In March 2017, Chanel sent glitter boots down the runway. A few months later, the kirakira+ app went viral.
Coincidence? I think not. Kirakira has been around since 2015; I’m inclined to credit the boots for the boost.
As glitter boots infiltrated the feet of influencers and the feeds of millions of social media followers, they also ushered in a new era of glitter mania. I haven’t witnessed this much sparkle since my fourth birthday party, which was Tinker Bell-themed.
Shiny shoe after shiny shoe has tantalized me this season, but their ubiquity begs a very important question: Can you actually wear an aggressive glitter boot in everyday circumstances without looking like you fun-dipped your shins too far inside a disco ball? There was only one way to find out. I called in three of my favorite pairs and devised the following tips for pulling them off:
Tip #1: Lean into the sheen
Glitter boots make a statement followed by 1,000 exclamation points, which means the rest of the outfit will likely require a dose of excited punctuation to balance it out. A metallic trench coat is just the thing (the more reflective material the merrier, as the saying goes). Cherry popsicle-red cyborg shades don’t hurt either.
Tip #2: Introduce the disco with some Crisco
When you’re test-driving an adventurous new wardrobe ingredient like the boots in question, grease the wheels with a tried and true pantry staple, i.e. the sartorial equivalent of Crisco: a white shirt. Not only does pairing something classic with something ostentatious create a nice element of contrast, it also effectively allows you to experiment within the warm cocoon of your comfort zone.
Tip #3: Let opposites attract instead of being so exact
Well, well, well. Here we are at the third and final glitter boot takeaway (I didn’t set out to make all of these tips rhyme, by the way. It happened accidentally with the first two and I got excited and the rest is history). I guess now is as good a time as any to explain why I decided to style glitter boots with tweed Bermuda shorts. Can you think of a more unlikely duo? Exactly. Glitter boots are kind of like the stereotypical fictional popular high school girl in that they are extremely pretty, a little narcissistic and subject to a good deal of swooning. Ergo, per the plot of any compelling romance, their perfect match is the least obvious. That way it’s a much more interesting story, and a much more interesting outfit.
Do I get a trophy for the number of whack-a-doodle metaphors I used in this post? Please dispense accordingly in the comments. Oh, and tell me what you think about glitter boots.
Modeled by Zohara Even of Wilhemina Models, follow her on Instagram at @zohara_even. Photos by Edith Young.
