Mission Impossible? (Ankle Booties)

Since earlier this fall, I have been lusting after ankle booties. Maybe it's because I hardly have any really cute shoes for fall and winter. Sure, I can wear my Bearpaw boots every once in awhile, but it would be nice to have a dressier option.

I had a lot of trouble deciding what exact pair I wanted to invest in. I didn't want it to break the bank, so I was steering towards a price range between $30-$60. I wanted it to have a low wedge heel, preferably around 2-3 inches, so I can (attempt) to wear it to my classes and on errands. And it must be in a neutral color, most likely brown, taupe or grey.

I also had problems figuring out which style would be most flattering. I am pretty petite, and I know that ankle booties can be hard to pull off for smaller women. Originally, I wanted a pair that I could wear bare-legged in early fall with dresses and miniskirts, but I'm thinking that I should stick with wearing them with skinny jeans and tights or leggings. I'm also considering wearing them with cuffed boyfriend jeans.

The one pair I found that I really loved were the ALDO Pirnie booties. They have a hidden wedge heel (wedge is always easier to walk in) and a chic corduroy construction with a leather wrap-around buckle in a contrasting shade. I fell in love with their quirky but cute look, but I wasn't quite willing to drop over $60 for them. I almost forgot about these booties. But then I was graciously gifted with an Amazon gift card...and the wheels started turning. I looked them up on Amazon's website and lo and behold, there they were, in grey (my preferred shade) and for only $27.99! What a steal, right? I wasted no time and snapped them right up. 


I was pleasantly surprised when they arrived just a few days later and I was eager to try them on. When I finally got home for Christmas break, I got the opportunity to test them out--and I gotta say I love them even more in person! I ordered a size up from my usual 6 and they fit perfectly, with just a little slippage that can be fixed with some socks. The instep is ruched, which adds a cute touch, and I love the flared top part. They look a little weird, because the opening is too wide for my ankles, but I still like them a lot. I can't wait to wear them with grey tights and even possibly jeggings/skinny jeans. Overall, I think the booties were a very smart buy!

Do you like ankle booties?

OOTD: Shades of Grey [& Red]



Feelin' grey





Grey knit duster cardi (A&F, winter 2011); grey lace-fron tee (HCo., fall 2011); silver sparkly fireball necklace (AE, winter 2009); coral red culotte shorts (A&F, fall 2011); light grey sweater tights (Target, winter 2010)

 What's your favorite neutral? A lot of people will probably say black for its elegance or some kind of brown/tan for its ruggedness but for me, it's grey. Say what? I know grey seems boring, blah and downright depressing to a lot of people, but it's not like you have to go around in an all-grey ensemble. Neutrals are for mixing and matching, after all. So I decided to put my never-before-worn coral culottes (I ordered them probably a month ago but hadn't gotten the opportunity to wear them) to good use and pair them with a few grey items. The shorts themselves are very vibrant in color, and I thought they could easily be toned down with a nice neutral. I think grey goes very well with coral--it lessens the impact without making the shorts seem average. It allows them to stand out, in a tasteful way. I also mixed and matched the shades of grey I used. The lace tee is a very dark charcoal, the sweater is a medium heather grey and the tights are a light almost-blue grey. I also wore my Bearpaw boots, which are about the same shade as the sweater. I know it may seem weird to be wearing all these different hues and with a very bright color, but it works because the outfit is grounded in one neutral tone.



Closeup of lace tee (to show detail)



How do you "punch up" your favorite neutral shade?