Here are some really varied combinations of boots and bottoms so you can find a set that fits your personal style.

1. Look 1 from Forever 21 combines the trendy and the retro. Can you guess which is which? Although the dress is from Forever 21, it has cute, 50’s styling. Ankle boots, which were popular in the 80’s, have made a huge comeback. To spice up the look: Add a scarf, headband and black or colored tights. For something more edgy, wear leggings with the dress.
2. Look 2 from Delias is for the daring fashionista. When I saw these boots, my eyes nearly popped out of my head. Pink! And plaid! And a button! These boots include so many fashion trends in one small package that it’s hard to figure how to pair them. The best way to make these boots be the stand-out item is to pair them with other solid colored clothing. These black skinny jeans, for example, let the boots stand on their own. To spice up the look: Wear the boots with a contrasting solid color up top. Bright blue, maybe?
3. Look 3 from Urban Outfitters is all me. I like wearing muted patterns and colors–nothing too wild!–and pairing them with interesting footwear and accessories. These boots are versatile and stylish, and I can’t say enough good things about this Urban Outfitters shirt dress. To spice up the look: Add a bright-colored jacket (yellow, orange, etc.), throw on some gray tights and put on a chunky necklace.
4. Look 4 from Target is the epitome of ladylike-chic dressing. This dress is fantastic–I love winter white. The boots, though, are the real catch. Less than $35 from Target, and they look hot. I love the mini wedge. Perfect for winter, perfect with a dress like this. Add some tights or leggings if you get cold. To spice up the look: Throw on some big sunglasses and belt that dress!
5. Look 5 from Alloy is trendy, trendy, trendy. From the colored pants to the low-heeled boots, there is nothing subtle going on here. Step out in confidence–after all, colored pants are all over the place right now and be amazed as the compliments roll in. To spice up the look: Wear something patterned on top. A houndstooth scarf with a simple, chic peacoat would lend a mod edge here.

Four months ago, I saved a swatch of fabric by Philip Gorrivan for Highland Court Fabrics, almost identical to the pattern in her coat.

For the last two seasons, orange has been everywhere and as one can see by my StyleFeed, I’ve been a wee bit obsessed. Now that the trend has calmed down a bit, I revisit the pattern and find I still enjoy it. This is a good indication I should have it in my home. This pattern would look smashing as pillows with a fat, corded welt to surround it, or even as a bed coverlet with a wide band of winter white border. This just goes to show once again, that fashion and home decor really do go hand in hand!

What have you saved to your StyleFeed that you may have forgotten about and fallen in love with again? Do you like the trend of orange in home decor?

Here’s what to look for when you shop for a retro glam or collegiate charm look:

1. The print of this gingham dress is new and trendy, but the old-school 50’s cut is all vintage-chic. To dress retro glam, don’t be afraid to wear vintage cuts in new and unexpected ways. If a print is a little too old-fashioned for you, have the dress, skirt or blouse altered into a more modern shape. On the other hand, if the cut of the item is very vintage, pair it with modern accessories to avoid a costumed appearance.
2. Jewelry is key to a retro glam look. A little goes a long way, and try mix up what you wear so as not to appear straight out of Grease, for example. Pearls would be too much with this outfit, so I paired the retro-fitting dress with a long, rock-and-roll chain necklace.
3. When it comes to retro glam, the bigger the sunglasses, the better.
4. Much to my eternal dismay, the shoes pictured above are no longer available on the fickle friend that is Forever 21 online. However, try these alternatives. Here’s what to look for: a chunkier heel (no stilettos), buckles, round-toes, vintage (gold, red, etc.) or muted colors, mary-jane styles or classic peep-toe pumps.
5. A scarf completes the retro glam outfit. Tie it loosely, or with a more retro-flair by flipping one end over your shoulder.
6. For a bit of authentic ladylike coordination, use a clutch instead of your huge, leather tote.
7. A 50’s/60’s style jacket finishes off the outfit. A bit of boxiness is a must. Look for large buttons or a peter pan collar. With longer dresses/skirts, try a cropped jacket. If you’re wearing something shorter on the bottom, then make sure your coat falls slightly above your hemline, but not too far.

