Women's Leather Ankle Boots Square Toe Stiletto Heel

Leather Ankle Boot: a square toe, a slim heel and nothing else

These leather ankle boots are cut for the way women actually dress in Australia, where a boot has to carry a work day and then a dinner without a change of shoes. The shaft stops just above the ankle bone, the toe is square, the heel is slim and set right at the back, and there is not a single buckle, stud or contrast stitch anywhere on the upper. That restraint is the point. A plain boot in a good leather sits under a wide leg trouser, a midi skirt or a pair of straight jeans without arguing with any of them.

• Square toe. The toe is cut square with softened corners, which gives the foot room across the joints and reads longer than a round toe under a trouser hem.
• Slim 6.5 cm heel. High enough to lift the leg line, narrow enough to stay quiet. The heel is set at the very back of the sole, where it carries weight instead of tipping it forward.
• Concealed inner zip. The zip runs down the inside of the shaft with a small silver pull, so the outside of the boot stays one clean line.
• Soft leather upper. The grain shows through and the vamp creases where the foot bends, the way leather does. It is matte to faintly satin, never patent.
• Thin flat sole. No platform, no welt, no visible outside stitching. The boot keeps its slim profile from the toe to the heel.
• AU 2.5 to AU 9. Ten sizes, each one matched to a measured foot length in centimetres rather than to a habit.

Materials: Leather upper with a synthetic lining and sole. Heel height 6.5 cm, shaft height approximately 18 cm measured from the top of the sole.

What the boot actually looks like

Written while looking at the photographs, not at the specification sheet. The shaft rises just above the ankle bone and stops there, roughly eighteen centimetres from the top of the sole. It sits close to the leg without gripping it, and the top edge is finished flat with no cuff, no elastic gusset and no turn back.

The toe is square. The corners are softened rather than sharp, so the shape reads modern instead of severe. Behind it the vamp is a single uncut piece of leather, which is why it creases across the bend of the foot as soon as the boot is worn. Those creases are the leather doing its job, not a flaw.

The heel is a slim tapered heel measured at six and a half centimetres by the supplier. It is not a block and it is not a needle. It sits at the very back of the sole so that the weight lands over the heel bone. The sole itself is thin and flat, with no platform under the toe and no welt around the edge.

On the inner side of each boot there is a zip with a small silver pull. It is the only piece of hardware on the whole shoe. The outer side carries nothing at all, no buckle, no strap, no stud, no embroidery and no logo. Three colourways are stocked and each one was checked against the supplier photographs before it was listed here: a deep wine burgundy, a true black, and a soft cream.

How it fits and how to size it

This boot is cut close through the foot and the ankle. It is not a slouch boot and it will not settle into folds. If you usually wear a wide fitting shoe, take the next size up.

Do not guess from your usual number. Stand on a sheet of paper with your weight on the foot, mark the back of the heel and the end of the longest toe, and measure the distance in centimetres. Then read the table below and pick the row that matches. The table gives the foot length the supplier measured for each size, alongside the Australian and European equivalents, so nothing has to be assumed.

Measure in the evening rather than the morning. Feet spread through the day and a boot fitted to a morning measurement will feel short by six o'clock. If your measurement falls between two rows, take the larger one. A boot that is slightly long can be managed with a thicker sock. A boot that is short cannot be managed at all.

How to look after it

Wipe the leather with a barely damp cloth and let it dry away from any heater or direct sun. Leather that dries too fast stiffens and then cracks along the crease lines across the vamp, which is exactly where this boot bends most.

Store the pair upright rather than folded over. The shaft is soft and it will hold whatever shape it is left in. Rolled up newspaper or a boot shaper keeps the line straight between wears.

Treat the leather with a colourless conditioner two or three times through the winter, and keep the cream pair away from dark denim on the first few wears, because untreated dye transfers onto pale leather and does not come out.

More from Harper Australia: Women's boots, Knee high stiletto boots, Chrome tipped Chelsea boot and Shoes and sandals.