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Now that it’s finally cool enough to wear something other than sandals, it’s time to acquaint yourself with the biggest boot trends of the year. The overarching theme is nostalgia, whether it’s for millennial staples (riding boots, ankle booties), ’80s excess (bold animal prints), or even an imagined past (cowboy- and pirate-worthy silhouettes). It may sound silly, but the playful sources of the season’s inspiration have still resulted in plenty of seriously good-looking styles. Just take a look at the fall 2025 runways of Chloé, Khaite, or Isabel Marant to see exactly what we mean.

In the months ahead, it’s the little details that will make the biggest impact with your fall boots: just the right slouch, height, or eye-catching hardware. Styled with your favorite seasonal staples (don’t ditch your barn jacket just yet), you’ll make maximum impact without much effort at all. Ready to revamp your footwear rotation? These are all the biggest boot trends to try this fall, according to our style editors.

1. Animal prints

Leopard! Snakeskin! Zebra! Animal print is one of 2025’s key fashion trends, so of course it’s also coming for our footwear. Fall’s runways basically looked like a veritable safari, and our editors have already started noticing countless snakeskin and faux-hide pairs on the streets of New York. That’s thanks to the rise of “boom boom”—an ’80s-inflected aesthetic that takes cues from power dressing and yuppie culture—which encompasses this eye-catching footwear. Style your picks with oversized suits for power lunches at the office, denim midiskirts for Sunday brunch, or LBDs during dinner dates.

2. Riding boots

Tall leather boots popped up this season at Burberry, Hermès, GmbH, and Saint Laurent men’s, among many other shows. (It’s only fitting, considering a similar silhouette, Frye’s Campus boots, was all the rage last year.) You don’t need to update your styling much from the last time you wore riding boots; they look great layered over slim jeans with a nipped-waist blazer, playing into their equestrian roots. Go ahead and invest now: Copenhagen-based brand The Garment just showed riding boots for spring 2026, and we’re willing to bet they’ll be relevant for at least another year.

3. Western accents

Luxury labels like Gabriela Hearst and Isabel Marant along with cultural juggernauts like Beyoncé agree: One of fall’s key muses is the cowboy. Western details like curved heels, buckled straps, rounded shafts, and decorative stitching—all toned down enough to mix into your regular wardrobe without becoming cosplay—abound in this season’s footwear. Try these pairs with simple straight-leg jeans, throwing in pops of suede to further nod to Westernwear.

4. Pirate boots

A decidedly adventurous energy flowed through some of our favorite fall collections, from ruffled blouses and relaxed boots at Ralph Lauren to romantic lace and hardware-heavy footwear at Zimmermann. The result? We’re now obsessed with pirate boots: pretty much any pair with the right alchemy of slouch, weathering, metal accents, and/or devil-may-care attitude. Go with a voluminous skirt or a sleek trench coat to lean into fall’s boho vibe—less swashbuckler, more fashion editor.

5. Pointed ankle boots

After spending a few years in the back of our closets, ankle boots are back in the spotlight—or at least in the fashion crowd’s good graces. It’s part of a larger early-2010s revival that’s seeing everything from skinny jeans to chevron print come back around for another spin. The key to updating the look for this decade is a pointy toe, which has also been gone for long enough to stoke our collective nostalgia. For effortless styling, try a cropped wool coat and cigarette jeans or a long-sleeve maxidress.