*Not* Brown Suede: Everyone With Taste Is on the Hunt for This Dated Winter Boot Trend

Whether you live in NYC, where temperatures already feel like winter, or in L.A., where it's still in the 70s but you're dressing for fall anyway, one thing is certain: Everyone's stepping into boots. From brown suede ankle boots to black riding boots, they're gracing the feet of the style set, pulling denim looks and skirt-and-sweater ensembles together. However, insiders are also bringing back patent-leather knee-high boots, a once-popular but now-dated silhouette. One fashion icon making a case for the style's resurgence is Alexa Chung.

This week, the British model and fashion designer posted a series of photos on Instagram showing off her recently launched Alexa Chung for Madewell collection. This line, influenced by the cities she has lived in, features a range of clothing and accessories that she would personally wear and give this holiday season. In one of the photos, Chung showed off the Joan Overlay Dress—a '70s-inspired silhouette with a ruffled neckline, delicate smocking, and gathered sleeves—which she paired with black patent-leather boots.

On Alexa Chung: Alexa Chung for Madewell Joan Overlay Dress ($268)

Everyone loves a black dress, but it can sometimes appear basic without interesting accessories that make it cooler, more unique, and more luxurious looking. If anyone knows exactly what it takes to make a black dress look rich, it's Chung. She understands that the glossy contrast of patent-leather boots looks polished and elegant rather than edgy like smooth-leather boots might. Plus, with Gucci, Saint Laurent, and Chloé all embracing the patent-leather revival and creating some of the season's most sought-after shoe styles, there's really no reason to overlook it.

The next time you wear a black dress and want to look like an It girl, style it with patent-leather boots, and thank me later. Keep scrolling to shop my favorite options.

Shop Black Dresses and Black Patent-Leather Boots