy silk or sequin joggers.
How To Protect Your Stylish Ankle Boots
Due to the delicacies of suede and lighter-colored ankle boots, it is vital to spray your brand-new boots with a suede or leather protectant before you wear them outside. This spray makes a world of difference. I actually spray all my new shoes. It keeps them clean dramatically longer. Make sure you clean and respray them at least once a year. When you take care of your shoes, they take care of you. See all my other essential fashion tools in my post All The Fashion Tools You Will Ever Need.
Best Booties For Women
Below are all the best booties I’ve come across this season while shopping for myself and my clients. There are some in the core colors as well as some fun ones. I’ll continue to update this post as I come across more stylish ankle boots…
Marc Fisher Leonna Pointed Toe Bootie
Available at Nordstrom.
Sizing: 5-11M
Heel Height: 1.5″
Material: leather upper, textile and synthetic lining, synthetic sole
Naturalizer Callie Bootie
Available at Nordstrom, Zappos, DSW, and Amazon.
Sizing: 5.5-12, available in medium, wide, and extra wide sizes
Heel Height: 3.5″
Material: leather upper, synthetic lining and sole
Ally Shoes Calf Leather Ankle Boot
Available at Ally Shoes.
Sizing: 4.5-12, available in medium, wide, and extra-wide sizes
Heel Height: 2″
Material: calfskin leather upper, lambskin stretchy suede lining
Bella Vita Medley Bootie
Available at Nordstrom, DSW, Macy’s, and Amazon.
Sizing: 5-12, available in medium, wide, and extra wide sizes
Heel Height: 2″
Material: synthetic and textile upper; synthetic lining; synthetic and textile sole
Paul Green Suzette Bootie
Available at Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, and Zappos.
Sizing: 5.5-11M
Heel Height: 1.75″
Material: leather upper, textile lining, synthetic sole
Marc Fisher Leonna Pointed Toe Bootie
Available at Nordstrom.
Sizing: 5-11M
Heel Height: 1.5″
Material: leather upper, textile and synthetic lining, synthetic sole
Vince Silvana Bootie
Available at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Bergdorf Goodman.
Sizing: 5-11M
Heel Height: 1.75″
Material: leather upper, lining and sole
Dolce Vita Fahari H2O Bootie
Available at Nordstrom, Zappos, Dillard’s, and Dolce Vita.
Sizing: 6-11, available in medium and wide sizes
Heel Height: 1.5″
Material: leather upper, recycled-cotton, leather and synthetic lining, synthetic sole; water-resistant
Journee Collection Haylinn Boot
Available at DSW, Macy’s, JCPenney, and Journee Collection.
Sizing: 5.5-13, available in medium and wide sizes
Heel Height: 2.5″
Material: synthetic patent upper, synthetic sole
Dolce Vita Imogen H20
Available at Amazon.
Sizing: 5.5-111M
Heel Height: 2.75″
Material: waterproof leather upper, recycled synthetic outsole, synthetic lining
Free People Sienna Ankle Boot
Available at Zappos and Nordstrom.
Sizing: 8-11M
Heel Height: 3.25″
Material: leather upper and lining, rubber sole
Sam Edelman Codie
Available at Zappos.
Sizing: 5-10, available in medium and wide sizes
Heel Height: 3.25″
Material: wrapped block heel with smooth synthetic outsole and heel patch
Franco Sarto Waxton
Available at Zappos and Macy’s.
Sizing: 5-11, available in medium and wide sizes
Heel Height: 1.75″
Material: leather lining and insole, synthetic sole.
Sam Edelman Women’s Garret Lace-Up Lug-Sole Combat Boots
This is the slim combat bootie style I mentioned that I’m loving right now. You can see how I paired these with a sweater dress, here.
Available at Amazon and Sam Edelman.
Sizing: 5-14M
Heel Height: 2.28″
Material: leather
Daniella Shevel Milani
Available at Daniella Shevel.
Sizing: 5.5-11M
Heel Height: 2″
Material: Nappa leather upper and heel; Italian leather sole
Sarah Flint Perfect Zip Bootie 70
Available at Sarah Flint.
Sizing: 4-13M
Heel Height: 2.75″
Material: Italian vegetable-tanned leather; leather lining and insole; leather outsole with ribbed rubber tread forepart
Marc Fisher Jarli Pointy Ankle Boot
Available at Marc Fisher and Amazon.
Sizing: 5-12M
Heel Height: 2.4″
Material: synthetic rubber, suede
M. Gemi The Cristina
Available at M.Gemi.
Sizing: 5-11M
Heel Height: 2.2″
Material: Italian suede upper, Italian calf leather lining
Zadig & Voltaire Tyler Vintage Stars Ankle Boots
Available at Nordstrom Rack.
Sizing: 6M
Heel Height: 1.96″
Material: leather upper, lining and sole
Stylish Ankle Boots for Women From Years Past
I originally wrote this post on stylish women’s booties years ago and update it regularly due to its popularity. I’ve left these photos below for nostalgic purposes. Whenever I update older posts, I love to hold on to a collection of images as a bit of a time capsule so we can watch how our style evolves.
Bernardo Nantucket Leather Block-Heel Booties
These booties are available at Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Zappos, Anthropologie, Nordstrom and DSW.
Free People Lawless Fringe Western Boots
As you may remember, Free People is one of my go-to brands, especially for cowboy boots, fringed garments, and suede — and these booties embody all three of those elements.
Marc Fisher Women’s Lucien Lace Up Booties
Vince Camuto Women’s Donenta Lace Up Booties
These booties are available at Bloomingdale’s, Vince Camuto, Zappos and Nordstrom.
Marc Fisher Jina Pointed Toe Bootie
These white booties are such a staple in my wardrobe. You can see how I styled them with a dress, here, and with wide leg cropped pants, here. They’re available at Nordstrom and Bloomingdale’s.
Stuart Weitzman ‘Notazzie’ Ankle Boots
I am insane for these Stuart Weitzman ‘Notazzie’ Booties. They are wonderfully comfortable and the epitome of chic ankle boots. Wear them with dresses and skirts for the most gorgeous looks.
Tip: Due to its rich color, it is even more vital to spray these ankle boots with Suede Protectant before you wear them out.
