I always thoughts boots were for winter. But now I see them in all sorts of weather and for so many occasions. What is this about? Are we really supposed to wear boots in summer? — Steve, New York
Have you never gone to a music festival? Wellies and cowboy boots in the sweltering mosh pits of summer are as common as daisy chains and short shorts. (In fact, they are generally worn with daisy chains and short shorts. See Kendall Jenner at Coachella in black boots and white cutoffs.) Now, however, they have spread to more urban settings. Not to mention the runway.
It’s not a coincidence that perhaps the most consistent booster of boots at all times is the Condé Nast global chief content officer Anna Wintour, who wears both knee-high and ankle styles with dresses year-round.
For Tamara Mellon, the woman who put Jimmy Choo on the footwear map before starting a signature line, boots are now as much a warm weather staple as sandals. “They make a summer outfit feel more pulled together than sandals, especially for officewear,” she said.
Outside, they protect the foot from dirty city streets in a way that sandals cannot, and inside they protect from overly air-conditioned spaces.
Like Ms. Wintour, Ms. Mellon likes high boots with long dresses — Stevie Nicks-coded or more streamlined — but she considers ankle boots the most versatile investments. “They take you from winter to summer and look modern with shorts or miniskirts and evening dresses,” she said. The effect is not that different from wearing sneakers and ankle socks, just a lot chicer.
Dana Levine, a stylist who works with Shonda Rhimes, among other high-powered women, said the appeal of summer boots lay in the juxtaposition of feminine or summery clothes with tougher footwear. The contrast complicates the messaging in interesting and potentially provocative ways.
Still, wearing heavy footwear in hot weather is not without complications.
On the plus side, Dr. Rock Positano, the co-director of the nonsurgical foot and ankle service at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, said that for people who have issues with their feet or ankles, boots in summer can be salutary. For anyone with plantar fascia, Achilles’ tendon or heel and knee issues, they’re actually a good idea.
“The boot provides stability in these areas and often protects against overuse injuries,” Dr. Positano said. Especially if the boot has a one- to two-inch heel.
One caveat: Make sure the boots are not too tight. Heat tends to cause the foot to swell, and, Dr. Positano said, “swelling is the natural enemy of the foot and ankle.” Trying to shove a too-big foot into a too-small shoe is, he said, “the equivalent of trying to put 10 gallons of water into a five-gallon tank.”
He calls this the “Cinderella complex” of footwear and advises avoiding it. Test the fit of boots in the mid- to late afternoon, when swelling is usually at its height.
Further risks: If your feet sweat a lot in the summer heat, you are at risk for athlete’s foot and contact dermatitis. “Perspiration in a closed boot in a warm climate may actually cause chemicals in the boot material to leach out and cause skin inflammation,” Dr. Positano said.
All of which is why Ms. Levine, the stylist, suggests wearing microfiber socks with your boots, maybe even keeping an extra pair in your handbag. Zak Scott, the head of marketing for the shoe company Sole Bliss — its sand-colored suede ankle and cowboy boots are summer best sellers — also recommends looking for boots lined in leather because leather acts as a natural wicking material, allowing feet to breathe no matter what season it is.
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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