HOW TO COMMUTE IN STYLE: WINTER EDITION
There’s many reasons to dread winter and for a woman on the go in a commuter city like NYC, there’s even more reasons to dread the season. For myself, many of my girlfriends and colleagues- we always start thinking and planning early around one main thing- and that thing is…. drumroll… our footwear.
Yup, it’s called boot season for a reason. What I noticed, and this is something I was guilty of in the past, was that I would buy 2 kinds of boots every winter without fail. Every single time, my boots will fall into two painfully obvious categories: the super cute but can’t commute/barely walk in boots or the super comfy but frumpy, can’t walk around in office/ruining my outfit boots.
So the dilemma was always the same: how do I manage decent winter shoes, that are weather and commute friendly but also fashionable and make my outfit sing? Well, I partnered with DSW to help – and created my very simple but effective 3 step cheatsheet for you to follow.
Here quite simply is how to commute in style during the winter season:
It's all about the heel: I see so many friends give up on heels when it gets cold, wet or when they see a little snow dusting. Of course you should always be practical, but you shouldn't completely close yourself off from heels in mild winter weather. If you're not a heel aficionado, look for heels in the 1.5-2.5 inch range. The more stacked it is (i.e. a thicker/chunkier heel), the higher you can go. A little platform will further improve your odds for comfort and safety on these streets.
What's that made of? It's also about the shoe material: There's probably no worse feeling than wet or cold feet. I'm exaggerating for emphasis, but we all know that's not a fun feeling. Some leather and suede boots may leave you with wet feet syndrome, which is why I recommend that you waterseal your shoes or go with a patent leather type boots that’s waterproof like these Tahara Booties.
Don't give up on style. The frump factor seems to be a given in bad weather, but for those days when you do not want to sacrifice your outfit, push yourself outside the basic black bootie and your comfort zone. You should think fun, try a little sparkle, get a boot with studs, zippers, buckles like these fun Diba Brodie Booties. Or you can even pair it with some tights, leg-warmers, colorful socks- anything goes. There is a place for the standard black bootie, but it can't hurt to play it up every now and then. You can always adjust up or down to suit your work environment and office culture.
And that's it in 3 steps. How do you commute in style? Do you wear the same shoes all day- because they work best with your outfit? Do you swap out at office because your commuting shoes wouldn't work in an office setting? Or have you found the perfect boots that work in all seasons and for all occasions like me?
This post was created in partnership with DSW. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of DSW.