Women's Boots

Shaft height sets the terms for a boot, because how far it rises decides what goes under it and how the leg reads below. Ankle boots stop just above the joint, a group broad enough to hold the Chelsea with its elastic gussets, the laced combat boot, the sharp-toed western and the flat-heeled biker. Mid-calf boots climb to the widest point of the calf and need the shaft width to match, whether slouched and soft or held straight.

Tall boots continue to the knee and beyond, cut close through the leg or left roomy over a trouser, and usually opened by a full-length zip. Heels run from a flat welt through block and stacked shapes to a stiletto set under the heel seat, while soles are either leather with a stitched edge or lugged rubber for grip. Uppers include smooth and grained leather, suede, patent and stretch panels that ease the pull-on.