Your solution to rainy-day dressing? Chunky ankle boots and bare legs

It’s been a summer for barely-there sandals and Noughties mules. The shoes that brought polish back to our everyday wardrobes are—we agree—a modern street-style classic (all hail the winner of this trend: The Row’s Bare leather sandal). But, as Europe’s fashion capitals welcome in cooler weather, it’s now time for the FROW to go full-coverage—cue the Chelsea boot (plus hidden cashmere socks). 

What’s all the fuss about?
Forget the grungy flatforms we saw five years ago, Prada’s chunky bovver boots, Bottega Veneta’s and Swedish label Eytys’s covetable buffed leather Chelsea boots set the scene for a modern, unfussy kind of chic. Your posture and bank balance—weekly pedicures are officially cancelled—will thank you later.

OK, who’s wearing chunky flatform boots?
Every fashion editor who’s caught her kitten heels in a metal grate or pavement while walking between shows during the last three weeks. Paris Fashion Week is well underway and even the most dedicated on the international street-style circuit are now running low on preventative blister plasters. 

How do they style them?
In 2019, the aim is to elevate the sturdiest of footwear with stiff, satin pencil skirts, starched trench coats or a leather pinafore dress (note the absence of baggy knits, beanies, denim or Club Kids metallics). The trick is to wear the chunky ankle boot in the same way as you would a cocktail heel; dress them up. The essential element: a flash of bare leg.