Today’s reader mail comes from J, who is trying to keep her pants from dragging on the ground…
As a New Yorker, I walk at least a couple blocks to get to commute to work. As many women do, I usually leave my heels at my desk at work and wear more comfortable shoes to and from work. The problem is that for my pants to look good with heels, they are too long to wear with the comfy flats/cute sneakers I wear for the commute and drag on the dirty streets. How do women who have to walk for part of their commute deal with this conundrum and not ruin their pants???
This is a dilemma a lot of women face, and there are a variety of ways to deal with it. (Pictured: Pants too long, originally uploaded to Flickr by puck90.) First, we would suggest assessing what heel height, in general, you’re comfortable in for work shoes — and having your pants hemmed to that level. As a reminder: your pant should brush the top of your foot, and no more than an inch or so of heel should be showing in the back. For us, that comes to around 2″, 2.5″ — which, honestly, can usually be worn with commuting shoes that have a decent (thick) sole. (We just tend to wear our higher heels exclusively with skirts instead — it works out particularly well in the summertime if we opt to commute in flip-flops.) But let’s say your comfort level is close to 4″. In that case, you have a few options.
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Today’s reader question has to do with boots for suits:
Spending a lot of time in cold, wet Washington the last few weeks has convinced me I have got to find boots that I can wear with a suit. I don’t want to be Sarah Palinesque, and as much as I love my Frye Harness Boots, that is clearly not the look. What advice do you have for boots with a basic conservative suit (think Lafayette)?
This is a great question, as — you’re right — the Harness boots probably aren’t the look. We would argue that, on casual days, you can probably wear things like Hunter
rain boots beneath your suit pants while traveling to/from the office, provided you switch into pumps once arriving at the office — but then, Hunter boots aren’t the best when it’s freezing. (And, lest you make the same mistake we’ve made: The classic Uggs are not waterproof. Yes, they are both ugly and nonfunctional.) We’ve always heard great things about the LaCanadienne brand: supposedly ridiculously comfortable, fashionable(ish), and waterproof. (Pictured at top: La Canadienne – Doreta (Black Leather) – Footwear, on sale at Zappos for $199 (formerly $250).) We would probably stick with this kind of boot to wear with suits — mid-calf, so it won’t look too odd beneath your pant leg, with a reasonably low heel that you can walk in if it’s icy and cold. (You might want to think about what kind of socks you’ll wear with it when you buy it — e.g., the thicker the sock, the larger the size.) If even that one looks too high, you may want to try a wedge boot (particularly if your suit pants are hemmed for heels) or something lower, such as these “Flora” boots by Santana (pictured at right.) (Santana – Flora (Black Suede) – Footwear, available at Zappos for $124.)
If you don’t care about fashion at all (or heel height), we’ve had good luck with the inexpensive waterproof shoes and boots from Land’s End. For example, try the “Weatherly Shoes,” now on sale for $19.99.
Readers, how do you survive the cold, rain, sleet, and snow?
