How To Style Combat Boots?

Introduction

“How to wear my combat boots?”

Combat boots, initially designed for military forces, are now a thing of famous pop culture as well! They not only look stylish, but women can try them according to their requirements, moods, and other factors.

Although they can be easily modified with any outfit, there is still a lot of skepticism about their style guide and other important info. So keeping in mind this curiosity among our audience, we’ve framed this article to guide you on how to wear combat and have listed around 35 style ideas to pair them!

So, stay tuned until the end to read out some of the most fabulous outfit styling sections!

What are combat boots?

As the name suggests, combat boots were initially designed for armed or military forces during their training sessions. However, they are not only for the sole purposes of the military currently. They have now become a regular and famous part of modern society.

Whether you wear jeans, skirts, mini dresses, tights, or denim shorts, they can pair well enough with almost any dress. They started becoming famous after bands like the Sex Pistols and The Clash entered the United States in the 1980s. That was a way to make them popular among American punk rock folks!

In the 1990s, grunge was both a fashion trend and a music genre—though it was initially considered anti-fashion. Then, fans and band members of groups like Garbage, Hole, Nirvana, and Alice In Chains began rocking the utilitarian tactical boot outfits.

Traditionally, they are built with rigid and waterproof leather. However, various modern technologies have also entered their manufacturing such as gore-tex nylon side panels, and other rugged materials.

To provide adequate grip, traction, stability, and foot protection, the outsoles typically have a sturdy rubber sole with a patterned tread underneath.

And though they don’t generally contain a heel style, combat boots often have relatively thick soles, ranging from 1 to 1.5 inches in height. You can usually expect them to be made of somewhat hardened leather with regards to the uppers.

What are the different types of combat boots available?

The combat boots made today don’t come with the exact anti-establishment as they came decades ago. There are a variety of modern styles, including traditional lace-ups in black and brown, as well as bold colors like green and blue.

There are various kinds of platforms, heeled options, and stylish fits available for women to lace up to the knees as well. Then there are laceless slip-on styles such as Chelsea-style combat boots.

Let’s discuss different types of combat boots in brief below!

1 – Jungle Boots

The jungle boots range from mid to high-cut variants. As the name suggests, they are specifically designed to tolerate the rugged environment. And, cutting-edge technological advancements are being indulged within the jungle boots. However, you need to avoid wet places while wearing these boots.

2 – Light Assault Boots

The light assault combat boots are built with flexible midsole material to allow heavy moving around. However, they need a bit of support to wear them and use them flexibly. You may have to consider various factors within these boots also such as the usage of abrasion-resistant material, environment compatibility, sole material, and more.

3 – GP Boots

GP boots are designed in a way for multi-road trips to carry heavy loads. They are supportive, durable, and offer excessive support to the ankle length. Also, they are made with stiffer midsoles than lighter footwear.

Various Materials of Combat Boots

1 – Uppers of Hiking Boots

The material with which a combat boot is made impacts a lot of factors like breathability, durability, weight, and water resistance. So, the uppers of hiking boots can come in different types of leather material, insulation, waterproof membrane, and more as described below.

– Split Grain Leather

To create a lightweight boot, the split-grain leather material is generally paired with nylon or nylon mesh. This type of leather parts away the rough inner section of the cowhide from the smooth exterior. The lower cost is its best advantage, however, the downside is less resistance to water and abrasion (though many feature waterproof liners).

– Full Grain Leather

Full-grain leather is again the sturdy choice to build combat boots. It also offers the most durable, abrasion-resistant, and water-resistant material specifically being used in making heavy-duty backpacking boots. The material is also breathable and offers ample break-in time as needed.

– Synthetics

Even though synthetics are more lightweight than leather material, they usually cost less and dry faster comparatively. And, this material is also commonly used in making combat boots but it may be affected by the signs of wear and tear too soon.

– Nubuck Leather

Nubuck leather is a variant of full-grain leather that is generally buffed to resemble suede leather. It is quite durable and resists abrasion and water effectively.

– Insulation

Synthetic insulation is especially added to mountaineering boots to offer warmth while hiking on glaciers and snow.

– Waterproof Membranes

As the name suggests, the combat boots are built with waterproof materials to keep your feet dry even in wet conditions. The material is also breathable to avoid any suffocation while long travels. However, no boot is said to be waterproof unless you’re wearing gaiters.

