For the last half a decade, I’ve been under the impression that if I choose to wear tall boots, I’m wearing either a skirt or a dress—period. Tucking a pair of jeans or leggings into boots simply wasn’t an option. And up until a few days ago, I was more than happy to keep going the way I was going. Then Dakota Johnson arrived at Sundance Film Festival wearing the jeans-and-boots styling method I swore off years ago, and all of a sudden, everything I thought I knew about wearing tall boots went out the window.
For the premiere of The Disappearance of Shere Hite—a documentary executive produced and at parts, narrated by Johnson—the actress chose a casual-cool Gucci ensemble made up of a black-and-ivory leather jacket and baggy, pleated jeans that she styled in a retro fashion, that is, tucked into her round-toe black boots. But here’s the thing: Unlike the 2000s-era tucked-in looks that I once shuttered at, Johnson’s take felt shockingly refreshing. Modern and stylized, the look was enough to make me rethink everything I believed to be true about wearing pants with boots. And if my predictions are true, I’m not alone.
See for yourself by checking out Johnson’s look from Sundance below.
Coming up: I Live in Jeans and Boots—These Styles Are Very Chic, Period