Boots, Reconsidered: The Season's Runway Story Comes Down to Earth

Flat soles, statement straps and colors bold enough to stop a room — that is the shorthand for fall boots this year, and it traces straight back to the runways that set the tone last season. The trends aren't new inventions so much as a translation: the shapes and details that closed out shows are now the ones worth pairing with a coat and heading out the door in. Texture is doing a lot of the talking too, with unexpected finishes standing in for the usual polish. It is the kind of shift that rewards a closer look at the shelf before assuming last year's pair still says enough.

With reporting from The Zoe Report.