Flattery will get you everywhere

The single biggest annoyance when you travel is not having all your clothes. After ten weeks in Portland, Oregon, this summer, I came home excited to re-immerse myself in my wardrobe. I was looking forward to slipping my feet into my brown leather boots with the perfect wedge heel; they were ideal for any outfit.

But I couldn’t find them. I searched everywhere: the basement, the attic. Then I learned the ugly truth: Someone threw them away.

They were the perfect boots — not easy to find. The perfect boots come with a price. You can’t spend fifty dollars and hope for a miracle. Small price tags usually mean poor quality and extreme discomfort. Only perfect boots transition well from season to season, year to year. Good luck finding that in a hurry.

That got me thinking, what boot would be most flattering? I bet you never thought a boot could be unflattering, but, oh, they can be. Based on your height and calf width, what you think might be the perfect boot might make your leg look like a stump.

Here are some things to consider for this season and beyond:

• Height and width. Boots should hit your leg at the right spot. Mid-calf boots sometimes hit at the widest part of your calf, and if you have big calves, I hope you want them to look bigger. This season, boots at, or slightly above, the knee are ideal. But why stop there? If you have long legs, look for thigh-high boots. Women with short legs — stay away — unless you want your legs to look shorter. Make sure the boots fit comfortably around your legs. Depending on the size of your calves, you might consider looking for boots with adjustable buckles to make them more or less spacious.
• They’ve got to have sole. Flat boots are always perfect if you’re doing a lot of walking. There are times, though, when you want to look and feel sexy or sassy. For this, a boot with a heel – high or low – will do the trick. For comfort, a lower heel or wedge is ideal, but if you don’t need to be practical, take it as high as you can without losing balance or breaking an ankle.
• Embellishments. Studs, buckles, exposed zippers — as long as they’re in moderation and not all happening at once, they can make an ordinary boot extraordinary. They can jazz up a simple outfit or add toughness to a soft floral. An exposed zipper, on the outside or on the back of a boot, is unusual and surprisingly refined.
• Color. For taller boots I prefer black or brown leather, but for ankle boots, any color will do. Perhaps not any color, but red, blue, purple, emerald – think jewel tones – can liven up a simple outfit of muted or neutral tones.

The guilty boot tossers in my family made a mistake. All they’ve accomplished is igniting a drive to do more shopping, to spend more money, to put me on the quest for the best boot for all seasons.

If you find the perfect pair, clue me in. I’m still on the prowl.