Boots are hard

October 29, 2010 6:43 PM

Question regarding boots and knowing what to wear to work. Can a woman wear a pair of black mid-calf or taller boots to work and look appropriate? Or do most people change shoes at work? And how can I find a pair of boots that will please my demanding feet?

I guess I have a two part question.
Part the first:
Boots at work - appropriate for an office setting? Right now I'm temping at a lot of different offices. Does that make a difference? I see ladies dressed like this while out and about but never anywhere else.

Finding a pair of boots - my feet are horrible and mostly just hate all shoes. Can you recommend some boots that will let them move the way they want, not crush my toes or cause friction burns on each of my toes? Also, my feet are vain and want to look pretty. And be warm.
My current shoes are 3 year old loafers that have seen much better days.

posted by amethysts to clothing, beauty, & fashion (22 answers total)

I've never seen anyone wearing boots in an office setting, and I've worked in a lot of different offices.
posted by Jacqueline at 6:51 PM on October 29, 2010

I wear boots to the office all the time. I did so today, in fact. It's pretty common in San Francisco, maybe except for the dressiest workplaces, which I assume are financial offices, law firms, and the like.

So yeah, more info about the types of workplaces you're temping in and the cultural/geographic context would help us answer the question.
posted by nadise at 6:56 PM on October 29, 2010

I don't know what your budget is and don't want to make assumptions, but Fluevog makes some insanely comfortable and awesome boots. They aren't cheap, but they're worth the investment. Miz Mooz are a little more budget-friendly but also quite comfy. If nothing else, don't underestimate the power of shoe inserts! Try going a half size up and filling the space with heel or toe pads and a good insole.

I see women wearing tall boots in a professional setting all the time, and when I was a temp several years ago with a SEVERELY strict dress code, tall boots were totally okay. You could pair them with a knee-length or longer skirt or wear them under a pant suit. If some skin is showing above the boots, wear dark tights or whatever goes with your outfit.
posted by katillathehun at 6:57 PM on October 29, 2010 [2 favorites]

I think boots are fine for the office, as long as they're not overly sexy....thigh highs, corset laces, stilleto heels....that kind of thing. Not too dressed down and crunchy either; meaning no Frye fringe mocassin boots, or Ugg classics or that sort of thing. I wear black leather boots to work a lot - they're sort of like a riding boot; come up to the bottom of the knee, flat heel, silver buckled strap on the side. I wear them with tights and they look very office appropriate.
posted by iconomy at 7:00 PM on October 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I've worked in a lot of offices, too, and I see women wearing knee-high boots all the time. But really nice ones, kept in good condition. (Think of the higher end ones in the "Dress Boots" section at zappos.com.) The boots are worn with knee or calf length skirts. These women are never executives, though some are department heads.

I don't have any boot recommendations, though, because I too have difficult-to-shod feet, and I find that most boots are too narrow (even the wide width ones), and/or the instep/arch combination doesn't fit right. Zappos seems to have a pretty big selection, and they usually have super informative customer reviews, so I suggest starting there.
posted by shamash at 7:00 PM on October 29, 2010 [1 favorite]

I see lots of dress boots in my office. It's common to wear weatherproof boots into the office and change there, too. However, I live in a place with ice and snow.
posted by cabingirl at 7:08 PM on October 29, 2010

Geography and industry would help here; they are worn at my workplace, but not okay in my department. I wear them to work and then change into/out of them to come and go. I'm a huge fan of office v. treking to office shoes, FWIW.
posted by cestmoi15 at 7:16 PM on October 29, 2010

I can't give a personal recommendation because all my tall boots are a year or two old and not online anywhere, but these are along the lines of what I wear for work:

Isola
Bella Vita
Bandolino

Key features:
-Black (polished, goes with everything)
-Nice, clean lines (flattering with dark tights and a slim skirt, not too bulky to be professional)
-Mid-height heel, NOT spiky (the last thing you want at work is to be tottering around or looking like you're trying too hard; mine are really comfortable)
-Almond toe (rounded is too casual, pointy is too going-out, so this is a great compromise)
posted by ella wren at 7:19 PM on October 29, 2010

FWIW I agree with ella's general guidelines for office boots except for the heel part. I think flat or low-rise heels like these outrageously expensive La Canadienne boots are great with knee-length-or-longer skirts.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:36 PM on October 29, 2010

I wear boots to work nearly every day in the winter. I work in a fairly conservative office in North Carolina.

As far as comfort, I feel like I talk up my Nine West boots all the time but that's because they're genuinely the best dress shoes of any type that I own. I could walk miles in those things. I also like Frye, but my Fryes are all on the more casual side.
posted by something something at 7:44 PM on October 29, 2010

I live in the city and walk to work and pass hundreds of professionally dressed women on their way to the office every morning. I'd say that around 50% of them are wearing tennis shoes/sneakers, and carrying their office shoes. It's totally normal here anyway (Australia).
posted by lollusc at 7:59 PM on October 29, 2010

I think nice boots looks very professional especially with skirts or dresses. Moreso than shoes. What kind of shoes are people in your office wearing?

