Summary Of The Season

Step confidently into fall in tall boots, midi skirts, and luxurious outerwear.

- Lisa Armstrong

IS THERE A CORRECT number of new-season pieces to buy to keep your signature look fresh and on point without your closet spilling over into SOS Marie Kondo territory? In an era when mindful consumption is increasingly becoming an urgent aspiration, you should think in terms of what will make the most impact, then strategize your spending accordingly.

This fall, I’d start with the feet because those cute ankle booties that have been your go-to for the past half-decade may have just been nudged into the second row by taller boots. You can now channel Aspen après-ski in Chanel’s furry option that hits around mid-calf, or Connecticut country-house chic with slim jeans tucked interline’s cozy over-the shearling-lined boots.

The thing about tall boots is that they won’t just retune your standard sartorial setting—they’re also a gateway to an alter ego. Consider, for example, Victoria Beckham, who used lipstick-red and leopard-print peep-toe thigh-highs to catapult her ladylike midi skirts and romantic blouses into an alternative universe where Nancy Pelosi borrows Beyonce’s props. A glossy pair with a chunky heel can inject a hitherto conservative little skirt suit (Akris) or a grunge-spacious fringed blanket skirt (Salvatore Ferragamo) with a dose of Klute-worthy attitude. Conversely, tall boots confer some modesty in skin-baring situations, so Saint Laurent’s puffball shorts and mile-high hemlines and the barely decent minis at Longchamp and Max Mara start to seem viable.