Rumi Neely: Wear Your Boots in the Summer – Glam Radar

With summer right around the corner, it’s about time to light up your wardrobe and add some key pieces to pull off your style. During summer months, boots can be a great addition to your summer style. But wearing them in the heat can take a little extra fashion know-how, so let’s take a few style cues from Fashion Toast blogger, Rumi Neely, on how to achieve a casual-cool look on boots in the summer.

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Rumi Neely is a blogger, stylist, designer and a voice that inspires fashion lovers around the world. In 2007, she launched her blog, Fashion Toast, a creed of her casual style that shows how she pulled high and low aesthetic together effortlessly, particularly on wearing boots in all styles. Rumi also launched her clothing line, Are You Am I, a line of luxury essentials, varying from lingerie-inspired slips to barely-there shorts.

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Boots are a brilliant compromise compared to flat shoes that can make legs look short and stumpy, and stilettos that simply isn’t practical to wear all day just for a lift on height. Boots that have adjustable buckles can easily be modified to make them the perfect size. But they can make short legs look shorter and wide legs even wider if worn inappropriately. So you’ll have to work with your proportions, height, and body figure to gain a perfect look.

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Pear-shaped figures – wide at the bottom of the body – look best with simple boot styles with a heel to avoid drawing too much attention downwards. Match the look with a short sweater, good makeup or a pair of lovely earrings. Inverted triangle figures – wide at the top of the body – look best in bright colored or embellished styles to visually “fill out” the slim legs and draw attention away from the shoulders. Rectangle shaped figures – with little or no waist definition – look best in detailed boots because the goal is to add curves to the body frame. Apple shaped figures – round or wide torso – also look best in bright colored or embellished styles just like the inverted triangle shaped figures. Enhance the look with a belted cardigan or sweater. Be sure to avoid heavy and wide fringes on boots unless you’re tall and thin or a rock star; since it makes your legs will look like clunky.

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Consider what boots might be the most convenient for you, in terms of color. Black is always good, although you want to be watchful with it. Match the boots with the color of the bottom such as black ankle booties with black skinny jeans or leggings, and tan boots on tan skin. Darker shades look great with both ankle and knee-high boots. Often times, mixing contrasting colors such as black on white will visually cut your legs in half, making you look shorter. But when paired with darker skinny jeans, you avoid that issue. Light colored skinny jeans are not meant for knee-high boots since they cut off your legs more harshly in light-colored pants, getting you look shorter. Given that light jeans are not very slimming and flattering, shortening your legs with knee-high boots can make that impression even worse. It’s best to pair your white jeans with ankle boots to elongate the legs.

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The taller the shaft of the boot, the shorter the skirt should be. Being dressed in a knee-length dress with a taller shaft creatively shortens the leg and gives you a chopped-off stubby look. This applies to dresses, mini skirts, and shorts as well. Also, if you’re short, avoid complex details that make you look shorter. Knee-high boots better not be worn with shorts because the proportions cut your legs off in two different spots, again making you look shorter. For the most part, straight miniskirts or dresses complement both ankle and tall boots. It’s better to pair the knee-high boots with a tight skirt or dress that flows more on top. A long sleeve, dress or something not too form-fitting or low-cut would work well with the knee high boots. Both ankle boots and knee-high boots work great with voluminous dresses and skirts. The loose fit makes either boot ideally. Choosing which shoe to go for just depends on the look you’re trying to get.

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Stay away from boots that land at the widest part of your leg. This is especially valid for women who consider their legs to be one of their problem spots. If you have thicker thighs, avoid boots that get to up to your thigh. The line across the top will only make a wider leg impression. Rather, opt for knee-high boots or boots that rise just above the knee. Midi skirts are already challenging to style and can often make you look shorter, so teaming them with ankle boots is a much better alternative. Thus, you can see the thinnest part of your legs and keep them looking long and slim.

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And also avoid gaping. Some boot styles are designed to have some slouch. Your boots should fit firmly yet fashionable. There should be adequate room to tuck in skinny jeans, but not too loose for your leg to slide back and forth inside the boot. If you decide to wear leggings with the boots, make sure that you don’t show any skin between the boots and hem. The best pants styles are tight or slim, which are less difficult to tuck in the boots. Make sure the bottom is slim or tapered around the leg so that the hem looks slim and straight when tucking them in the boots.

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Stay away from pairing the boots with flare or wide leg as it creates an unflattering balloon impression. Pants and boyfriend jeans can also be worn to uncover some skin, but the boots must be short around the shaft, right below your ankles. Knee-high boots were designed for fitted jeans so you can avoid that bulky area around the knee. Save your boyfriend jeans for ankle boots and make sure to roll them.

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When shopping for boots, always remember that a little bit of heel slims your calves. Stick to matte material textures such as leather since shiny materials like patent will broaden the size of your feet. Opt for boots with minimal interest since a lot of straps and buckles will make your legs look heavy. You must also try boots with noticeable zipper detail for a maximum slimming effect. Also, select boots with a tapered or slim shaft. Even though your ankles look smaller with a slim shaft, it may disrupt the sleek outline we’re aiming for and pull your body frame down if you have short legs.

Boots in the summer are best saved for a night out on the city. They spark a little bit of elegance and style that catch the eyes because most women will be wearing sandals or pumps.

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