There is one constant in fall dressing other than the Little Black Dress, and that’s the Little Black Boot.  As you can tell, these aren’t so little in height, but they are classic, staple pieces for one’s wardrobe.  It’s up to you how high you want that boot shaft to crawl, whether to the thigh like LD Tuttle’s The Stack, or calf range like the other three.

A classic riding style boot is always a style I stand by; keep your calves looking thin by wearing a tighter circumference shaft.  The three chosen are similar, yet have just enough defining characteristics to keep them apart.  Alberto Fasciani’s features a stamped crest, Ash’s Scott has a posterior zipper [from heel to buckle] and Rocco Pistolesi’s is the most classic of the three with a plain design; only top loops for pulling the boot on.

Spice Girls, Party Monster, whatever your game there are plenty of platform sneakers going around for those brave (and short) enough to wear them.

I can’t say I’ll be lacing these Jeffrey Campbell Sporty sneaks on my own feet, but they’re a spitting image of Macaulay Culkin in a party monster themed shoot by Terry Richardson in 2008.

Prada’s espadrille platform brogues have been on everyone’s hot list, but not everyone that fancies this new flat can go down the nearly $800 route.  For the rest of us, we [thankfully] have the high street, which has latched onto this style like a rabid beast. Like their brands, they range in height, color and how the espadrille style has been interpreted (or lack thereof). Let’s begin!

First off is Jeffrey Campbell’s Ad Long triplets; they are the tallest and most daring of the group, available in nude/red, black/white and brown/orange.  For the girlies looking to add the most height and get the most confused looks, the JC route is definitely the option for you.  A close second is Modekungen’s green Creepy, though be warned they are the only pair below that aren’t real leather.

The in betweeners are definitely Asos’ Monroe collection.  I’m loving how daring the pink style is, though that may be a bit Pepto for the masses.  For a more subdued look the brown is definitely a blender, though if you like to get clown shit crazy, the mixed metallic is a best bet.

We’ll finish off with Topshop’s Kingston duo, the safest yet most wearable of the entire group.  While these do not feature any espadrille roping (a pro for some of us), they do feature a single color platform as a standout. There is the brown/green or more standout-ish black/pink – either way, these are the mots FW11 ready if you’re one of those who like to buy ahead of the seasonal change.

For those as unstable as myself while walking in a heel, we know we need stability, but we don’t always want a flat or wedge.  For those in between days, thick heels are best – the chunkier the better.

For our particular tastes, we have the first few chunksters off the FW11 production conveyor belts; the floral Jeffrey Campbell Rumble Fab, Cheap Monday Angle Low and Topshop’s Psychic studded booties.  These booties not only vary in heel style, but textile and detailing.  These are a decent projection of what we can expect in the coming month as to FW11; hold onto your hats, people.. it’s going to be a great season.

This isn’t exactly a new trend; more like it’s hanging in for the long haul.  I’m a great lover of the bike boot in all of its incarnations; plain Jane, studded and all leather all the time.  A well made motorcycle boot will not only last years, but will actually be cool the entire time.. how many pieces you own can boast that?!

We’ll start off with the studded brigade; Hollywood Trading Co’s short Motor and the grey reissue of the much loved studded Trash boot.  For the more minimalistic crew, Jimmy Choo’s suede Yen, Mentor’s black leather, Giuseppe Zanotti’s pebbled style (also 45% off), Fiorentini and Baker’s short Eli and Moma’s outer zip biker are all excellent candidates.  Burberry’s shearling lined boots are technically last season, though if you’re into prepping for winter, these are an excellent buy.

Spiked and studded loafers get me far too excited, so when I saw new designs popping up under designer and high street labels, I caught a bit of a flutter.  These are all black leather pieces, with appropriate detailing – let’s go!

When it comes to the designer vault, we find the second wave of Christian Louboutin’s loafer, the bigger spiked Rolling. While not exactly priced for the average buyer, these are clearly the highest quality, most durable flat of this kind you can find at the moment. Alternatively, Giacomorelli’s style run about half the price, and evokes memories of Louboutin’s original Rollerball.

