Don’t Cut Your Leg Off Despite Your Booties!
Curvy women or petite women, listen up. I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Booties can make you look fat! Gasp! I said fat. I’m serious.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t wear them. Finding the right booties for your curvaliciousness might be more challenging but they are too good not to do a little hunting. But I’m here to show you why some booties work and some don’t help get you started. Here are the best booties for curvy women or women with muscular calves.
These same principles apply to to vertically challenged women so I could have easily called this the best booties for petite women as well. But since I personally know the challenges from a curvy perspective, this is how I’ll roll.
Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links which means I will make a small commission if you make a purchase through a link. However, this is not reflected in the price you pay for any item. Thank you for your continued support both from your purchases and your encouraging comments. You keep this blog up and running.
The Best Booties for Curvy Women Are…
Do you know why I love shoes so much? They never make you feel fat. But, that doesn’t necessarily apply to ankle boots.
We put time and thought into wearing clothes that flatter us the best so let’s not ruin that by putting on a bootie that looked good on that skinny, long-legged influencer but will effectively cause us to look like a stump. ;-( But there are booties that can actually elongate our legs…
Ankle booties with a notched shaft or one that dips in the front are the BEST Booties for curvy women or women with thick legs or those with short legs.
The most important principle for dressing slim is to visually create long lines! So when choosing short booties, the same rule applies.
Booties: Jeffrey Campbell
Here’s WHY I think they work, they:
- Draw the eye up AND down, and elongate the leg
- Don’t visually cut the leg off, creating stumps
- Look better with skirts or shorts
- Create a visual *”arrow”, even with jeans
*The deeper the notch the longer the “arrow”.
You can see that even if I had worn a dress with a straight hemline, the notched booties create a leaner looking leg.
BUT, this dress also helps elongate the leg and you can see how I styled it NINE ways here.
We have a little more leeway when wearing booties with jeans. However, you can see that the tiny V-sliver of an ankle that shows between the hem and the booties is flattering. Note: Even if I wore “sock” booties, I would not wear them with these jeans. I chose to keep the photos cohesive.
DON’T FALL FOR EVERY BOOTIE TREND
Trends in clothes and shoes come and go. Just like all colors don’t work on every complexion, not every bootie style works on all body types.
I think it’s best to leave some of the other bootie styles, like the sock bootie or those with tall straight shafts that sit above the ankle bone or higher to the ladies with straight or skinny legs. But if you decide to try them or want to make those you already own more flattering, keep the “elongating” principles in mind. Wear them with tights or pants of the same color. Another option would be to find booties that are close to the color of your skin like these in the center photos above.
We’re Not Alone
Before you go feeling sorry for your curvy self, thinking, “here’s another thing curvy women can’t just pick up and put on”, we’re not alone. Petite women have the same style challenge. A petite figure needs to create an elongated line too.
Check out these posts from Jessica at Petite Style Script and Audrey of Putting Me Together.
The Best Bootie for Me Could Be The Best Bootie for Thee 😉
It took me a while to figure out why I didn’t like the way certain booties looked on me. But when I realized that all the ankle boots I reached for over and over again had a dip in the front it made sense.
Notched shaft booties are harder to find, but I’m hoping that in the future more brands will offer better choices each season.
In the end, I always say wear what makes you feel good. But I feel better when I know I look my best. While nothing I wear will make me look like I’m 135 pounds again, I chose styles that flatter me even if that means I can’t hop on every trend.
TRY ‘EM, YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY LIKE ‘EM!
So if you’ve wondered why you can’t pull off ankle booties or just “don’t like them” and you know you have a thick, curvy or muscular leg, try a notched shaft bootie and tell me if it makes a difference.
TAKE YOUR BOOTIES UP A NOTCH
Unfortunately, all the booties pictured here are no longer available but I’ve found a few I’d be willing to add to my shoe wardrobe.
Similar to my favorite Born boot || Western Inspired || Deep-V || Dress Bootie Option || Open Toe || Open Toe Dressy || Leopard Print || BEAUTIFUL Nude Color || Flat
BUT IF YOU CAN”T FIND YOUR NOTCHED BOOTIE…
Wear a booties close to your flesh tone. I found out my skintone is called tortilla as indicated by these booties. ;-D
Two of my favorite booties this season are THESE and THESE
Be cute and confident!
Paula
Shop Similar Booties
What a great idea. I’ll need to be on the hunt, though I’m taller and try to avoid a heel, so it’s always a struggle finding a cute boot that is flat and flattering. lol
Author
I’m not super tall but I have finicky feet, so I try to find lower heels if I can. I ordered these David Tate, Fame booties while I was doing research for this post and even though they have a small heel, they feel divine on the foot. They could be worth a try.
