Make the city your runway with these four looks.
Every year when Fall rolls around, there’s a wave of excitement and nostalgia in the air. Our coffees become more festive, our movies become spookier and the fashion becomes way more fun. We’re finally able to take our sweaters out of hibernation and layer to our heart’s content.
While neutral hues are usually the popular colour palette for colder months, fashion meets function footwear brand SOREL is hoping to inspire people to embrace bolder patterns, fabrics and styles this fall. The term dopamine dressing was thrown around quite heavily by style publications earlier this year as a way to use your wardrobe to spark joy in your life. Wearing vibrant hues and fun textures have been proven to have a positive psychological effect, and thankfully they pair beautifully with the new SOREL Hi-Line collection from their Fall ‘22 line.
The Hi-Line series was designed with busy professionals and creatives in mind. Created with durable materials and iconic style these boots were made to transition from day to night without a hitch. Featuring four boots with lightweight, utilitarian comfort and forward-looking fashion it’s the perfect blend of street style and all-weather function—helping you to keep moving through the city in style all season long.
This collection is made to be paired with bold looks. Thanks to its timeless silhouettes and neutral tones, they’re the perfect grounding element to any outfit. To put this matter to the test, we teamed up with two Toronto-based creatives with a love for fashion and footwear: Abby Albino and Mirian Njoh.
Abby Albino first fell in love with streetwear during her basketball days. Once she saw that there were very limited options for girls and women, she decided to launch Makeway, a sneaker and streetwear boutique for women and by women.
“Basketball is truly a big part of who I am. The NBA and fashion in the ‘90s were kind of where a lot of culture stemmed from. If it wasn’t for basketball, I probably wouldn’t love sneakers,” said Albino. “There’s never been a sneaker boutique or streetwear shop for women, so I realized that I could create one myself.”
Her love for footwear also goes beyond sneakers. Sorel used to be her staple winter boot growing up and now she says she’s marvelled at the brand’s design evolution.
“I used to only think about winter when I saw SOREL footwear and then I began to see more and more lifestyle pieces that I would gravitate to,” she says. “They’re such great quality, stylish pieces that you can wear no matter what you’re doing. Whether it’s doing a training session with my dog, running errands, speaking on a panel or attending a corporate conference—it’s amazing to have a pair of shoes that allows me to be every version of myself.”
Mirian Njoh is a multifaceted creative with a love for fashion design, digital content creation, creative direction, modelling and styling. In 2018 she was selected to be a part of the annual Global and Mail Canada’s Best Dressed List and the same year was featured in Toronto Life’s annual Style Book. In summary: her love for fashion and footwear is a defining part of her life.
“My passions have always been rooted in self-expression and creativity. I’ve always dabbled in different roles that allowed me to really lean into that. My style is also as broad as my range of interests. I love the fact that I can’t put my style in a box. Some days I like to dress very feminine, others I want a tomboy vibe. It constantly changes,” says Njoh, adding that her love for colour is one unifying element between all her different styles. “I definitely think it comes from my West African background. You never see a West African in all black— we love to use colour to express ourselves.”
In terms of footwear, Njoh believes that your shoe is the anchor of your whole look and it has the power to fully elevate whatever you’re wearing.
“Your shoes can help punctuate or accent whatever point you’re trying to make, or it can also offer a nice contrast,” she says. “I love these Hi-Line boots, specifically the Heel Chelsea, because you can really make them your own. You can dress them up, down and really pair them with anything. I think that having footwear with versatility that can keep up with me and my different styles so that I can get the most out of them is the best.”
Ready to start styling your Hi-Line boots? Here are four looks to try out this fall:
Who said high fashion can’t be cozy? For this look, we pulled out an eye-catching fluffy lilac coat and paired it with a thin, sheer turtleneck, sleek black faux leather pants and our favourite pair of Hi-Line Chelsea Boots (colour: Scorch/Tawny Buff) as a grounding element.
For this look, Abby’s bringing both hot and cold with her Hi-Line Heel Lace Boots (colour: Warp Red) and show-stopping indigo corduroy trench coat. This is the perfect statement piece to layer over your favourite skirt + sweater combo. Don’t forget a pair of fishnet stockings for that extra bit of spice.
Go bold or go home. We decided to elevate these simply chic Hi-Line Heel Chelsea Boots (colour: Umber/Ceramic) with a popping pink blazer, complimentary olive green faux leather pants and a vibrant corset designed and created by our very own Mirian Njoh. We’re living for her colourful corporate baddie vibe.
Finally, we leaned into the stylish functionality of these Hi-Line Lace Boots (colour: Geo Yellow/Jet) and paired them with a classic cream bomber jacket, wide-cut jeans, and for all our sweater weather fans—a vibrant neon yellow turtleneck for a pop of colour.
Click here to shop the full Hi-Line collection by SOREL.