What Boots are Appropriate for the Office in 2024?
What boots are appropriate for the office in 2024? Have the rules changed for conservative offices — and for business casual offices? Buckles, cork heels, lug soles, harness straps, and more… let's discuss.
The Old Rule: Only Simple, Classic Boots for the Office
The old rule used to be that, for a conservative office, the boot should be as close to plain leather as possible. Simple! Not a conversation point! In years past we've talked about how any of the following items were best to avoid for a very conservative office:
- Decorative buckles and harness-type straps, whether on the toes, vamp, or tops of boots
- Decorative detailing, embroidery, or patchworked pieces, either in the same color/fabric or different color/fabric
- Shoes with a dip in the front, like cowboy boots (sometimes called a “curved topline”)
- Heels that are a different color from the rest of the boot, such as a brown wooden heel with a black suede boot, a red rubber heel on a black boot, cork heels, etc. I think I even remember some readers not liking a strip along the bottom of the heel, like this Blondo boot, that draws attention to the boot.
- Knee-high boots — YES, REALLY!! I still laugh to remember a conversation I had with a friend from law review, as we were taking BarBri classes — she had a tongue ring, for goodness sake! — wherein she suggested that only sex workers wore knee-high boots. This was actually a thing back then — Condoleeza Rice was accused of looking like a “dominatrix” in 2005 when she wore an all-black outfit with knee-high boots, and as recently as 2011 reporters wondered if Michelle Obama's knee-high boots were appropriate for a Veterans' Day service.
- Over-the-knee boots — Here's our last discussion on OTK boots for work… I'm really curious where most people fall on these for work and other conservative environments in 2024! I wore some tan OTK boots to my youngest son's First Communion last year, for what it's worth (worn with a knee-length black dress), but it was a very small class.
What Boots are Appropriate for the Office in 2024?
Readers, what are your thoughts? Where do you draw the line for boots at the office in 2024? Which of your boots for the office are NOT simple leather without buckles, adornments, and more? Do you wear OTK boots to the office? (With skirts or pants?) What factors matter to you when you're buying new boots to wear to work?
A few boots to illustrate the above questions, all from the NAS…
Office Boots We Love in General
The Best Booties for Work (Mid-Calf or Ankle-Height)
Sleek But Walkable Booties for Work
Our favorite sleek but walkable boots for 2024 include the following… also check out comfort brands like Naot, Paul Green, Rothy's, and Dansko.
The Best Ankle Boots for Work
Ankle boots and booties are less popular in 2024, but there are still some solid options if that's what you're looking for. Some of our top picks for work right now include these…
The Best Knee High Boots
Flat Tall Boots For Your Commute
Hunting for black knee-high boots? Here are some of our long-standing favorites as of 2024 (pictured below). HEELED knee-high boots are starting to trend again, also — some of the best looking options include these from J.Crew, Everlane, Veronica Beard and Stuart Weitzman (not pictured).
Knee-Heel Boots for Work with Low Heels
Stay tuned for a roundup of our latest favorite knee-high boots under 2.5″! As of 2024, Staud, J.Crew, Naturalizer and Vince all have nice options — and you can drool over these gorgeous ones from Totême.
Stylish Knee-High Boots With a Heel
As of 2024, knee-high boots with a heel are making a comeback — some of the best-looking options include these from Everlane, Schutz, Veronica Beard and Stuart Weitzman. If you're looking for an affordable alternative to try the style, check out these boots at Loft, or these boots at Amazon, both under $100.
The Best Weatherproof Boots for Work
As of 2024, these are some of our latest favorite weatherproof knee-high boots for work…
Other Boot Styles That May Be In For Work
Are Kitten-Heeled Booties Trending Right Now?
Hunting for other options? Our latest favorite affordable kitten-heeled boots in 2024 include those from Madewell, Marc Fisher LTD, J.Crew, and J.Crew Factory; Schutz has knee-high kitten heel boots.
Are Lug-Soled Boots Appropriate for the Office?
If you ARE on the hunt for lug-sole boots for the office, we're fans of these ones from Blondo, Sam Edelman, and Vionic; on the pricier side we'd go for the Prada ones Gwyneth Paltrow wore to her trial. Know your office, though!
Are Shooties Coming Back as a 2024 Trend?
As of 2024, shooties, aka shoe booties, are not terribly in right now… if you're looking for a heeled version you can still find these stacked shooties from Gentle Souls, as well as a lot of affordable options from Lifestride. You may also want to consider a heeled oxford (like this, this, or this) or a heeled loafer, or some of our favorite strappy pumps… our latest favorite shooties, from the very small selection out there, are below…
Stock photo via Deposit Photos / xcai.
To me, OTK boots still are very pirate-adjacent.
Same. Such a weird look and not office appropriate ever.
+1
I wouldn’t wear the cowboy style or lug sole tan suede ones to work but tbh I wouldn’t wear them anywhere as they look kind of dated to my eye.
The rest are fine, even OTK is not particularly eyebrow raising unless you’re pairing them with a miniskirt, in which case the footwear is not actually the problem.
I think all of these are fine for my office now (if they are your style) except maybe the ones in the middle of that image with the weird protruding heel. It’s sort of business casual but really more like dress for your day. Law firm office of about 300 people in the midwest. None of these should be worn to court or to client meetings, but on other days, I don’t see an issue.
I refuse to think about boots in July :)
That being said, I can’t imagine a scenario in which over the knee boots are acceptable in the office! I also think the middle pair in this image looks too casual, but everything else would probably be fine in my office. Bottom left pair might be pushing it in my office, but personally I think they’re fine
I wore riding boots with harness details to work back then and never thought it was inappropriate! And I am a conservative dresser. (Not conservative politically)
This winter I bought some paddock boots –lace-up, about 5 or 6 inches high, like mini “granny” boots — and I wore them with slacks and with dresses and they scanned just fine at my conservative government legal office. They are my favorite winter-fall-spring shoes now, super comfortable (as they are quite structured and supportive for riding horses) and straight out of the shoe box I could walk around the city all day without blisters. My other boots are knee-high, black leather, inside zipe, an elastic gore at the top for ease, and a sort of faux-horsey tackle/bit design around the ankle, and they have never seemed out of place at the government legal office. (Maybe I wouldn’t wear them in the courtroom, but maybe?)
Certainly i will wear them come the cold but i feel like boots in general are not in right now? isn’t a more current look a loafer or oxford? i’m a middle aged lawyer, hardly trend setting but i haven’t worn a dress with knees boots in at least two years. it’s one of the reason i’ve moved into pants because i’m not wearing heels and i’m not sure what else i would wear with a skirt in the winter if not knee boots.
I still do. I also have wanted some Condoleeza Rice moto lace-up platform lugged sole boots for some time and I would happily wear them to my government legal office and would strut like a million bucks! I wouldn’t care if they were several years out of date, and nobody would bat an eye.
i wear over the knee bootsboots exclusively high heels neutral colors with skirts , pants and dresses