15 Times Harry Styles's Ankle Boots Gave Us Major Shoe Envy
1/16Many guys wear stupid shoes. Harry Styles is not one of those guys. Since One Direction first arrived on the scene, the floppy-haired dreamboat has had impressively dapper style and flawless footwear to match. He's so inseparable from his beloved boots, in fact, that we rarely see him in anything else.
It's partly because he's from across the pond, and the Brits have a long-standing love affair with Chelsea boots (it was the Beatles who first put 'em on the map back in the '60s), but it's mostly because the guy just really knows how to make them look good.
His affection for one pair in particular inspired hilarious memes — and, eventually, this defeated tweet when they finally kicked (maybe literally?) the bucket: "Think a pair of my shoes have seen their last hoorah. There are now multiple holes. I've been in denial for too long." Then, days later: "Guess who's back, back again. Boots are back, tell a friend." And he hasn't been spotted looking anything less than stellar from head-to-toe (especially toe) since.
Ahead, check out all of his best boot moments. But first, a word of warning: You're going to want to buy your brother/boyfriend/best dude friend a stylish new pair of shoes immediately.
Photo: Splash News2/16For many, many moons — or, at least, a few years straight — Harry was basically never spotted in anything other than his trusty brown boots. He wore them to perform. He wore them to fancy movie premieres. He wore them out with his mates in London. He wore them while wandering the streets of New York City (as you can see here!). It was an exceptionally sad day when the inevitable happened and he had to retire them.
Photo: Getty Images3/16The Spiffy Suede Pair
But the mourning didn't last for long! Soon after, he replaced his beloved boots with another pair of waaaay nicer (suede! rich chocolate brown! refined pointy toe!) even more trusty brown boots. You'll be relieved to know this pair is still in heavy rotation...much like One Direction's first album is still on repeat in the Teen Vogue offices.
Photo: Getty Images4/16The Sparkly Concert Kicks
A special occasion like performing (and stealing the show) on Saturday Night Live calls for special occasion shoes — and you can’t get much more special than this sparkly Saint Laurent pair. How does that old saying go again? Oh, yeah — real men wear glitter. (Oh, that’s not the saying? Now it is.)
Photo: PR Photos5/16The Fancy-Pants Designer Pair
A swanky fashion show requires spiffier-than-usual shoes. These extra-shiny Saint Laurent boots are a perfect match for his animal print Burberry top, which — fun fact — was later auctioned off for a couple thousand dollars to benefit a great cause.
Photo: Splash News6/16The Harnesses
Because one can't live on pointy Chelsea kicks alone, Harry's square-toed harness boots are a tougher alternative to his usual kicks. They're not too fancy (despite being super nice suede) but they're also not careless — it's sort of like when you toss a blazer over a flannel, signaling to people, "I'm stylish. But I don't care that I'm stylish." Which is, incidentally, what he's wearing here.
Photo: Splash News7/16The Dude Heels
When it came time to accept a trophy for his killer style at the British Fashion Awards, Harry paired his chic (seriously!) sheer shirt and polka dotted scarf with harness Chelsea boots that boasted quite the heel. The guy clocks in at 5'11 so it's not like he needs the lift, but we gotta give him kudos for embracing a shoe with height. But when you're already rocking a sheer statement piece and polka dots, you might as well go for it, y'know?
Photo: Splash News8/16His No-Frills Workboots
Sometimes a man just needs to put on his beat-up jeans and ancient flannel and real-deal workboots and just kind of be a man. Even if he's just posing for selfies with screaming fans.
Photo: Splash News9/16His Chic Camel Chelseas
If you thought the heels were a one-time thing, you thought wrong. These reliably rad Chelsea boots — Saint Laurent Classic Wyatt 40 Harness Boot in Nut Suede, in case you have an extra $1,295 burning a hole in the pocket of your distressed skinny jeans (just like Harry's!) and want to buy a pair for yourself — have the ability to make even a Carhartt beanie look dapper.
Terma/FAMEFLYNET PICTURES10/16His Dallas Cowboys-Inspired Cowboy Boots
Why yes, those are silver and blue cowboy boots with red stars. Though Harry hails from the U.K., his appreciation for America runs deep — and you can bet it's not coincidence he wore these on the heels (ahem) of Fourth of July.
WireImage11/16Almost identical to the Chelsea boots he wore to the Burberry show a year prior, the subtlely stylish wingtip detail on these shiny kicks just goes to show how much more sophisticated his style has become.
FilmMagic12/16He loves these Saint Laurent harness boots so much, he has them in both black suede and black leather. Serious question: Does he travel with a dedicated Saint Lauren boot handler? And if not, can we volunteer for the position?
13/16Though these appear to be the same suede boots he'd worn previously, the suede-covered block heel — measuring at at least an inch and a half because Harry is nothing if not confident in his masculinity — sets them apart.
Getty Images14/16Another day, another pair of suede ankle boots in a tan color rich enough to make a Beverly Hills housewife jealous. Unlike his others, these Saint Laurent Wyatt kicks have an ankle buckle, stacked heel, and a $990 price tag.
Getty Images15/16Nothing can stop Harry's shine — especially when he's wearing shiny gold boots.
Getty Images16/16Yet another pair of tan boots (he likes what he likes, okay?) but these have a dramatically-pointed toe, in direct contrast with the many more conservatively-shaped almond toes populating his closet.
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