Hugs,
Paula
I never knew…excellent into and post. Sharing.
Author
Thanks so much Cathy. It’s good to know that I’m putting our relevant content.
XO,
Paula
This is spot on, thanks!! As someone with muscular calves and lover of booties, this is perfect 🙂
Author
I’m super glad you found this helpful Heide. Hope you can find a new bootie or two that will last you for years.
XO,
Paula
Great post. I have had such a hard time trying to wear booties. I know they are stylish but I never think they look good on me. Thanks for all the visual examples. Going shopping for some notched ones. Thanks!
Susan
http://www.over50under20.com
Author
Thanks for the love Susan. I’m so glad you found this helpful. I hope you find so cutie booties. 😉
Hugs,
Paula
I think you look great in all the booties, Paula. I’m super short, so sometimes this same principal applies for that too…at least that’s what my mom pounded into me growing up. But you know Julia of When the Girls Rule?? She just had the best thought. She was talking about stripes, and said, “I’m allowed to take up some space and I have more important things to focus on than the need to look smaller”. I thought that was very profound.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Author
You’re so sweet Jodie! As I said in the post, I agree that we should wear what feels good to us. But like with horizontal stripes (which I love and wear), I will choose styles, cuts and the size of stripes that are the most flattering to me because I FEEL best when a look flatters me. I don’t think we should shrink back and try to “hide” our body proportions, but I’m all for accentuating the positive. 😉
XO,
Paula
I love the jeans you have on with the booties in the pictures. I can never find jeans that look decent on me . Would you please tell me the brand you have on and where you bought them? Thank you so much !!
Author
Hi Phyllis!
I’m sorry I didn’t link similar jeans. These are NYDJ in the Clarrisa cut. NYDJ are some of my FAVORITES, but I don’t think they make the Clarrisa anymore. The Alina is similar though. I think the ones I’m wearing are a size 14. And the ankle length is flattering with most shoe and bootie styles. Here are a few links I found for the Clarissa though:
https://rstyle.me/n/dac2dqcdmi7
https://rstyle.me/n/dac2nvcdmi7
Alina (these are a great deal too)
https://rstyle.me/n/dac2r3cdmi7
Hope you find some good ones.
Paula
Thank you so very much for the info!!!
SO TRUE! The struggle is real!! Great advice…thank you Paula!!
You sold me on the Vince Camuto cognac suede booties but no size 7 😭
I had no idea that the shape and color of ankle boots matters so much! Thanks for the awesome ankle boot tips, Paula!
Great post and makes perfect sense. Love all the visual aids too.
Great informative post! There are certain style of booties that I just can’t wear. I have a pair with the “notch “ and I love them!
YES YES YES! I’ve tried 5 different pairs of booties this season and they are all wrong for me. Thank you for this post. I can’t seem to find the link to all the boots you show (specifically, the second from the right and the second from the left in the 5-across picture.) Thank you!
Author
Hey Kate!
So sorry I haven’t responded sooner. Those boots are SO good. They are the Born Michel Bootie from a couple of years ago and my go-to bootie for comfort and style. You can find them in limited sizes and colors if you search them on Google. They run slightly large as I’m wearing a size 9 and would normally wear a 9 1/2 to 10. Here are a couple of links:
Tobacco color
Black leather
Hope you find some to love.
Paula
YES! This is so true and the story of my life 🙂
Where are all the boots linked? Specifically the second from the right in the jean photo.
I just found you !!! Thank you for all the great tips and ideas. Im also big thigh and short legs , what’s your take on boots? Really tall, knee high or shorter ?
Thank you !
Author
Yay, I’m so glad you’re here Flori! Funny you should ask about tall boots as I’ve just shot some photos on a post about the right height for girls with muscular calves. I think taller is better, but I’m mixed on over the knee on women of any size. It’s just a personal preference. Keep watching for it.
Hugs,
Paula
Hi Paula, this is exactly what I was looking for! Great pics that show the difference in shaft heights, I agree that the “notched” really helps elongate. Now I am off the buy a pair, cheers!
-Claire
This was crazy helpful! Thank you for doing this!!
Author
You’re welcome Mey! So glad you found it helped you.
Hugs,
Paula
Thank you for this post! Just discovered your site and I’m enjoying everything- I’m also really hoping you can tell me where to find this dress! (Or something similar) I absolutely adore it!
Thanks for all the tips and great information!
Lisa
Author
Hi Lisa. Welcome to the blog. This dress is from Anthropologie a couple of years ago. I still have it. ☺️ I will tell you that Target & Old Navy are killing it with affordable dresses this year, but Anthro rarely disappoints.
Thank you for getting back to me! I’m checking out all three stores, and I ordered a pair of the Born booties from eBay.