For the high street, we have Steve Madden’s Melter in black or silver studding, which I can confirm look much better in person than they do in the photograph.  My favorite pair of all due to style and price are Unif’s Hellraiser, available in mens sizing as well.  The Unifs are made from lambskin, and fully beefed with all over spikes for $165 US.. what’s not to love?!

When it comes to colder weather, nothing does day to day better than a black oxford.  They transition seamlessly from day to evening, can be subtle and glamarous at the same time, and due to their low heel are so easy to wear for long periods of time.

My three supreme favorites are the ones you won’t be finding in the high street aisles; Miu Miu’s bedazzled heel, Alexander Wang’s Jules and Christian Louboutin’s snakeskin Fred.  Of course the regular patent Fred is about half the price, but it far less fun than having exotic skin of snake as your kicks (none of that PETA shit in the comments, thanks)

We all remember the Giuseppe Zanotti Western style glitter ankle boots of FW10.  You also likely remember how freaking expensive they were – the lovelies crested just about $900US – not the most affordable out there.

Enter Topshop FW11, which is being released now, who have the most uncannily similar design in their Ambush boot.  Not only is it incredibly similar to the Zanotti style [which is now sold out], but it’s a whole $735 cheaper than the original.  You could buy a lot of accessories for just over seven bills, people.. what a deal!

A low block heel is such an easy thing to wear.  If you’re into this 90s heel statement,you’ll be able to find them in height ranges from lifted to stumpy, though our focus will be on the latter.

We’ve got a few neutrals in the game; Stella McCartney’s nude and Topshop’s Adorn; either of which would look well worn against the darks of the coming fall season.  For partial color, Asos’ Shamble oxford is an excellent value for your dollars, though their Swatch bootie is far more fall appropriate in the color palette.

For more of a refined taste and larger budget, Elisanero’s menswear inspired lace ups are perfect for the job.  I do prefer the rocker ostentatiousness of the Salvatore Ferragamo faux leopard boots – they are more my steeze, after all.

If you are at all into shoes, you have to check out Solestruck‘s new lookbook – To The Source [download] – it’s 78 pages of crowd sourced magic.  Solestruck has been using social media to its highest potential for a long time, and everything in this lookbook is as the name implies; crowd sourced via their Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Want to jump in on the action? Follow them on Twitter and Facebook (and demiCouture [FB] [TW], while you’re at it!), and who knows.. you could be part of the next crowd source extravaganza!

Check out the amazing footwear featured for FW11 and keep checking back Solestruck itself – some of the new footwear has already begun to trickle in.  I’m so hyped over the spiked black leather loafers.. download the lookbook to see exactly what I mean!!

Preview images from Germany’s Bread And Butter show.  We’re seeing loads of floral printed fabrics, some tapstry-like weaving and very modern boots with piping and nautical coloring.  The navy pieces appear more in the vein of a collection of Sperrys in a Band of Outsiders lookbook, though that’s probably what they were going for.

What do you think of these styles? I’m really liking the 8 hole tapestry and 8 hole navy piped boots.

By now most of us will have seen the new cosmic Lita, but I’m way over the Lita – give me more flat boots, and give me them cosmic!

Check out this Photoshop quickie I rendered on the JC Blush boot.  Imagine the Blush with rose gold hardware and perhaps [slightly] lighter contrast leather straps..

Am I the only one that thinks this would be really rad?!

After a certain.. uh.. incident revolving around a friend of mine getting to an amazing pair of creepers at Value Village before I saw them, I realized how much I truly loved that style of shoe.

The thick sole, lace up or buckle and textile variations make the creeper one truly chameleon shoe.  Creepers are a truly unisex style; they can be worn by any gender or any style, and easily due to their flat sole.  The three demiCouture favorites are as follows: the brogue-ish Asos Miko, the leather and leopard buckled Hacienda Monkand Bowie buckle boot by Underground.

Loving the Underground pairs as much as I do? It’s no wonder Mugler collaborated with them to create this ultra platform, spiked beauty! (Oh, and they’ve also created creeps for The Gaga, in case you were wondering)

Loafers have taken over in the realm of the ‘easy’ flat choice this summer, and it’s no wonder – with the ease of a slip on and more androgynous shape of a menswear loafer and the comfort of a flat, this is a clear win for summer night wanderings.

