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What is a Shootie?

Sheri Cyprus
Sheri Cyprus

A shootie is a blend of a boot and a shoe. Shooties are ladies footwear that reach up to the ankles. Like most other more unusual takes on traditional wearables, shooties go in and out of style depending on fashion trends. There are many different variations of the shootie footwear design.

The closed toe pump style of shootie most resembles a boot – especially when it's made from suede. Closed toe suede shooties may feature a wrinkle design very similar to slouch boots. Closed toe pump styles of shooties are often suitable for office wear when worn with tights. Shooties and tights along with sweaters and wool skirts can be popular clothing for colder weather.

Woman shopping
Woman shopping

In warmer weather, open toe styles of shooties are more suitable. Although these shootie styles often feature cut-out designs and peep toes, they don't bare as much of the feet as hot weather sandals. One feature shooties never have is an ankle strap, although they may have just a band of material over the ankle and some open cut designs below it.

Some types of shooties lace up in the front and tie at the ankle. These may be a modern take on classic oxford shoes. Oxford footwear designs feature a contrasting section of color such as white on black. Saddle oxford styles have a saddle-shaped colored section added to the footwear. Oxford shooties are available in different color combinations.

All the different kinds of shooties can be purchased in a wide selection of colors from neutrals and darks to brights. Many shootie versions have a decorative detail such as a button, bow or buckle added. Some designer styles of shooties feature chains and charms hanging from the top of the shoe boot.

A shiny patent leather shootie can look very dressy, while a slouchy suede style appears more rugged. Buttery soft leather versions of shooties can be elegant. Toe shapes on these boot shoes or shoe boots range from pointed to rounded to square. The heel heights and widths also vary widely just as they do in traditional boots and shoes.

Shooties are often considered a flattering footwear style for people with thick ankles. Keeping the shootie color in the same family as the tights, skirt and top in an outfit can also give a slimming look to the whole body and visually elongate the legs. Depending on their style, shooties can often be worn with menswear-inspired women's fashions such as wool pants and a vest as well as more feminine clothing such as a ruffled blouse.

Discussion Comments

andee

I feel like my ankles are thick and am usually trying to cover them up. I have more than one pair of shooties that I feel comfortable wearing quite a bit of the time.

There are other times when I don't care so much that my ankles look big and like to wear a sandal that is flirty and feminine.

For some reason, I don't think of shooties as being all that feminine. If I want to really dress up, wearing a shoe that resembles a boot doesn't look all that classy to me.

I wear shooties most of the time because they cover up more of my ankles. When it comes to styles of shoes that I love, I would choose something different to wear.

LisaLou

I was recently looking for a dressy pair of shoes I could wear to a party. I usually like to wear sandals in the summer, but think many styles of sandals don't look that classy.

I found an awesome pair of shootie shoes that I fell in love with and had to buy. They have a skinny heel and some other details that really make this shootie stand out.

There is a little bit of an open toe, which makes them great for warmer weather, and they came in a creamy beige color that will go with many things.

They also have some lacing and a Brogue pattern that goes along the outside of the shootie. This has a classic Oxford look, yet is feminine and comfortable to wear.

It's not often that I find shoes that are feminine and sexy that are also comfortable, but these shootie shoes happen to be some of the best I have found.

honeybees

I love wearing closed toe shootie boots in the winter. They help protect my feet from the cold and look nice at the same time.

I always feel a little bit dressier when I am wearing shoes that have a pointed toe instead of a rounded toe.

One of my favorite pairs of shooties is a pair of leather, Western style shooties that look like a pair of cowboy boots.

These are much more comfortable than wearing a pair of cowboy boots as they don't go so far up my leg.

These are high quality shooties that wear well and I wear all the time. I wear them so often that I am getting ready to have the soles replaced on them so I can keep wearing them for awhile.

The Western look makes these casual, yet sophisticated at the same time.

myharley

I think certain styles of shooties can be very dressy and stylish. I have a pair of black shootie shoes that resemble the look of a boot.

They have a pointed toe and three black buttons on the side that help give this a dressy look.

Because they go up so far on the ankle, I would not wear them with a dress, but they look good with just about any pair of slacks.

They also can help dress up a pair of jeans if you want something with a little bit of a heel and a dressier look.

seag47

The only kind of shootie I have ever worn resembles a sandal, so I didn’t know shooties were considered boots. I wear them in the summer because of their open design.

I have a pair of orange shooties that have slits in them everywhere but the heels. I just slip my foot in through the hole in the top. They are so well ventilated that my feet don’t get hot.

I tend to wear a lot of bright colors in the summer, so orange was the perfect color choice for me. They are made of some sort of shiny, cool material that resembles plastic but is more pliable.

Perdido

@wavy58 - A thick heel on a shootie does make it so much more wearable. I recently tried on a pair of black shooties with cut-out designs all over the front and sides, but since they had a tall stiletto heel, I could not walk in them.

They were so stylish, and I really wanted to be able to wear them. They would have looked awesome with a dress.

As soon as I got my foot all the way inside the right shoe, I began to stumble. I knew I wouldn’t be able to wear them, but just for kicks, I put the other one on and tried to walk down the store aisle. I wobbled with every step, until I finally twisted my ankle and fell.

wavy58

Black leather shooties make good dress shoes. I have a pair that I wear to work almost every day in cold weather.

Since they come up to my ankles, they actually look like they might be tall boots underneath my slacks. The only time you can tell that they are shooties is when I wear them with a skirt.

They keep my feet warm, and they look professional. They are just shiny black leather, so they go with just about everything in my work wardrobe. They have a thick heel, so they are comfortable enough to walk in all day.

StarJo

I remember my sister wearing slouch shooties in the eighties. I was just a child then, but I had a small pair that matched hers.

They were a sort of khaki gray color, and they were very comfortable. Since tight-fitting jeans were in style back then, I could tuck the legs into the shooties so that the slouched material would show.

During the nineties when flare leg jeans were so popular, shooties went out of style. You really would not have been able to see them, anyway, since pant legs were so huge at the time.

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