Contributed by Cindi Pearce, Catalogs.com Top 10 Guru

Boots serve multiple purposes:

They’re functional, keeping you warm and dry when the weather is wretched, and you are required to slosh through snow and ice because there is no getting around it.

They are worn by mountain climbers and cowboys and fashionistas. Boots are also a beautiful clothing accessory. A sassy pair of boots can ramp up an outfit like nobody’s business. Every woman (and man) should have at least one pair of kick-butt boots in their wardrobe.

Here are the top 10 ways to wear boots:

10. Winter and barn boots

Men and women who work outside during the bad weather months, particularly farmers and year-round gardeners and those who have to traipse through heaven only knows what in barns, fields and pastures need a solid pair of winter boots or heavy duty barn boots to keep them warm, comfortable and upright. Slipping and sliding around in mud and slush isn’t anyone’s idea of a great way to spend the day. Getting your toes frostbitten is also something you want to avoid.

9. Motorcycle boots

Motorcycle riders wear certain clothing to protect them from the heat or cold and them from the sun and the wind and the heat of the motorcycle itself. Don’t forget your feet. Try some of the boots designed specifically for riders and created for both men and women. Women’s cycle boots fit the contour of a woman’s lower leg as well as the circumference of her calf. The ankles are padded and the lower part is designed for grip and contract while riding the bike while simultaneously protecting your legs from the heat of the motorcycle.

8. Snow boots

A warm pair of real fur boots that are weather resistant and easy to care for might be just the ticket to getting through yet another winter without having wet, cold, frozen toes and feet. Did you know that goat hair is water repellant, provides insulation and is windproof? It is. Keep your feet toasty and dry with a good looking pair of snow boots.

7. With nothing else

Alone, with nothing else, if you’ve got the nerve. Of course, this isn’t recommended for anyone planning on venturing outside, but it might be a dicey surprise to meet your partner at the door in some killer va-va-voom boots and nothing else.

6. On the job

In some jobs, work boots are a necessity to keep the wearer safe. However, a rugged pair of work boots looks good even when off-duty and worn by an equally rugged man.

5. Ski boots

If you’re headed for the slopes, you need the appropriate recreational gear, including ski boots that allow you to venture forth into the snow and up mountains and down into valleys and on the slopes and do whatever adventurous thing you have decided to explore on any given day.

4. To be fashionable

Ugg boots keep you warm and looking trendy. You see them worn by celebrities even when it’s 80 degrees outside. These boots serve as a natural insulator and keep your tootsies comfortably warm in the winter and cool and dry in the summer. Uggs are constructed of fine woolen sheepskin that is very soft.

3. Cowboy boots

You don’t have to be a cowboy to wear cowboy boots. Wear your boots with a pair of jeans or under a long, Indian print skirt, toss on some turquoise jewelry and your jean jacket, and you’re ready to go.

2. To look taller

Ankle boots can be worn with pants, skirts or dresses. They keep you warm but also allow you to look fashionable. Most ankle boots have a heel, which is always a flattering look. The extra height provided by the heel makes you look longer and leaner.

1. Over the knee

Put on your feistiest mini skirt and slip into some textured tights and couple this with over-the-knee suede boots. This is a very good look, particularly for those who are young, have great legs and can pull off short skirts. The focus is definitely going to be on your legs. They will appear to go on forever.