The Steve Madden Madee loafer has been reinvisioned from the original leopard pony hair to include party ready sequin covered pieces.  So far we have blue, silver and black pairs; who knows where SM will take this next.  These loafs are also pennywise at $119.95 per pair.. I recommend grabbing two pairs and mixing and matching (blue and silver, anyone?!)

A varied collection of flat boots are my go-to all year round. Black leather can’t be beat for durability, wearability and generally looking best while beat up.  Besides, I’m going to contiue my Summer of Goth into a punk foray.. I could never deny myself a few rough and tumble items.

For the tall, look for a minimalistic high shaft with a proper thick[er] sole (sewn, not thin and glued), with an almond shaped toe that mimics a riding boot aesthetic. Ballin’s pair are ideal, while the pebbling of the leather and lack of split boot top (think behind your knee where your leg bends) only adds to the want factor.

Mids, keep your boots funky with a few buckles here and there, or even possibly a spray of lace up like Strategia’s calfskin style.  These are more to a traditional military style hybridized with a basic riding boot.  Alberto Fascinani’s leather covered studs on his chunky heeled Chelsea are my undisputed favorite – try wearing something with these and not looking fantastic!

How high are you willing to climb in a flatform? These days, platform footwear is mimicking the ever-present search for a higher heel, no matter how comical the results.  The highest flatform I’ve seen so far appears to be the Substitute wedge by Club Kid; they are a super high four inch platform, for a total height of seven inches!

That’s a damn tall leather brick to be standing on.

Suede platform pumps are intense statement pieces, and perfect for summertime evenings when evenings are drier.  The purple jewel tone is a beautiful shade, and translates well into pre-fall styles for longer wear when summer begins to wind down (if it even winds up).

We have below a pair of Miu Miu platform pumps, on sale at Net-A-Porter for $416.50 (from $595), versus Steve Madden’s Beasst pump at just under $100.  Clearly quality differences are present, though for 1/4 the price of the Miu Miu pair even after the sale discount, the average buyer is smart to point themselves to the Madden pair.

The level of hipocrisy is kind of hilarious when you think about it; Jeffrey Campbell served Forever 21 legal notice of action just over a week ago and now it appears that JC are releasing a very close clone of the famed Prada SS11 flatforms.

These Jeffrey Campbells are dubbed the Ad Long, and will be apparently appearing on Solestruck.com soon, if you’re interested.  I have to admit I rather love the Prada design, and while it’s silly there’s blatant copying (whilst suing, no less) – I have to admit I’m a little tempted to acquire the nude pair (there’s no way I’d pay $795 for an original, anyway).

There’s no word on how much the JC version will be, though one assumes about $150-170 will be the mark.  If you’re wanting a fake pair with actual espadrille detailing, Modekungen also has a close version for about $113.

In the realm of luxury clothing shopping, Farfetch is one of the best sites to have crawl brick and mortar shops for your new favorite pieces.

These floral Vivienne Westwood pirate boots were sourced from American Rag in LA, that actually aren’t available on the Am-Rag online shop.  When it comes to designer footwear, Westwood’s pieces are a must for long lasting designs in the trend world.  These buckled pirate boots have been around for decades, and have had many incarnations – a sure best bet for shoppers wanting the most bang for their buck.

These boots will only better with age once the leather buckles start to weather; a quality you want to be looking for in a pair of boots around the $600 mark.

Despite this comment being completely Canadian sacrelige, I strongly feel that these Pskaufman ladies’ shoes are what Fluevog shoes should be.  They’re quirky, have a vintage feel and have accentric color additons over the base and heel of the outer, and leather inner lining.

While the women’s range has only just been released, these are a strong few pieces.  I’m quite curious to see what Pskaufman has in mind for the expansion of the ladies’ goods, which has been influenced by all the best aspects of the 1800s.  If you like what you see, we can enjoy their current collection on the new Big Cartel e-shop.