Year of the calf length boot

Year of the calf length boot

With two months left to drive this one home

Leandra Medine Cohen

Nov 03, 2026

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Boots feel great right now. That sentence sounds dumb but if you think about it, we come in and out of style seasons that either favor or reject them, and if the last half decade has been all about

looking like you’re not wearing any shoes at all

(this defined a less-good moment for boots: we have basically worn

leather

socks

for the last bunch of winters), we are absolutely planting into a moment that is centered on sending all the gravity of your look down to your feet.

I think this is partially why the resurrection of

Bottega’s Matthieu-era clunky boots

, why the

recent onslaught

of

cowboy boots

, why

so many riding boots

, why heels may as well be flats again.

Jk, def not flats. But the world’s greatest Alaia heels (

same shape

, but different vibe,

same print

but not as good) for sure. I saw them on my friend Grace years ago at a party then went on The Real Real and got them (for under $300!).

I can separate different shoe trends into hundreds of categories, and derive like half of them specifically from boots, but the singular style I’m most intrigued by for the present season and beyond is the one that hits mid-calf.

By Malene Birger

coat (

this

from Nour Hammour is more cropped, but I like its relaxed feel),

Maccapani

oversize tee,

Spanx

flare pants (I get them petite-length so they are slightly cropped),

Wales Bonner

boots (not studded but the shape of

these

does something similar)

Close up of

Tory Burch’s

greatest contribution to winter footwear canon, here’s my own contribution of

beaded

fringe

scarves

from

Etsy

, and

a wildcard

A black suit with

these boots

from Jil Sander (I have alts, keep going!), and

this bag

from Rue de Verneuil

Why? Because they’re not just a replacement for shoes we already have: they do something different to an outfit.

They make a skirt look more complete, a little edgier —

Aflalo

top,

St. Agni

belt,

a simple brown slip skirt

(rolled it up a bunch,

Leset’s

seems to be the right length),

Tory Burch

boots; sunglasses

here

Soeur

wool pullover

and

turtleneck

,

Aritzia

mini skirt,

Wales Bonner

boots. FYI,

Thistles ‘Jack’

is back in stock.

In navy

!! —

Proof of restock

They create a different quality of cool with slouchy pants tuck in.

Sir

top,

Aflalo

pants,

Jil Sander

boots (

here’s

an alt,

Paris Texas’ c-boy

works too because of the sleek toe)

Transforming the pants all together in some instances. Where an ankle boot that looks cowboy or chelsea will have to be worn the same way with your clothes (but yes, still make a totally different statement one from the other), the mid-calf boot will actually change the chemistry of how your clothes blend together.

I’m highlighting three pairs that I’m slotting into 3 buckets: classic, casual and novelty.

The classics: brought to you by

Tory Burch

(but I think about

these from Santoni

a lot).

Here they are, first styled classically to reflect the natural flow the boot probably wants to move in and then again with a little more edge —

Lisa Yang

snood (someone is having

a lot of fun over there

!),

Giuliva Heritage

blazer (

good alt option

— still butnotas),

Posse

silk top (

she’s

lovely too) styled under with

men’s Levi’s 501 jeans

and

the Tory boots

Close up of

snood

and

interior neglige

; I would do it with a slinky top under, like

this one

from Ayr (

matching pants

aren’t bad either…)

Atorie

leather jacket — a most surprising hero of this fall season (but on one sweaty occasion, it did stain an ivory knit pretty badly), with

a silk fringe scarf

(I love

this one

!), Spanx flares and

Tory Burch

boots. The sunglasses are

Khaite

,

this

is the bag

Another kind of scarf necklace: this one’s

McQueen

(kind of love

pink

?), with a slightly a-line flare jacket (Liberowe — maybe the

most presently similar

? — I do like

her

, from

Destree

, too),

Suzie Kondi’s

deep u-neck and an old Tory skirt (look at

this eel print navy thing

from J. Crew, so good) with the boots. Your addtl skirt alts are

here

,

here

.

