How common are ankle boots and in what settings?

lithium180 · Mar 17, 2008

I have recently become interested in ankle boots but find that I can think of almost no situations where I have seen them being worn. They feel like a very European style to me and I can see them in my mind's eye being worn around London or Amsterdam but not in the average American city (maybe a tony area of Boston or NYC).

So what do folks here where their ankle boots with and to what sorts of functions. Can you wear them with a suit to work? I'll be working in the suburbs soon and feel that boots might be too fashion forward and draw undue attention...

Thoughts?

DocHolliday · Mar 17, 2008

I wear chelseas with everything from cords to suits. Unless the event demands black captoe bals, I'll wear chelseas to it.

Chukkas I treat more casually, and I don't wear jodhpurs at all.

globetrotter · Mar 17, 2008

I pretty much only wear ankle boots.

Tomasso · Mar 17, 2008

I recently had lunch at a Goldman Sachs dining room and it looked like a public school cafeteria. Wear what you please.

magneticgrooves · Mar 17, 2008

I wear Chukkas just with jeans. Like Clarks suede Wallabees or the Camper boots go with anything. I'm not wearing them as much atm.

Ankle boots can still be worn with virtually anything (depending on color)

As long as you're comfortable wearing it and YOU like the way they look, doesn't matter what others in your town are wearing!

bigbjorn · Mar 17, 2008

Originally Posted by Tomasso

I recently had lunch at a Goldman Sachs dining room and it looked like a public school cafeteria. Wear what you please.
180?

I wear chukkas with wool trousers and odd jackets all the time. Now, in fact. #8 Alden chukkas, wool cavalry twill trousers and a flannel blazer.

JayJay · Mar 17, 2008

I wear chukkas with suits on occasion. They are the BB BF chukkas that are slightly sleeker than Alden's.

Brian278 · Mar 17, 2008

I've been wanting a pair of Chelseas for a while now but I also think it would look a bit out of place where I live, which is 80+ degrees for 2/3s of year. I've never seen anyone wearing them or really any other kind of ankle boot down here, ever, especially at my age. I'll still probably get some RMWs to wear with jeans and just get used to fielding questions about what the hell kind of shoes I'm wearing.

whacked · Mar 17, 2008

Originally Posted by Brian278

I've been wanting a pair of Chelseas for a while now but I also think it would look a bit out of place where I live, which is 80+ degrees for 2/3s of year. I've never seen anyone wearing them or really any other kind of ankle boot down here, ever, especially at my age. I'll still probably get some RMWs to wear with jeans and just get used to fielding questions about what the hell kind of shoes I'm wearing.

I wear my suede Chelseas, with either suit or chinos, all the time, and I live in TX. Last week when I had to walk few times around campus between interview, presentation, and such, the shoes got almost too many compliments.

Jeff Naylor · Mar 17, 2008

I frequently wear chukkas with suits. They seem to get quite a few compliments, particularly the shell chukkas for whatever reason.

To the extent that I get the occasional odd look it's because I'm wearing a suit, not because of my choice of footwear accompanying it. In this part of Indiana, anything that isn't an athletic shoe or a work boot is a dress shoe. I can and do wear just about anything with suits, NSTs, loafers, whatever.

chobochobo · Mar 17, 2008

I like ankle boots and my 'favourite' shoe at the moment are my C&J Tetburys. I'm looking to get a pair of JL Brooklands if I ever make it down to Northampton during my stay in the UK.

minhi · Mar 17, 2008

Originally Posted by lithium180

I have recently become interested in ankle boots but find that I can think of almost no situations where I have seen them being worn. They feel like a very European style to me and I can see them in my mind's eye being worn around London or Amsterdam but not in the average American city (maybe a tony area of Boston or NYC).

So what do folks here where their ankle boots with and to what sorts of functions. Can you wear them with a suit to work? I'll be working in the suburbs soon and feel that boots might be too fashion forward and draw undue attention...

Thoughts?

i dunno, i think parts of philly have become pretty tony

you can wear them anytime, with a suit or jeans. keep in mind that when standing, they look like whole cuts (which in themselves are rare to see). it's more of an average thing, if you look at dress shoes these days, most people are wearing a few of the same styles, just look at the selection at the shoe store, so of course you won't see that many people wearing chelsea boots--which is one of the reasons to wear them! aside from they look good, and are comfortable.

element02 · Mar 17, 2008

I wear chelseas and chukkas to work with wool trousers and suede with khakis. I also wear the suede or country brogues on weekends with jeans.

Whether you work in the city or 'burbs, I think it comes down to what feels comfortable to you.

brad-t · Mar 17, 2008

Boots are the only option for me.

billiebob · Mar 17, 2008

I wear Jodhpurs with jeans and burgundy plaintoe open lace boots (ed green) with suits. I've gotten inquiry ranging from "cool boots" to "who are you, austin powers?" The Jodhpurs are better received than the EG boots with a suit.

How common are ankle boots and in what settings?

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