Ask a Stylist: how to choose boots that suit your legs

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How do I choose a pair of boots that will flatter my legs? And what do I wear them with?

Boot season is upon us, but there are some tricks to master. Long-legged women can wear most types of boots, including the incredibly awkward to get right mid-calf boot or cowboy boots (these come and go in fashion land but I wish they would permanently go).

If you have long legs and want to make them look longer, wear heeled boots and balance them out with a longer-line jacket or top. For the shorter legged, try to keep to darker colours and match everything else as closely as you can to the boot colour — this streamlines your look and gives you precious extra inches.

First, let’s talk about ankle boots. They’re a handy bit of footwear from now until well into the spring, and look best with cropped or rolled-up jeans and trousers, miniskirts and longer-line dresses.

The bit that most women find tricky is where the ankle boot should sit in relation to both the leg and the item you are wearing. What you are aiming for is the top of the boot to hit the smaller point of the leg, where it tapers into the ankle. Then you want either no gap between the item of clothing or a narrow slither of socks or tights. Too much of a gap and you run the risk of looking as if your trousers have shrunk in the rain. Ankle boots are easier to wear with a mini.

Totême does a lovely sleek City boot that brings to mind TV series Call My Agent! (£630, harveynichols.com) and looks great on a medium frame with some skinny jeans and a pea coat.

But what if you don’t have much definition between the calf and the ankle? Then you really want a low or western V cut. Isabel Marant never fails to produce on this front — see her Dewina boot for a lesson in French insouciance (£480, 24s.com) or, for an even lower cut, LK Bennett’s Elle shoe boots (£320, lkbennett.com). They are wonderful on a small frame.

I like my boots classic, and there are many preloved boots out there. If you want a well-priced Hermès or Jimmy Choo, take a look on Vestiaire Collective. I found these Jimmy Choos, which would be just right with a rolled-up dark jean, denim shirt and long coat (£240, vestiairecollective.com). Or if you’d prefer to rent some boots to try them out, By Rotation has these Chloé waterproof chunkies, which work well for a larger frame and could be styled with a midi-length wool skirt and a denim shirt or a dark floral dress (from £32 per day, byrotation.com).

One way to get around the hem length issue is to use a sock boot, which hugs the leg tightly and is easy to get under even a skinny trouser. They can be made of leather or fabric and fit flush against the leg. Try And Other Stories and Whistles on the high street, or Stuart Weitzman at the pricier end of the spectrum. If you can manage the high heel, Stuart Weitzman’s pointed suede sock boots are really elegant and great as an evening option with long dresses or under a suit (£495 on sale, harrods.com). Wear them with abandon under wide-leg cropped jeans, midi and maxi dresses, and skirts.

You can also get sock boots in knee-length styles — a godsend if you feel the cold — which is like wearing insulation tubing on your legs. Sock boots are generally stretchy, which can help if you have curvier legs that don’t fit easily into zip-up boots. If your calves are wider, look at DuoBoots or Jilsen for specific leg fits. Or choose a style with an elastic gusset down the side that stretches around the leg, such as the City Hi style from Russell & Bromley, which is perfect for traipsing around town in a slouchy knit with a wool short, mini or knee-length skirt (£375, russellandbromley.co.uk)

I personally like dark-coloured knee boots best — a wonderful winter staple, they are super with knee-length or mini dresses and skirts and even culottes. I often wear a grey sweater, grey wool skirt and my black Stuart Weitzman knee boots and it works year after year. Knee boots streamline the legs, giving an unbroken line, making you look taller. If you hate your knees then go for an over-the-knee or thigh boot, which can also help disguise lack of definition in the leg. Stella McCartney does a couple of alt-leather versions (Skyla, £850, stellamccartney.com and Ryder, £1,425, stellamccartney.com) and Courrèges has a fun ’60s square-toed style (£740, farfetch.com).

Suede is a dream to wear but is high maintenance in the UK — make sure you spray with a protectant and avoid heavy rain or snow. And, because I am allowed to be fickle (and obsessed with the Paramount series Yellowstone, so I have cowboys on the mind), I do rather love these tasselled ones, aptly named Swish, from Russell & Bromley (£495, russellandbromley.co.uk). Swish away!

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