How to wear ankle boots with work pants. How to wear ankle boots with work pants. Hello friends! Today we answer a question often asked in colder weather about wearing ankle boots with pants to work.
Ankle boots are necessary when the temperature drops and you want to keep your feet warm, but many of you have said that they are difficult to combine for work, especially with pants.
I've got some surefire tips and combos for making it easy to pair ankle boots with pants, and today I'm teaming up with Macy's and ShopStyle to share them!
A ton of Macy's items are currently on sale, and more are EXTRA 25% off for their customer appreciation event with code THANKYOU October 16-20. There are such great things at very affordable prices, so I'll be sure to highlight them below!
What I Look For In Ankle Boots For Work
First of all, I will start by saying that what I look for in ankle boots for work is different than what I
look for in ankle boots with casual outfits. For casual outfits, I prefer suede ankle boots with a round and almond-shaped toe cap, usually a lower shaft and a thicker block heel.
For me, the almond-shaped toe cap and chunkier block heel keep casual outfits relaxed. However, I like that the style of workwear is a bit more defined and more tailored. To achieve this, I recommend starting with booties with:
1. A pointy toe. Nothing extreme, but enough points to add freshness. A pointed toe also helps elongate the leg line, which is especially helpful with straight-leg pants or bootcuts.
2. A skinny kitten heel. While most of us prefer to wear flats every day, sometimes ankle boots take a little while to pair well with pants. A small heel is very short and easy to walk in, and the slimmer heel gives a more defined and polished look.
You can absolutely deviate from these types of ankle boots and still create a neat work outfit. But if you're looking for a starting point and want a style that's classic, versatile, and almost always works, this is one style I'd recommend. Ankle boots like these can also be worn for casual outfits depending on your style. They are also great for smart-casual looks!
At the end of this post, I'll be collecting more of this kind of loot. Now let's get to the styling tips!
Wearing Ankle Boots For Work – Straight-Leg Pants
Straight-leg pants work great with boots! But there are a few key things to make it work:
- Aim for a shorter hem so that the pants fall just slightly over the shaft of the boot instead of completely covering the boot. Straight leg pants, unlike bootcut pants, often do not have a wide leg opening to fit neatly over the entire boot and can cause the material to build up around your shoes. A shorter hem works best with straight-leg pants that fall around the ankles. And good news: this style is all the rage right now!
- Wear a bootie with a longer shaft. This is very useful for getting this look so that the pants and boots look more or less like one continuous line.
- Choose ankle boots with a pointed toe. Your booties can have different toe shapes, but I find a pointed toe is the easiest to start with. It elongates the leg line and adds a sharp and polished factor to outfits.
These boots have a shaft that comes about 1 to 1.5 inches above the ankle bone. The upper is flexible and while it feels quite comfortable overall, I would add a shoe insert for more cushioning in the insole.
One note is that they have a little wrinkling around the ankles. Otherwise, the silhouette is great, and they come in black suede, a gorgeous brown suede, olive green suede, leopard print suede, and snakeskin. Check them out HERE!
I tried to do this look with skinny ankle-length pants, not straight pants, and it didn't work. Real straight-leg pants are a must. The straight pants I'm wearing above are from JM Collection, and they fit great!
They are quite thick, VERY stretchy and comfortable, very affordable, and only available at Macy's! They have a wide elasticated waistband throughout, but they have no pockets or zippers. They feel like thick yoga pants! And they are under $24! Check them out HERE. I wear size S.
Finally, I'd like to mention this faux suede biker jacket from Style & Co, another item only available at Macy's. It is VERY STRETCH and comfortable! If you like the look of motorcycle jackets, but have always been afraid that they also feel
Wearing Ankle Boots For Work – Skinny Pants
To pair ankle boots with skinny pants, any of these options will work:
a) Leave a little space between your boots and pants so that a few of your ankles are visible. You can
unfold the pants for this or fold them in for a neater hem. I did the latter above.
b) Leave no gap and instead let the pants rub against the top of the shaft.
c) For boots with a higher shaft, try A or B, or tuck the pants a bit over the boots. You'll have to play around with these based on the specific pants and boots you're trying to match.
A little bulk is fine, but you don't want so much that it looks messy, especially for work.
Many people have asked how to wear ankle boots with skinny pants, which often flare a bit at the ankles. I haven't mastered that yet and I always like the look.
On the other hand, if I want to make boots with skinny pants for work, I go for pants that are very tight at the ankles, like the one above.
The skinny pants above are another exclusive pair from Macy's, and they are extremely stretchy, moderately thick, and pull on with a wide, elasticated waistband. They actually feel like very, very thick leggings!
They keep their shape after several hours of use. One note is that there are seams on the legs that you can feel on the inside. I got used to them after using them for a while but just wanted to let you know in case it bothers you.
These are too long for me at 30″, so I folded them to raise the hem without going to a tailor. The ankles are very fitted, which helps create a clean, continuous line with booties. If you want comfortable skinny pants for work, check out these! They currently cost $37. Check them out HERE. I wear size 4.
For this outfit, you could keep it sleek with black ankle boots, but I wanted to make it stand out with leopard print ankle boots! Because hello! These things are !!! And they are COMFORTABLE! They have some padding in the footbed for comfortable wearing.
The upper is flexible and has a subtle, smooth lining that feels good against the skin. They are on the more expensive side, but the quality and comfort show it. They come in leopard print, black suede, black leather, and gray suede. Check them out HERE!
Finally, I love this top! It's simple yet elegant and very easy to use, totally my thing! It looks good without looking like you're trying too hard, can be worn to work, and can be worn with both casual and dressy clothes.
It was made especially for Macy's and is available in a whopping 16 colors! I wear Rusty Red, which personally looks more like a nice muted burnt orange. The color doesn't look very good on Macy's website.
It's closer to my pictures above, but a bit duller. In reality, it is even more beautiful! It has over 200 reviews and 4.5 stars! Currently under $28! View all 16 colors HERE. I wear size S.