I came across a comment thread recently where a woman around my age (slightly younger) was asking what to wear on a trip to NYC and was promptly cut down by someone who probably moved there six years ago from Ohio, who declared that skinny jeans with ankle boots were “a no-go” and implored the woman to trade up to rigid straight-leg jeans with platform boots. Which made me think, “You can pry my ankle boots off of my cold, dead feet,” and no pair more so than my Chloe Susanna boots. A version of this style first debuted way back in 2008 but was wisely brought back in 2011 by Hannah MacGibbon, a Phoebe Philo disciple (remember, Phoebe Philo took over as Chloe’s head designer after working under Stella McCartney in the early 2000s!). That’s when the style really took off—I remember seeing a pair on Sienna Miller—and Chloe has brought it back every year since, cementing its status as a straight-up footwear icon. I bought my pair of Susanna boots back in 2016 (full disclosure: when they were well under $1,000; I still think they’re well worth the investment) and to this day, they’re one of my favorite and most worn shoes in my wardrobe. I get compliments from a wide range of people every single time I wear them, but more importantly, they just make whatever your’e wearing look that much cooler. So with that in mind, here are 7 different ways to wear Chloe Susanna boots.
With black skinny pants
Confession: I work from home (which is an old, drafty Victorian) so most days, what I wear is pretty basic, warm, and cozy. This outfit is pretty much my M.O. lately—just dressed up a bit with my Susanna boots, instead of the rain boots I’ve been wearing for what feels like the last three weeks straight. And while this is a work-from-home look, I think it would suffice for an actual workplace as well.
With bare legs
This one’s from the way-back machine (five years ago, to be more precise), but I still own and actively wear all of these things. First of all, black, white, and leopard is a combination I will never tire of. And this look pretty much proves that you can wear the boots with nearly everything, including bare legs.
With jeans
I wear these boots with jeans all the time and in fact, have featured them more recently here, but I hate the newer outfit (in fact I’ve gotten rid of everything except my accessories), so I’m going with this one instead—and in this case, I wear everything here on the regular. (The blazer, in fact, got its own 7 ways to wear it treatment in the above link.)
With tights and a skirt, part 1
The nice thing about these boots is that the studs make them flex a little fancy, which is why I think they work so well with skirts and dresses. Wear them with a sparkly skirt like this one and you’re ready to go to a holiday party.
With tights and a skirt, part 2
Same location, same outfit formula (hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it): moto jacket, cashmere sweater, silky skirt, black tights, Susanna boots. But I think the bright pop of color makes it feel like a totally different outfit and a great one for Valentine’s Day, which is coming up.
With a maxi dress
This is one of my favorite outfit combinations of all time: a super-comfy maxi dress, a fitted leather jacket, a pop of leopard print, and of course, my Susanna boots. I like how just a bit of skin shows at the ankle, but on a colder day, you could also layer tights underneath.
With a T-shirt dress
I debated even showing this look because it’s 1) so old and 2) so old that I don’t have hi-res images anymore, but I decided to keep it in because it shows how long I’ve owned these boots (I think I even bought them the year before this) and also, I’m about to hit my 20-year blog-iversary later this year (no, I will not shut up!), so you might want to get used to seeing some older photos of me more regularly 😉
A note on sizing
I’ve found that this style runs super big. I am almost always a U.S. size 8.5 or an EU 39, and I had to size down to a 38 in the Susanna. But they are super comfy (I can wear mine with a medium-weight sock) and the leather is buttery-soft. I can’t recommend them enough!
