When it comes to 2010 fashion trends we’re facing a year of subtlety and tradition. And while many of us will be wearing classical silhouettes and subdued colours we’ll all be in need of making them pop; after all, doesn’t every fashioniser want to stand out from the crowd?
For women that ’stand out’ look is just about to get a whole lot easier thanks to the hottest trend for shoes in 2010: thigh high boots.
Over-the-knee boots by Loewe, Hermes, Hussein Chalayan, and Louis Vuitton
Originally I tipped that this trend would enter the wardrobes of fashion forwards women in Autumn (Fall)/Winter 2009/2010, but you’ve all gone ahead and worn them anyway. Yes, Summer may just be about to reach the Northern Hemisphere but seasons be damned. You want your thigh-high boots, and you want them now!
It didn’t seem all that long ago that boots on women fell strictly into two domains: equestrian pursuits and ‘come fuck me’ boots. Thankfully society’s hang ups about women in knee-high boots have long since vanished, as has a penchant for overly conservative boots. And women’s boots in 2010 will be anything but conservative.
Yes, over-the-knee boots are back with a vengeance but this 2009/2010 shoe trend won’t stop there. In fact, the top of your boots will be going much higher: thigh-high boots are going mainstream.
Over-the-knee and thigh-high are undoubtedly the hottest shoe trend for women in the Autumn (Fall)/Winter season, but while they scream ’sex’ make sure they don’t do it in the wrong way. Let’s not forget, that both styles of boots are also the domain of those lovely women one sees quite frequently at night ensuring that cars don’t linger for too long near street corners. So to avoid the “I wonder how much she charges” glances I recommend you also avoid two main things with any pair of over-the-knee or thigh-high boots you decide to invest in: chunky heels and a high-sheen patent finish.
Materials
If patent is to be avoided (and PVC never to be considered), then what materials do I recommend? Genuine leather, of which you’re safest investment choice is classic matt black or brown. If you want a more unique colour leather, your other big choices for 2009/2010 are olive greens, greys (see Rodarte and Topshop Unique) or cream/neutral tones. Suede, the other big choice for this trend, is very much the go be it in black, brown, grey, maroon, or pretty much any other colour variation. One other material you might look at incorporating into your 2010 over-the-knee boot collection is shearling or wool lining, which makes for cosy aviation-inspired looks akin to those seen at Antonio Berardi.
Suede thigh-high boots by Antonio Berardi, Marc Jacobs, Hermes,