2 – Boot Outsoles

Rubber is used on all boot outsoles, and the type and the additives such as carbon are sometimes added to some different brands of boots to boost hardness. Even though hard outsoles can add rigidness to the structure, they can feel a bit slick while you surf in a rocky environment.

– Heel Brake

The heel brake is a defined heel zone section that is wholly different from the arch and forefoot. It minimizes the chances of slipping during steep descents.

– Lug Pattern

Lugs are traction-giving bumps on the outsole. Thick and deep lugs are used on mountaineering and backpacking combat boots to improve grip. Moreover, if the lugs are widely spaced, they help shed mud quite easily and offer good traction.

3 – Boot Midsoles

The midsole, which provides cushioning, buffers feet from shock and largely determines a boot’s stiffness. Even though the stiff boots may not look ideal choice initially, for uneven terrains and long rocky hikes, they can mean greater stability and comfort.

Our usual midsole materials are polyurethane and EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate).

1. Polyurethane is generally firmer and more durable, so it’s usually found in extended backpacking and mountaineering boots.
2. EVA is a bit cushier, lighter, and less expensive. Midsoles use varying densities of EVA to offer firmer support where required (e.g., around the forefoot).

How Do I Choose A Perfect Combat Boot?

You have to check a list of features to choose the best combat boots. Apart from defining your purpose for buying these shoes, certain other factors are very crucial to look into!

1 – Lightweight

It’s easy to wear and walk around with lightweight boots. So, make sure you’re not buying too heavy boots that will be difficult for you to manage in the future.

2 – Waterproof

To avoid the embarrassment of feeling your feet wet in a harsh environment, you should always go for waterproof material.

3 – Durability

How durable are your combat boots? As mentioned earlier, they should be built with rugged stuff to tolerate a heavy environment. However, like many value shoppers, they would like to be confirmed of the quality for which they are paying the bucks.

4 – Quick dry & washable

Both aspects such as quick-drying and washability are crucial for a combat boot lover especially when you’re a one-man army maintaining your boots. So, you need to look for concerns such as wash precautions, any special care, and the duration they need for drying.

5 – Anti-slip

The gripping power of boots is based upon the outsole pattern as they can be available in the shape of squares, triangles, circles, or hexagons. You need to select an outsole with small incisions to improve traction. These snipes transport more liquid to the outsole’s outer protection area while maximizing the anti-slip effect.

6 – Breathability

It again depends upon the stuff on whether it’s breathable or not! So, make sure that you buy only breathable fabric boots, especially when you have made plans to wear them for a long time in the summer. However, there are particular fabrics for winter as well.

7 – Support & Protection

Here, support and protection mean that you won’t face any ankle injuries before. Look for a padded tongue or collar to support the ankle. Also, you can look for EVA midsoles in terms of flexibility and softness, and any extra cushioning to absorb shocks.

8 – Fitting

Your boots should be tight nowhere, fit snug everywhere, and offer room to flutter your toes. For this purpose, it’s best to try them after you spend the whole i.e. at the end of the day with the socks you plan to wear. It’s because now the feet swell and can tell you exactly about the fit.

Best 35 Outfit Ideas To Style With Combat Boots

Let’s explore some of the cool and trending outfit ideas to style your combat boots in a lot of different ways!

1 – Style combat boots with jeans, especially black jeans. You should have black jeans mandatory in your closet. They are super versatile and can be paired with different color combinations.

2 – Pair them with a graphic tee or hoodie while the pair of black jeans are tucked into the combat boots.

3 – Pair high-waisted black jeans with a bralette or crop top and finish off with a leather jacket or blazer.

4 – To pick up a street-style casual look, pair your combat boots with a leather skirt and a nice leather hoodie.

5 – To get a business casual look, pair your combat boots with a leather skirt and polo t-shirt and a nice coat or blazer.

6 – Simply take a trending knitted sweater and knitted skirt with the combat boots. 

7 – Wear combat boots with midi skirts.

8 – Style combat boots with long dresses yet above the ankles. 

9 – Wear a free-flowing skirt that can partially cover the combat boots. You can choose to pair black boots with more light-colored dresses here. Or, you can choose to wear white combat boots with dark-colored dresses here. 