Yes, if you need water/slush/snowproof boots for winter it will be difficult to find a stylish pair. However if you are generally walking on plowed sidewalks or driving to work you should be fine. That weatherproofing spray stuff they push on you at the shoe store really does work if you're diligent with it.
posted by Pademelon at 8:23 PM on October 29, 2010

Corporate environment in Seattle, and I think there are more women wearing boots than not. Mostly they are flat heels, worn over tights or skinny jeans. They all look perfectly professional.
posted by TochterAusElysium at 8:23 PM on October 29, 2010

Granted, I work in the most casual of offices, but - I wear these to work all the time. I have very picky feet and these are so comfy that I wear them almost every day except when it's too hot!
posted by chez shoes at 8:32 PM on October 29, 2010

My recent question may be useful to you.

I haven't checked out the boots people recommended just yet though.
posted by cmgonzalez at 9:47 PM on October 29, 2010

I've worked in offices all over New Jersey and in NYC. Some have been really casual, some have been super-dressy. I have worn and have seen other women wearing tall boots at both the casual and dressy offices. I've worn tall boots to court, too, come to think of it.... I've never thought of them as inappropriate - particularly when paired with a knee-length skirt and opaque tights. I've considered buying a pair of Fluevog's red tall boots, but can't quite imagine what outfit I'd pair with them for the office.

For the most part, I agree with Ella Wren above about the boots - except that the boots can be dark brown, not just black, depending upon the outfit. I have a dress with a brown/teal print that would look strange with black boots but is great with dark brown boots.

For walking to the office, I have "FitFlops", those flipflops that promise to exercise your butt while you walk, and Shape-ups, the sneakers that claim the same thing. I change into the boots/heels when I get to my desk. (I've been spoken to once about this: a hyper-critical admin suggested that I shouldn't wear sneakers to the office; I told her that if she wanted to pay for my bunion surgery, I'd be happy to make the .75 mile walk in heels.)
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 10:50 PM on October 29, 2010

I've worked in a lot of offices, too, and I see women wearing knee-high boots all the time.

Nthing this, work in an office in Delaware and have for 7 years. The kneehigh boots with kneelength skirts seems to be de rigeur in the winter, including senior executives, like they are replacing traditional heels for the season.
posted by mreleganza at 11:53 PM on October 29, 2010

I got boots from easyspirit this year and my feet are happy with them and I may get the other color. They're not super stylish, but are passable. I was specifically looking for a riding type boot with no heel and a roundish toe, but they have other styles.

http://www.easyspirit.com/Myrella/51441601,default,pd.html?cgid=52078321&itemNum=4&variantSizeClass=&variantColor=ASHASLE

They're a bit wider in the calf. I need to wear mine with black knee socks over tights (which is really warm).
posted by ejaned8 at 6:11 AM on October 30, 2010

You've received excellent advice here. Overall, it looks as if boots are appropriate for the office. I have a boot issue in that I cannot resist buying them if I like them. A nice pair of black knee-height zip up boots with a small kitten heel can work at the office and for going out. And the heel is not uncomfortable. Stacked heel boots are everywhere now as well, it seems. Zappos and ebay have a zillion styles - in fact, I love to go window shopping there just to see what styles are out and about these days.

I got my black everyday ones at Target a few years ago and they were so versatile. Just make sure that if your skirt length does not meet the top of the boot, that you wear opaque stockings.
posted by sundrop at 8:26 AM on October 30, 2010

This is super-helpful advice. If I can piggyback another question that just occured to me, how do you guys feel about boots on job interviews? My gut says no, but my cold legs and feet say please. I have a light-gray suit so my fashion sense is also saying no but what about with a differently colored suit?
posted by amethysts at 9:32 AM on October 30, 2010

Just off the top of my head, I would say that boots are too much bother and fraught with peril. I'm pretty sure this applies equally to men and women. If they are truly weatherproof-type boots, they shouldn't be worn in the office, because they will have snow and rain all over them. If they are dressier boots, they should probably be mostly covered by the pants or skirt garment. Unless it is the 80's and you are wearing a wide belt and a long sweater.

I would say that boots are too casual for an interview situation. If you have to ask, anyway.

(None of my advice applies to anywhere "Western Wear" is socially acceptable. I have no clue about that.)
posted by gjc at 10:15 AM on October 30, 2010

No to boots on interviews.

Interview clothing in many ways, should be as non-remarkable as possible, so they can focus you.
posted by ejaned8 at 10:37 AM on October 30, 2010