I Own 26 Pairs of Black Boots, But I'd Make Room for Any of These

As I've tried explaining to my husband time and again—to no avail, of course—you can never have enough pairs of black boots. This is especially true for me, as someone who lives almost exclusively in the shoe style (in one form or another) for most of fall and winter. It's also true for any woman living in NYC, where the name of the game is functionality. You need your knee-high boots, your ankle boots, your snow boots, and everything in between. Then if you're a stickler for details like me, you'll find that there are subcategories of the best boots that must be fulfilled as well. For example, casual boots that won't get ruined in the rain, a plain pair, and a statement style. Also, heeled boots that look good with trousers, a pair for long jeans, a pair for short jeans, and boots for dresses and skirts, etc. I could go on and on, but instead, I'll cut to the chase.

Despite owning more pairs of black boots than anyone should ever admit to in multiple closets and storage situations across America, I'll always be compelled to buy more of my favorite shoe category—but only if they're good enough. With that in mind, I figured I'd round up the styles I'm eyeing at the moment, plus share with you some pairs I'm already wearing on the regular. To get started (and shopping), just keep scrolling.

This story was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.