An Elevated Way To Style Your Fall/Winter Lace Up Boots
A case of upgrading the leather boot.
Shot ON LOCATION in NEW YORK, NEW YORK.
Photography, SIMI VIJAY
Styling, Igee Okafor
I always paired them with blue jeans and some sort of crew neck sweater or sweatshirt. a coat TOO, when necessary.
When I was younger, I used to love wearing leather boots. It felt very casual to me so I always paired them with blue jeans and some sort of crew neck sweater or sweatshirt. a coat TOO, when necessary.
Somewhere alongside the lines of moving to New York City A FEW YEARS AGO, traveling all the time for work and developing a more “polished” personal style uniform, I found that I began to see less use for them.
ON THE OTHER HAND Throughout this time in my life, I had a friend from Milan, Italy who loved to wear his bootS casually. He would always style THEM with a pair of khakis or white chinos. HE WOULD ALSO INCLUDE a crew neck or turtleneck sweater PAIRED WITH a brown leather jacket that was always well polished.
This smart sense of upgrading the leather boot never occurred to me until sometime last year when I was gifted THESE SUEDE BOOTS from Thursday Boots. They’re dark olive suede, with leather interiors and a padded collar. Gorgeously designed to say the least but, when it came to styling, I immediately reverted to how my younger self would have styled the boot only deeming it Appropriate for more outdoorsy adventures.
It wasn’t until I thought of this friend, that I decided to attempt what it would look like if I attempted the aforementioned formula. I began with testing out every shade of denim and working from there.
the end result which I am loving is all based on personal preference.
The thought process started from the bottom.
I had a pair of gorgeous boots I wanted to wear casually anywhere but I didn’t want to look too casual. Making a case for the white denim proved to play into that visually. The jeans I am wearing are by MOTHER DENIM. It’s made with a very soft fabric and is very easy to wear.
Building upon what was already there, I knew I wanted to elevate the top half of the styling. I didn’t just want to do plain knitwear and a simple shirt due to risking the entire look running too casual. I decided to incorporate both items by layering the shirt under the turtleneck with the collars peeking out.
This technique can also be done with a crew neck sweater and a shirt layered underneath as it is.
The decision to include the belt was to adhere to the same concept of keeping the look a bit more elevated. Chances are you’re wearing A LOok like this during colder months so to secure some warmth, a jacket is essential.
I wanted a jacket that would even out and complement the tone of the boot and this taupe blouson zipper jacket from AMI Paris was perfect. the cinched hemline DETAIL sold it to me.
A lot of the clothing I own is more slim fitted and cinched and the zipper jacket fit right in standing out on its own while also allowing for a great showcase of the supporting detail pieces.
Accessorizing on this front is quite easy. The idea is keeping things cohesive, especially the metals. I matched my timepiece to the steel shank on my boots and the steel buckle on my belt.
The details on my sunglasses are subtle aligned with the color scheme of the entire look. The blacks, the browns, and the steel. The addition seems natural and correct.
GET THE LOOK:
SUIT SUPPLY
AMI PARIS
THURSDAY BOOTS
MOTHER DENIM