Here

The bag is Liffner

I would also wear these with a calf-length straight skirt like

this

or

this

, with either a structured tube top or halter, or just go with

a column dress

if we were in another, non-pregnant circumstance.

The casuals:

by Jil Sander

, and featuring a borderline cowboy vibe (so feel free to do this

with Lucchesse

)

Though I will say there’s something about the round toe and the suede and the lack of stitch-patterning that makes the shoes more innocuous, that gives them a softer touch. Love these in particular as

a break-through point

to make a black suit more relatable/less conventional.

Every outfit needs a breakthru pt

An old black suit from the Ukrainian brand Bobkova (the pants are slim leg and elastic waist so this bad boy has both grown and shrank with me.

Your best bet

for alt is still

from Argent

. But do have a look at

this braid trim thing

from Bevza, and I think I might need

her

?),

Rue de Verneuil

tote,

LMC

turquoise choker,

Jil Sander

boots

They also bring more flexibility given my whimsical tendency towards accessories. A velvet scarf-shawl for example feels much more achievable when I’m practically dressed in construction boots —

Ref x Alexa Chung

velvet shawl,

Nili Lotan

sheer top

,

Slvrlake

jeans,

Jil Sander

boots and an old

Khaite

bag (

she’s

my alt rec for whimsy,

she’s it

for shape and just about everything else)

Can’t say enough good things about

this bad boy

from Mansur either!

Jil

boots (are

these

, meanwhile, so bad they’re good?), styled here with a

Malo

coat, an old charcoal

polo knit

(

this one

could be a better match),

red silk pants

(see also:

these

,

these

, styled with

this

if you’re going for a big Nadege energy —)

Nadege being the creative director at Hermes, who took her post show bow in this perfect full red look

I’m more inclined to play with color too. And for the next (possibly last) time we experience a wave of warm enough weather to meld various season —

The Row

field jacket,

McQueen

scarf, an old cut up baby tee,

Leset

shorts (

these from Almada

are def the seasonal pant-equivalent; I’ve been wearing them like every day) and

the Jil boots

. Bag is

Co

! Do you think we’ll get any more of the glorious weather that permitted this look to flourish?

A cropped fieldy with shorts and a decorative scarf.

The novelty boots: from

Wales Bonner

but maybe

these

(no studs) could replace them (

great shape

!)

I got these at the end of last winter on sale. They were meant to serve as the shot of espresso at the end of the season when it’s all cashmere knits and wool pants, but went above and beyond in that way a good purchase does, where every time you wear them you recognize some other thing you love about them.

Valentino wrap skirt (she is like 5 years old;

here’s

a present day alt from

Dries van Noten

, or

this festive thing

from Polo is great, a more traditional and winter apropros thing is

here

; one more in black — a little more sexy —

here

),

Wales Bonner

boots

The exposed wood sole makes them feel much more casual than they would if it were painted black, and the white stitching makes them way less harsh. Last year I loved them with flare-ish pants tucked in, and would often clip

a long pearl necklace

around my waist as a belt but this year I’m thinking about them like this:

Aflalo

halter dress with

the boots:

I maintain that

these from Proenza

are a great alternative. But if you’re specifically after something studded, I’d recommend considering something novelty — like

a print

or

metallic

shimmer

Ely Ely

halter knit (I really like the shape of

her

too),

boots in brown

in case you’d prefer

By Malene Birger

coat,

Maccapani

long sleeve tee,

Spanx

pants,

Wales

boots,

Memoire

bag

Philosophically, the shift from no shoes to big shoes seems like it could represent something significant too. Shoes ground you, they help you with balance. They protect your feet, which you need to get places, from the elements that might make it harder to get there. If barely there shoes kept us humble, perhaps the logic now goes the sturdier the shoe, the more likely you’ll feel ready to make a new choice, take a bigger risk? To hit your stride, make new success! Just don’t forget where you came from.

That’s it from me today. Have a great one,

Leandra

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