Tall Fall Boots - A Must Have For Every Woman's Fall Wardrobe

Tina, here.

I start wearing boots as soon as it seems reasonable for a southern girl to do so...August? That's reasonable, don't you think? I knew you'd agree with me.

But of course there are rules for wearing boots when it's still SUMMER. And here are mine.

Note: I'll be wearing these boots all fall and winter, in new ways. And this week you can see how all of us over here at Your Style Vault are wearing our boots this fall. Be sure to subscribe to the blog so you don't miss out on all the fun. We'll email you weekly updates, but you can check here daily for new posts!

1. Introduce your lightest color pair of boots first while the temps still read HOT.

I wear this white t-shirt dress all summer with sandals and fun jewelry. But now I'm slowly transitioning my summer wardrobe to fall with the simple addition of well-placed fall accessories, like this pair of tan boots. (Your Style Vault Complete Insiders can shop a similar pair of tan boots inside this style set. This collection is available to Complete Insiders; to upgrade your Style Vault membership or sign up for a free 5 day trial, click here and start shopping even more categories.)

A darker color pair of boots would be too bottom-heavy for this white dress. So that's why I loooove my tan boots. You can also wear them with white jeans.

I've even switched to a more neutral palette for my jewelry, so rather than a seashell or pink gumball necklace, I've gone with a year-round look so that nothing really stands out too much.

2. As the temps get cooler, just add one more autumnal accessory, like a jacket.

These army green jackets are the best. I wore mine last spring to transition winter dresses into spring, and now I can use it to take summer outfits into fall. If you'd like to shop the whole outfit, plus all our contributors' favorite fall boots outfits, check out the all-new Your Style Vault Complete.

Don't forget to push up those sleeves to show your forearms! I know I sound like a broken record, but repetition does produce results :)

3. For a wear-to-work look in early fall, I like to stick with all neutrals so that the boots don't look out of place with either a too-summery dress or a too heavy suit.

I mean, I wear neutrals all the time, so this isn't really going out on a limb for me, but what it does accomplish is a seasonless outfit that feels right for late summer and for early fall, without dying of heat outside or catching your first cold inside an over-AC'd office.

Ivory, black and tan. My dream wardrobe. Wait, that is my wardrobe. Dream achieved!

High arch? Thin calves? If you have thin calves and find yourself swimming in boots, or can't get your foot to slide into a pair of boots, here's a solution: Look for knee boots that have a zipper going aaaaalll the way from the top to the bottom. Here's why:

For high arches, you have to have that opening at the ankle so your foot can make the turn. And if you have thin calves, a cobbler (oh ok a shoe repair place) can cut the zipper and remove some of the leather and sew it back narrower. But the key is you have to have a zipper that extends from one end of the boot to the other.

Up next this week you'll get to see how our favorite boots are being styled by Fabulous Over Fifty Barbara, Finding Your Fit Francie and Young and Trendy Deidre. And I hope you saw Jessica's Modern Trends boots post - because there's a really generous Boot Giveaway plus an exclusive offer of 25% off her fave fall boots! {The boot giveaway and 25% off discount are exclusive to Complete Insiders; to upgrade your Style Vault membership or sign up for a free 5 day trial, click here and start shopping and saving in even more categories.}