I must admit, rightly or wrongly, I have always associated wearing over-the-knee boots with being overtly sexual and Cabaret’esq, so have steered away from them, given ‘sexy’ is not really my go-to style. In fact, I’d always rather a compliment over some eclectic ensemble I was wearing from a stylish woman than a wolf whistle or a manly leer, any day. An ex (clearly!) boyfriend once told me my look was ‘moooore demure than sexy,’ and despite the intentions of his remark, I was incredibly appreciative!! Give me Audrey Hepburn, Natalie Portman or even bloomin’Jane Austen over a Kardashian any day! HOWEVER, my head was turned last Winter when I saw a few bloggers I know, and supermodels I don’t, wearing over-the-knee boots with dark jeans and it looked… well, kinda chic! SO… Never one to not try something new, I decided to grab a pair from Selfridges and give them a wee whirl, making sure to adapt them to my own style, and not the other way around. I, yes I, was going to wear these boots, they were not going wear me!
Let’s do this...
Firstly, I decided to pair some suede Carvela Sammy over-the-knee boots with some skinny, dark Diesel jeans and an oversize woolly jumper from Alexa by Alexa Chung (a beloved ambassador of the all things anti-sexy, in her ruffles and glittery flats!) and a Manu Atelier suede bag. By pairing the boots with these winter textures, they instantly became softened and far more appropriate for daytime. In fact, with the addition of my sharp Jess Collett Milliner fedora, the overall look felt pretty kick ass! Yup, I definitely could hear some Beyonce playing in my head with each step (*finger snap, hair swish…)
For my second outfit, I paired the Carvela over-the-knee boots with a zippered Kitri shirt dress and the dinkiest of current It Bags, a Simon Miller Bonsai Bag. I definitely think this is the kind of a look I would wear to Fashion Week, and although with certain wider strides, there were some good old fashioned thighs on display, the long sleeves, and length of dress counteracted any unwarranted incitement on the streets!
In summation, I still think these over-the-knee boots are pretty sexy, but not in the original, possibly negative way I had first imagined. With the right, balanced outfit, these boots actually make you feel pretty damn empowered too. Demurely sexy, some might say...!
In collaboration with Selfridges
Photography: Francis Davison
Hair: Taylor Taylor London
Nails: Sophie Gass