Okay, so I’ve been on the fierce search for some stylish knee boots all season long, ones that will comfortably fit around my shapely calves (a hard-earned feature since I’ve been wearing heels for the last 14 years of my life), especially ever since I received my acceptance to a Writer’s Conference in Florence, Italy next month.  I did attend earlier in 2011, but managed to only pack my outfits for function & not so much for fashion since I don’t have a whole lot of travel experience & was concerned about my luggage getting lost.  As fabulous as my ten days in the Renaissance city were, I didn’t meet my own stylish expectations, but lesson learned & I will be returning all the more knowledgable & stylish.

After surrendering my legs to many different fittings of boots, mostly from my shoe-flasgship-store, Payless, I finally discovered the American Eagle Nola Cozy Wedge ($29.99) in black.  My search wasn’t supposed to lead me to wedges or anything with the heel, since the Florentine streets are notoriously laid with cobblestone & I nearly twisted both ankles simultaneously while prancing about on my first night in high-heeled ankle booties.  The rest of my trip consisted of flat ankle boots & sneakers.  Unfortunately the latter pair was worn on the rainy day that I decided to hit up the Salvatore Ferragamo museum.  Shame on me!!

However, once I stood tall in a cute leggings & long sweater outfit while donning these boots pictured to the right, they felt right at home on my feet & there was no way that I wouldn’t be headed to a country shaped like a boot in anything other than these fabulous finds!

I was so relieved since suede is my go-to fabric for fall / winter footwear.  There’s just something to lush & luxurious since you can basically wear leather footwear all year long, making suede a little extra special.  Not to mention that the ankle-buckle details & fur trim are adorable!  However, if the black style isn’t for you, there’s also a super cute brown pair, also reduced from its original $49.99 price. The $29.99 sale price was especially right since the boots are an early Christmas present from my mother to me!

If you sign up for emails from Payless, you can get news on all the latest sales, including when their next BOGO 50% off will be, as well as learn about special coupon codes for 20% off! Happy Styling!