DIANE | Short boots for dresses and jeans

I wore them with a dress on Sunday and with jeans on Monday. That is unusual for anything in my closet.

Most shoes declare themselves. They are dress shoes or they are casual shoes, and the wardrobe fills up with pairs that only work with one third of what you own. The short boot is the exception, but only if it is cut plainly enough not to fight the rest of the outfit.

This one is. The heel is low, so it sits under a hem without making a statement, and the shaft stops at the ankle, which is the height that works with both a skirt and a trouser. The heel is wide enough to be stable on a slope or a gravel drive. Brown or black.

Why women our age keep coming back to them

• They do not pick a side. Plain enough for jeans, neat enough to wear under a dress, which means they leave the closet far more often than a specialised pair.
• A low heel that is genuinely stable. The base is wide rather than tapered, so an uneven sidewalk or a gravel path is not something you have to concentrate on.
• Ankle height, which is the useful height. Nothing to bunch under a trouser leg and nothing that needs a particular sock.
• Two colors, no decisions. Brown and black, and both will still make sense in five years.

Buy more, save more

• Buy 2, save 10%
• Buy 3, save 15%
• Buy 4, save 20%

The discount is applied automatically at checkout.

How they fit

True to size, in US 5 through 10. This is a standard width, so if your foot is broad across the front or you plan to wear a thick sock, take the larger of two sizes rather than hoping the boot gives.

30 days to change your mind

If they are not right, send them back within 30 days for a full refund, with no restocking fee.

A few recent reviews

I packed one pair of shoes for a week in Chicago and did not regret it once.
Sondra L., Mesa

The heel is low but it is not flat, which is the bit I wanted and could never find.
Glenda R., Sun City

Bought brown, ordered black three days later.
Maxine T., 64