10 – Combat boots look gorgeous with short dresses. Both the short and long dresses can be worn with a leather jacket, coat, or a blazer on top.

11 – Pair your combat boots with an oversized coat! You can wear leggings or a hoodie with jeans beneath the right oversized coat.

12 – Wear combat boots with shorts. Choose high-top boots that go above your ankles here! You can then a crop top, bralette, or blouse along with it. 

13 – Pair cute and short combat boots with the maxi dresses. 

14 – Try them with a black skirt or black tights.

15 – Pair them with a bold-colored bag made of vibrant shades and a simple white dress.

16 – Clunky combat boots and checkered prints seem like a match made in heaven. You can swap the standard flannel shirt for a patterned dress. 

17 – Wear them with a structured bag and an earthy-colored palette trench coat!

18 – Take your favorite silky slip dress with some pop of lace-ups and pair them all with your combat boots.

19 – Wear your polished office wear suit set and give it an edgy touch with a pair of combat boots. 

20 – You can wear colored combat boots like brown, navy, burgundy, maroon, etc. with your winter and fall outfits.

21 – Pair your non-black combat boots with a dusty pastel hue clothing set. It will set out an anti-colorful look with a monochromatic assemblage.

22 – Explore your sporty and chic look with an all-leather look! From head to toe, simply pair on with leather clothing and leather combat boots.

23 – To give it a flirty look, try a ruffle dress and pair it with grungy combat boots!

24 – You can easily pair combat boots with everyday dresses for an informal vibe. They can go well with short everyday dresses sans jackets or tights!

25 – Faux leather leggings with combat boots are one of the easiest and best options to try on now! 

26 – Get yourself a leopard print skirt outfit in different varieties such as satin-y, ruffly, and flirty with grunge combat boots.

27 – Combat boots and straight-leg jeans can be a looser or slimmer option for a trending outfit.

28 – To pair combat boots with jeans, you can also opt for wide-leg jeans! Create a casual look by layering an army jacket, and tucking in a sweater with an oversized blazer.

29 – Wear little black dresses with a pair of black combat boots.

30 – For a casual and perfect look on lazy days, go with a comfier sweater dress and look more crispy with combat boots.

31 – Denim dresses with combat boots also throw a rugged and casual look with a pair of rugged combat boots.

32 – Tulle skirts with combat boots are another amazing outfit styling option worth considering.

33 – Simple dress pants with a pair of combat boots can never go out of fashion!

34 – For a statement-bold street style, you can wear them with cargo pants.

35 – Select a shirt that nips in slightly at the waist and reveal it underneath unbuttoned fully or partially.

Final Words

So, that’s a wrap on how to wear combat boots in different outfits. We’ve discussed around 35 outfit styling regarding wearing combat boots with jeans, skirts, oversized outfits, shirts, sweaters, and so on. So, make sure you never miss on any dress idea to look fabulous!

FAQs

Q. Do combat boots go with everything?

Ans. As per our 35 outfit suggestions given above, the combat boots can go with almost everything in your closet provided you’re pairing them with a little modification and twist.

Q. Do you tuck skinny jeans that look good with combat boots?

Ans. If you wish to tuck skinny jeans into combat boots, firstly make sure they aren’t cropped. Also, even if you want to wear cropped skinny jeans with combat boots, make sure they are a little above the combat boots!

Q. How should combat boots be worn after 40?

Ans. There are still countless options to wear combat boots even if you’re above 40 years of age. You can have them with oversized coats, feminine dresses with leather jackets, blazers, trouser suits, sweater dresses, etc.

Q. Is 50 too old for Dr. Martens?

Ans. No, Dr. Martens can be worn at any age.

Q. What brand has the best combat boots?

Ans. Dr. Martens, Hunter, Clarks, R.M. Williams, Grenson, Belstaff, and Timberland are some of the best brands of combat boots.

Q. Can combat boots be washed?

Ans. Machine washing combat boots is not an option, so hand washes them with a cloth. You need to place the combat boots over the top of paper towels after the dry sinking. Then, take a wet fabric and add detergent to gently scrub the inside of your boots.

Q. Are combat boots good for your feet?

Ans. Yes, combat boots are designed in a way to offer the best comfort, protection, and foot support possible.