Step in Style Black Knee-High Boots with Chain and Lug Sole

Black knee-high boots with a chain at the heel

These black knee-high boots have a plain, smooth shaft and one loud detail: a chunky silver-tone chain that wraps around the back of the ankle. Underneath sits a thick sole with a deep tread.

The numbers from the maker: the shaft is 38 cm high, the heel 4.5 cm and the platform 3 cm. The upper is faux leather, the lining and footbed are fabric.

At a glance

The piece: model 204668 by Step in Style

Model 204668 comes from Step in Style and is sold in black only. The supplier describes a boot with a flat heel and rounded toes, with a shaft decorated with a chain.

One correction to the supplier's text. It says the shaft reaches above the knee. The same supplier lists the shaft at 38 cm, and on the model it ends below the knee. We go with the measurement and the photos: this is a knee-high boot.

Who they're for

For you if you want a tall black boot you can walk in all day. A heel of 4.5 cm on a 3 cm platform means your foot is only slightly raised, so it walks more like a flat boot than the numbers suggest.

The chain is not removable as far as we can see, so you have to like it. If you want a quiet riding boot, look further.

Closer look: maker's data and photos

• Upper in artificial leather, so faux leather (maker's data)
• Fabric lining and fabric footbed (maker's data)
• Shaft 38 cm, heel 4.5 cm, platform 3 cm (maker's data)
• Rounded toe (maker's data and photos)
• Chunky silver-tone chain around the back of the ankle (photos)
• Thick sole with a deep lug tread (photos)
• Pull tab at the top of the back seam (photos)

The maker does not say how the boot closes, and the photos show no zip on the outside of the shaft. It may be a pull-on boot or have a zip on the inside. Ask us if you need to know before you order.

Materials and build: faux leather outside, fabric inside

The maker lists the upper as artificial leather. That means faux leather, with no animal hide. In the photos it is smooth with a soft gloss, and the shaft creases a little at the ankle, as supple faux leather does.

The lining and the footbed are fabric. The maker says nothing about a warm lining or about the sole material, so we make no promise about winter warmth or grip. The tread is deep, that much the photos show.

Size and dimensions: check the insole length

The table below gives the insole length per size. Size 38 has an insole of 24.5 cm and size 39 one of 25 cm. Note the jump at the top: size 41 is 26.5 cm, a full centimetre more than size 40.

The shaft is 38 cm high in the maker's data, measured as upper height. The maker gives no calf width. On the model the shaft stands a little away from the leg, but that tells you little about your own calf, so ask us if this is a concern.

Size chart (cm)

Source: the maker's size table, which gives the insole length per size. Stand on a sheet of paper, mark heel and longest toe, measure the distance and allow a few millimetres of room.

Styling: short hems and bare knees

The photos show them with sheer black tights and a short grey skirt, and that is the easy way in. A boot that stops below the knee looks good with a hem that stops above it.

They also work under a long knit dress, with only the foot and the chain showing. With trousers, pick a slim pair you can tuck in. Wide legs over the top would hide the chain and leave only the sole.

Occasions

The supplier sees them for everyday wear and for dressier outfits. We would wear them to work with a skirt, on a day in town, and to a concert. The thick sole keeps your foot off wet pavement, though the maker makes no claim about rain.

Care: a damp cloth is usually enough

The maker gives no care instructions. For faux leather in general, wiping with a soft damp cloth and letting the boots dry away from a heater is the usual advice. Skip shoe polish made for real leather; it does not soak into faux leather.

Stuff the shafts with paper when you store them, so they don't fold at the ankle.

The wow detail: the chain

It sits low, at the back of the ankle, where you see it mostly when you walk away. The links are large and silver-tone against the black, and they turn a plain tall boot into one people ask about.

Fashion that gives back

5% of each sale goes to a cause you choose. The causes are matched to 11 of the 17 SDGs, the global goals set by the United Nations, and you decide where your share goes.

Our promise

Ships from the maker's wholesale partner in Poland, inside the EU, with tracking. The wholesaler lists up to 3 days to prepare an order; within the EU delivery usually takes 2–7 business days after dispatch. Delivery is free within the EU on orders from €69; below that it costs €4.95 in the Netherlands and €6.95 elsewhere in the EU.

You have 14 days after delivery to ask for a return, as long as the boots are unworn and still in their original box. Our promise is plain: if what arrives does not match what this page says, send it back within 14 days and we refund you.

More boots, from ankle to knee height, are in our women's boots collection.