7 Outdated Boot Trends To Leave Behind This Fall

When it comes to boots — as either a matter of practicality or fashion — people who live in mostly cold climates deserve a special mention. They probably wear boots more often than most people, but even they take a hiatus for at least a few months. They're often thrilled to find their boots from last season, let alone worry whether the pair is still trendy.

Still, like everyone else who takes the time to zip up, fasten, or tie a boot almost every day, it's usually only a matter of time before that boot draws you in, prompting you to evaluate its cut and embellishments and its place in your wardrobe. This isn't easy not only because footwear trends constantly change but also because the advent of the 2000s speeded change across multiple style continuums, per Tao Paris. It's not hopeless to keep up with the seven outdated boot trends to leave behind this fall. Just try to have fun — and keep an open mind — along the way.

It's easy to bid a hasty goodbye to a guest you didn't really enjoy in the first place. But it pays to be gracious until the door is firmly closed behind them. Round-toe, block-heel boots may have been one of those "guests" on the fashion scene. So, even if takes until early 2023 to erase all traces of them, remember: the door is closed and they're gone.

According to Who What Wear, these boots are uninteresting, but was this really the problem with this clunky, decidedly unstylish footwear? Let's be honest: even the most on-trend pair of slacks had difficulty making the boots look good.

Fashion industry observers have long had a love-hate relationship with slouch boots, which popped up in fashion pages in the 1960s and reappeared in the polarizing 1980s, the Independent says. Today, some observers would rather welcome the return of padded shoulders than the flat, heeled, short, tall, leather, suede, but always rumpled boot style that always seemed to look best when it was slightly obscured by a below-the-knee skirt. Nevertheless, it's time to say goodbye to slouch boots, at least for now!

If you think it's un-American to diss cowboy boots, then how about this: starting a petition to have each of the 50 states designate an official shoe, just like they have an official flower and official bird? This way, cowboy boots can assume their rightful style place in Southern states.

Even Who What Wear doubts that cowboy boots will fully go out of style, ever. It's just that they may exude too much Southern style for people in other regions of the country. (Make an easy substitute by wearing knee-high boots instead.)

Maybe it was that flash of the ankle that made low-shaft booties look unfinished, especially with the skinny ankle jeans that they were paired with most. Now, says Jo-Lynne Shane, the booties are simply outdated, a relic of the past.

Of course, this could change now that boot-cut and flare jeans are relegating skinny jeans to the back of closets. Until then, if you like a low-slung style, try wearing clogs instead. If you haven't worn them in a while, if at all, practice on a soft surface first until you get your balance. Shane is correct to point out that clogs can easily get caught on pant hems.

It could come down to a matter of perspective and also preference. The New York Times' Wirecutter notes that rubber doesn't conform to a human foot as nicely as leather. Since your ankle isn't as restrained, the thought goes that it's easier to walk through puddles in rubber boots. (Either that or the boot risks flopping around on your foot, and this could be dangerous.)

Though rubber boots are meant to provide extra waterproofing, Who What Wear recommends that we dispense the entire matter of rubber boots. It suggests buying a pair of welly boots instead.

Somewhere along the way, sock boots started to look a lot like booties and even ankle boots. There's nothing wrong with the look, mind you; every woman's closet could benefit from a pair of black booties. They're as versatile as they are timeless. Not only did they slip on like a shoe and provide extra warmth, but the earliest renditions also resembled a ribbed sock (and sometimes a rumpled one). When sold in multiple colors, you could buy several pairs without batting an eye. It was all too easy to snatch them up.

But sock boots appeared to have lost their way, which is perhaps why the Brunette from Wall Street claims that they're uninteresting now. You may, too, until they reclaim their niche.

You may have seen pictures of Blake Lively, Katie Holmes, and Zoë Kravitz wearing hiking boots and thought, "I didn't know they were hikers." If you'd put trudging through the streets of New York or Los Angeles under the category of "hiking," then maybe they are.

But chances are good they were simply trying to make what E! News describes as a bizarre fashion moment. As much as you may admire the celebs' usual fashion sense, this one may have left you uninspired. Leave these boots to a legitimate hike through the woods or up a mountainside.