It’s Knee-High Boot Season—Here’s How Everyone Will Be Styling Them This Fall

The fashion industry likes to consider fall as “boot season,” but if you ask me, there’s only one shafted shoe style that matters, and those are the ones that settle right below the knee and make every outfit infinitely more refined. Knee-high boots are classic for a reason. They go with everything, provide far more stability than any sandal or slingback can, and protect you from the dropping temperatures that might not be here yet, but will be very soon (count on it). A good pair will get you all the way through autumn—even if you wear them every day—and winter, not to mention spring and summer (or am I the only one who can’t give up my knee-highs no matter how hot it gets?).

There’s only one problem. Every footwear designer on the planet makes boots in the fall. It’s basically law. And though my workplace pays me to navigate through clothes, bags, and shoes all day, I’m pretty sure a majority of others do not. That’s why I went ahead and spent a few hours finding every chic pair on the market, not to mention a bevy of outfits to inspire your styling of them, and dropped them all in an easy, effortless list below. Thank me later when your boots arrive and you can’t stop wearing them.