fall shoes

Booties, booties, booties, booties rockin’ everywhere!

One could totally take the words “nude booties” in a myriad of directions, but for the purposes of this post we’re talking about shoes — specifically cutie-patootie tan, taupe, brown and beige ankle boots with totally comfy and walk-able heel heights, i.e. 2 inches or less, because I got no time to chase after a tabby in high heels.

I don’t know how I missed this nirvana of nudity when I was at DSW last week looking for flats, but this week DSW’s ankle boot situation is all kinds of lit. I’m talking boots with braids, buckles, buttons and steely studs.

No worries if you aren’t into trendy tassels or flirty fringe, either, because they had lots of low-key styles, too.

The Novato store had at least three rows dedicated to booties, and I tried on every single pair. (Not really, but almost.) Meanwhile, Connor kissed every mirror she passed and pretended to change her doll’s diaper on the every single bench.

I also spent a good chunk of time chasing her as part of her training for American Ninja Warrior: The Toddler Edition. Her training involves sprinting down the long aisles at DSW, which also affords me an opportunity to chase her, thereby conducting an impromptu bootie test.

These three passed with flying colors…

Bare Traps Greta Bootie ($69.99)

Perforations (a.k.a punched out holes in the material, which is typically suede) are a big bootie trend right now.

At first I wasn’t sure about these Bare Traps booties. Are you supposed to wear them with bare feet like a hybrid bootie-sandal? If so, wouldn’t your feet be cold? Or is the suede supposed to keep your toes warm??

Such important questions, right? 🙂

Turns out you can go bare or wear them with socks… Yes, socks will still look cute, but I think you’d want solid color socks in a complementary shade because you’ll see them through the perforations.

I’m wearing black ankle socks with these, and I think they’re totally cute.

SNEAKY SHOE PRO TIP #1: (Because I cannot be the only person who does this.) If you ever go to DSW and don’t see your size on the side of a box, turn the box around to check the back for a size label. 😉

I wear a size seven, which is pretty common, so it usually sells out quickly. Shh… Don’t tell anyone, but when I’m on the fence about a shoe and only see one pair available, I’ll turn the box around and put the box back on the shelf so the label with the size isn’t immediately visible…

Yes, I do this to discourage other people from finding it… I don’t know if it actually works, but I do know that when I was looking for a size seven in these Bare Traps, it just so happened that someone had sneakily turned the box around! HMMMM.

Toms Leila Bootie ($79.99)

These tan suede booties have a cushioned footbed, so they feel like you’re walking on fluffy clouds.

They’re also slightly pointy in the toe, so the lengthening effect (which I want!) is more obvious than it is with the other styles. The only thing is, the heel is 2 1/4 inches high, which is still a relatively low heel…but if you prefer flats, it might be a smidgen too high.

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