Q&A: Embrace the Brace

A Prologue: Thanks to those of you who helped out with the Stitch Fix dilemma. I ended up keeping the THML blouse (which I already wore) and the cardigan. Elbow patches for everyone! Don't forget, if you want, you can sign up for your own fix here!


And now, to the main event: the next Q&A.
This one comes from my friend Yael. Yael is my oldest friend (I have literally known her since I was born.) Sadly, we have something in common right now-- a big ugly brace. Mine is on my hand (yes, still), and hers is on her leg.
Here's Yael's question: I am wearing a boot on my foot for 4 weeks because I tore my plantar fascia. It's really not a big deal, but needs to be immobilized and finally heal after being painful to walk on for months. Fashion recommendations -- I would like to hide the ugly attention-grabbing boot. Any long skirts, dresses, wide leg pant recommendations you love?? Perhaps a blog post is in order? 

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When life hands you lemons, it's an excuse to go (online) shopping....? 
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Here's an answer:


First, let's acknowledge. Braces are the worst. The one upside of a boot like the one Yael has is that it can be taken off for things like showering, and to put things underneath it. As we will discover shortly, the ability to put things under is key.

[Disclaimer: To state the obvious, I am not a doctor. And while I hope to be one one day, it will not be the right kind. So... yeah.]

Ok. So let's start with shoes. It's important to have shoes that can match the elevation of the boot so that your back doesn't get misaligned. It's also important to wear comfortable shoes. (In fact, I would argue that we should always wear comfortable shoes. Life is too short to not be able to walk becaue your feet hurt.) And... it's getting to be boots season any day now. After many years of buying new boots every year, last year I bought a couple of pairs of Born boots and they are AMAZING-- and they don't need to be replaced this winter. Sometimes it's worth paying more for things of higher quality, and I would put boots in that category. Plus, they come with a variety of heel heights. Find them here with 20% off!

Now to bottoms. Apparently, at least according to my last Stitch Fix, wide leg pants are having a moment. The problem with wide leg pants is, they make almost everyone look shorter and wider. And Yael is not the tallest to begin with, so this might not be the best look. Plus, the problem with a boot is that there's no way to really cover it up because it covers the whole foot.
The problem with a boot is that it is probably too wide on top for bootcut or flare pants. So we instead move on to...

Maxi dresses also present the possibility of covering the boot. Even though most maxi dresses are of summer weight, they can be layered up well with cardigans, leggings and scarves to transition for fall. (I've been wearing mine at least once a week and I'd like to think I look at least sort of normal.) But again, length is important! Personally, I like my maxi dresses to fall right to the top of my feet with flats, but different people have different feelings about this. However, the dress shouldn't be too long. You don't want to fall and hurt yourself even more!

 Zulily has a lot of maxis right now, although they tend to be very slow with delivery. So if time is of the essence, Boden is also a good bet. Especially if you are on the shorter side, like Yael, Boden has a lot of maxis available in petite for a perfect length. 

However, there is also something to be say for embracing the brace. After wearing a lot of black shirts in the past few weeks in hopes that people wouldn't notice my splint, I finally accepted that people were always going to notice and were always going to ask what happened, so I might as well wear whatever I wanted. On that note:

I recommend leggings instead tights. The main challenge with anything that involves velcro is that everything catches on it, so delicate fabrics should be avoided, unless you want to be afraid every time you cross your legs. Also, fleece lined leggings are AMAZING once it gets colder.
For pants that aren't super skinny but fit under the brace, LOFT has great straight leg pants. And they're having a flash sale now until tomorrow night! Get on it, shoppers!

And finally, to draw attention from the brace, try a dark skirt with a brightly colored top. This pencil skirt from Macy's is my fall/ winter go-to. It's super comfortable but still work appropriate, and modest but won't hit against the top of the boot.  Anthropologie has beautiful tops with great details (even on sale! Because otherwise who can afford anything ever?) to draw the eye upwards, away from the ugly boot. And, if not-- at least maybe someone will give you a seat on the subway!
Get well soon Yael! Have any other advice for her? Leave it in the comments!