1. Start off with an interesting blouse. It can be longer, like a tunic, or a bit shorter. Ruffles are preferred, but not required. A print is good also, but a solid color is easier to coordinate the accessories with.
2. Every collegiate girl worth her salt knows that some plastic-framed reading glasses add a bit of quirky charm.
3. A few bright-colored items in a coordinating color family add some conversation pieces to the entire outfit. See how well the colored pants, bracelet and blue cardigan look together? The yellow on this bracelet is a bright color, yes, but is also surprisingly neutral.
4. A long, grandpa-style cardigan worn over the blouse helps keep you warm, but that’s not the real reason I included it. Skinny jeans are tricky to proportion: if your top is too short, you end up looking very “hippy,” or bottom-heavy, without balance on your upper-half. Use a longer cardigan to correct that and balance out your collegiate charm look.
5. A big, leather tote bag serves two purposes: one, it has that collegiate–and somewhat scholarly–look we are aiming towards without seeming like a briefcase. And the second reason is that the bag adds a good neutral base for the entire outfit.
6. Interesting, comfortable shoes with a slight heel to accentuate the skinny pants: these are exactly what I’m talking about.
7. An outfit with a bit of quirk would not be complete without a standout piece of jewelry, like this snake bracelet.
8. Skinny pants with color, instead of the classic denim washes, are fun and easier to wear than you might think.

Do you have more Retro Glam or Collegiate Charm?

A lot of the time you have to assume that the people Sartorialist founder Scott Schuman photographs are wearing vintage or secondhand finds because of the uniqueness of their clothing. Schuman does not often snap someone in identifiable clothing–i.e. anything with bold logos or recognizable graphics. The exception to the vintage assumption is, naturally, NY Fashion Week. The photos he takes in and around Bryant Park feature a lot of stylish women probably wearing a lot of expensive clothing. I doubt women wear anything from a secondhand shop to Fashion Week…unless it’s secondhand designer!

How can you emulate the cool, street-style of these women given their 15 seconds of fame via The Sartorialist?

I’ll show you.

This girl has managed to look both stylish, individual AND comfortable. Luckily, Victoria’s Secret makes a dress similar to the one she’s wearing:

Her gray shoes add a bit of flavor, where black shoes would have just melted into her tights. Try these from Payless. They’re cute and really inexpensive. To finish off, a black coat with a great cut and trendy quarter-length sleeves.

The 50’s flair this woman has going on manages not to look like a costume because she paired the slightly vintage-y dress with really modern shoes and a clean-cut trenchcoat.

I love the vibrant pink of the Isaac Mizrahi for Target dress coupled with the metallic Forever21 heels (only $20) and a khaki trench.

This woman has great universal style. You could wear this look in any city around the world and still be considered chic. It’s practical, comfortable and a little edgy, too.

First, you must start with a great pair of opaque gray tights. This pair from Urban Outfitters is good quality and a great price (less than $15). Then, add a pretty printed dress (with sleeves, if possible), like this one from Alloy.com. For the coat, make sure you have one that’s body conscious (not too puffy), but still substantial and warm and not too fussy. For only $25, these mary jane heels from Alloy.com should do the trick nicely for footwear. All that’s left is an inexpensive, warm, cozy scarf like this one from Forever21.

For the more daring, try copying this girl’s outfit. The shoes really make the whole thing come together, and although I’m a little scared to try wearing high-top Chucks with leggings myself, feel free to try and it and let me know if you can make it work like this woman did!