I hate to be a bother, but do you have any more information on the dress, like the collection name and/or year? It’s just such a flattering cut and pattern; I’d love to find one on eBay or Poshmark. If not, I understand ☺️
Thanks again!
Lisa
Author
I hope you love the booties as much as I do.
The dress is the Avalon Shift Dress (if you put Avalon shift dress in the search on their site, they gave it in a navy color in size small and x-small) I’m wearing an xl and you can find my measurements on my “shop” page.
Anthropologie Brand – Akemi + Kin
The SKU (price) tag reads as follows:
C: 4130
V: 031799
S: 0000158
C: PP MOTIF
Then on top right of bar code it reads:
CP1019 18 19
Then under the bar code it reads:
47557525
Hope that helps and that you have luck finding it on EBay or PoshMark or something.
Hugs,
Paula
Thank you!! I’m on the hunt 😂
Author
Fingers crossed 🤞 you find it. I did a quick scan yesterday. They’re out there but I couldn’t seem to find any above a shoe small.
In the last three boots pictures wearing jeans, which boots are those? I’m trying to find them on ebay or poshmark.
Thanks so much!
This blog is Awesome!!!! finally someone that is normal in size and real. Thank you.
Author
THANK YOU SO MUCH Laurie! So glad to have you here. 😘
I am a short curvy girl and what I saw as the most flattering were the boots in a nude color. Like wearing shoes with a dress, the nude colored shoes elongate your legs too. Personally I prefer knee high boots with a hem that goes over the top or same color tights underneath.
Author
Hi D, I’m smitten with fresh color booties too! So much so, I’m working on a post about the ones I’m loving right now in particular.
I used to wear knee high boots a lot too, but because my calves are so large, a bootie just feels more comfortable.
Happy boot season! 😄
Paula
Thanks so much for these tips.
Author
You are very welcome Cheryl. A flesh-toned bootie, that’s close to your own skin color also does wonders for elongating a curvy body. Happy bootie season. 😘
Hugs,
Paula
First I have to say that I would love your curves! My hour glass has the sand at one end. Next a question about the shape of the heel on booties. Do you think any one style is more flattering?
Author
Hi Marc,
“Sand on one end”… 😂 These photos definitely don’t show my sand… it’s in the back. 🍑 Thank you so much for the compliment.
As for heel shape. I don’t think one is necessarily more flattering than the other but even a little heel height can help. The goal is to create a visually longer line to stretch us a bit so I think the detail to pay the most attention to is the shaft height and shape.
The next thing to note is the color; even if you can’t find a notched shaft or one that’s lower in the front, choose one that’s close in color to your skin, especially when wearing them this a shorts or a dress.
Hope that helps,
Paula
Ugh yes, thank you!!! I’ve been trying to explain this to others but people don’t think shoes have anything to do with being curvy. I appreciate all the tips and suggestions. I’m going shoe shopping tonight with focus instead of confusion. 👏😁
Author
YOU are WELCOME! YES, they certainly do. When ever I wear something tiny like a ballet flat I feel like I’m Tommy, in Tommy Boy, “Fat guy in a little coat.” ;-D
Hugs,
Paula
Right! Who knew. Thanks for your info. I love booties and have a few pairs but none are notched . Time for shopping! Thank you!
Author
Happy shopping! 😄
Love this! Wondering- which booties are you wearing in the first picture in the dress? Love how they look!
Author
These are very old Alex. The brand is Report. I have a very similar pair in tan that are Carlos Santana, but again, this is a super hard style to find. I try to update the links as I find them. Here is a pair I recently found on Nordstrom. They are darker than pictured but still flattering.
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/gqm8tncdmi7
And these are mules, but I found them very flattering as well-
https://rstyle.me/cz-n/gsi8dicdmi7
All booties and flats are created equal. 😋 I’m both curvaceous and hourglass. I’ve been very 🙌 Ed. God has been very good to me. So, I don’t have these issues. I love ❤️ the pictures of you styling certain brands. My motto Live Comfortably 🙌
Author
YESSSS. .. Live Comfortably!
Hello,
This is a great post and I have been hunting furiously for some “notch” booties which seems to be increasingly difficult to find – then again, I am not sure how old this post is! Can you please tell me which booties you are wearing in photos 1 (where you are wearing the dress) and photo 2 – the bigger picture of you in jeans?
Than you, and looking forward to more posts!
Author
Hey Jenny. This list is older and unfortunately, those booties with the dress are no longer available. You are right, they are becoming harder and harder to find. But, I do try to update the shopping links from time to time. I made this product collage today with some current similar notched front booties. Any would work wonderfully with skinny jeans or dresses. And would be great for elongating the leg.
Best,
Paula
https://liketk.it/4hhT0
(Commissioned link)