How To Wear Over The Knee Boots for Fall 2009

Reader Email:

“I am super excited about the over the knee boots trend this Fall, but I don’t know what to wear them with! Can you help me figure out what to wear with over the knee boots so I don’t look short and fat and/or ridiculous?! Help!”

(Susanne in New Jersey)

I’ve received several emails like this, asking what to wear with over the knee boots. The answer is easier than you think! Since over the knee boots are a trendy item this season, you can wear them with a lot of things and get away with it. You might not be so lucky next year or the year after, so take advantage of their immense popularity and wear them with everything you can.

Obvious choices are of course dresses or skirts that fall about 1-3 inches above the top of the boots (or about 4 inches from the top of your knee cap.) Wear tights, leggings or thigh high socks in a complimenting color. You can also tuck your skinny jeans or Ponté Knit Pants into your over the knee boots.

Be careful when choosing a pair of over the knee boots. Make a mental list beforehand of the items in your wardrobe you can actually wear them with, especially if you are going to spend more than $40 on a pair.

I also get a lot of emails asking “Am I too short to wear over the knee boots?”. The answer is no! You just have to know how to wear them properly and get used to looking to yourself in the mirror wearing these statement boots. When wearing over the knee boots with dresses and skirts, match your tights or leggings to the boots or choose thigh high socks in a complimenting color so you don’t have any visual breaks. This will help give you a leggier feel. Avoid the urge to get over the knee boots with very high heels! While you might like the extra inches to your stature, you risk looking very tacky at best. If you feel you must wear heels, look for thick stacked heels or wedges. Just any type of heel that has more substance to it than a thin stiletto.

Here are some more runway photos for more outfit inspirations…

Keep your silhouette long and lean by pairing with a tunic or long boyfriend jacket that ends just below your butt. Cinch in your waist with a skinny little belt. Create interest by adding texture and richness like suede, chunky knits, and leather. Avoid too many contrasting colors.

You can get the look of over-the-knee boots by wearing chunky, knee-high socks with regular knee high boots or layer over dark tights.

Look to celebs like Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian, Kate Hudson, Vanessa Hudgens, Miley Cyrus and Kate Moss for celebrity style outfit ideas. Check out J Lo and Ciara rocking over the knee boots below…

So many possibilities! And from what I’ve seen, over the knee and thigh high boots look great with just about anything. I mean, I’m not loving J Lo’s ensemble above, but Kate Moss and Kate Hudson look fabulous!

What do you think you’ll try wearing over the knee boots with? Do you have any outfit ideas?