High-top red Converse sneakers are the obvious things to begin shopping for. After you procure them, you’ll need a warm, knit pair of gray leggings to keep your legs warm since you aren’t wearing any pants (and it’s cold outside, silly!) Get a long, black cardigan to go over your leggings too: although this woman is wearing a very uniquely cut coat, it might be easier to get away with a cardigan for every day. For variations on the top half, try a longer trenchcoat, a trapeze dress (belted or unbelted) or a long tunic in a monochromatic color.

In the winter, the coat really makes your entire outfit, as this woman shows. To avoid spending unnecessary money because it’s so close to spring, invest in a coat that will take you through the chilly March/April mornings, but will also work for the freezing temperatures right now. A plaid print, like this Soo Lee one from ASOS is a good choice. Every woman should also have a quilted bag, whether it’s Chanel or not. This one from Shopsueyboutique.com looks just enough like Chanel to be passable, but not too much that it screams “knock-off!” Flat boots, also, are in my opinion, a closet necessity. You can wear them with literally everything–leggings, tights, jeans, dresses…see?

The first thing I noticed in this photo were the woman’s shoes. There’s something about ankle-length booties with tights that looks really chic and put-together right now. Who knows, in 6 months, ankle-length boots may recede back into unpopularity, but I think they look great right now. ASOS has a sale on this amazing pair.

Have a great week everyone, and enjoy shopping for your own sartorial goodies!

All photos taken by Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist.

Then I encountered temperatures below 50 degrees and this thing called snow, and the need for boots became apparent to me. (Plus, I realized that I was missing out on a whole aspect of seasonal dressing!)

So, join me on my quest for the perfect collection of boots, won’t you?

These calf-high pewter leather boots look comfy and stylish — and they’re actually from Crocs’ new line, You by Crocs! Quite a deviation from their earlier work, no? (They’re also available in black and chocolate lambswool.)

A pair of cognac slouchy boots are a must for fall/winter dressing, and I bought these brown double buckle boots over the holidays — at a very affordable $39.50!

Want a different and more fashion-forward option? Try these unique buckle fabric boots — plus, they’re on sale for $9.99, meaning this risk won’t set you back too much.

If you’re like me, you have tons of light day dresses you love, but are forced to put them away during the chillier winter months. Problem solved — depending on the type of dress, you could wear it with black tights and a pair of flat slouchy boots like these, completing the effortlessly cool look with a scarf, sweater, and a pair of great sunglasses.

I’ve always been a little wary of ankle boots, but I’ve found three that seem to be a little less predictable and more interesting than the ones I’ve seen before.

The details on these Seychelles make them a little less abrupt and much more stylish than the standard visible zipper. The slightly metallic sheen also makes it look a little rugged yet still decidedly feminine.

I love the scalloped edge on these soft and luxe-looking booties.

Looking to add some color to your boot collection? Try these blue ankle boots — not too bright but still different enough to punch up your outfit.

What about you? What boots are you longing for this winter?

Circa 1995-2006, the routine was: enter store… feel force of pull to the racks laden with black wool… select shapeless style in the name of warmth and utility… hope for sale price… justify boring purchase with “It will go with everything!”… check out, go home, envy other people’s cool coats all season long.

Not this year. I’ve decided to forgo shapeless for a waist-cinching belt. I’ve decided to go for a 3/4 style so that the look is sophisticated, not like wearing the same wool peacoat I purchased in college or the long coats that make short people (like me!) look frumpy. I’m looking for color — maybe even pattern! And I’m willing to buy two — a conservative style as a classic investment piece, and then a moderate or cheap one “for fun.”

Here’s the catch — neither coat can be black, unless that black is in a pattern. That’s the whole point of this style update — break out! I’d like the investment piece to be neutral — after all, I do have to look professional and a bubble-gum pink wool coat likely won’t have me taken very seriously. But the “fun” piece can be as bold as I dare.

So right now starts the No-Frump Winter Coat Challenge. I’ve started adding a few contenders to my StyleFeed… let me know what you think.

Should I go for a to-die-for color?

Fun pattern and a belt?

Frilly, feminine details?

Hurry, people! It’s getting chilly!