Emily Ratajkowski Talks Ugly Shoes, Sexy Boots, and Her Biggest Footwear Faux Pas

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Emily Ratajkowski in a Pringle of Scotland dress and Frye bootsPhoto: Shutterstock

Emily Ratajkowski has had a ton of fashion projects on her plate recently. In the past three months, she’s appeared as the face of the denim brand DL1961, as well as French label The Kooples. (She designed a bag for the line, too.) And in downtown New York last night, the supermodel celebrated another campaign, this time with Frye boots. Dressed in a figure-hugging white Pringle of Scotland dress and a pair of sand-colored leather stompers, she put her signature bombshell spin on the classic motorcycle boot. For her, the combination of sexy and tough has been a go-to as of late. “I’ve started to think it’s easier than styling them with denim or pants because you don’t have to worry about lengthening your leg,” she says. “You just have to worry about the proportions.”

Emily Ratajkowski for FryeCourtesy of Frye

While other celebrities use stiletto heels to kick their fashion mojo into high gear, Ratajkowski has always grounded her style with a good pair of boots. You can often catch her strutting through the streets of L.A., Paris, and New York in a pair. “I love boots because I want to feel that I’m ready to go anywhere, whatever the night or day brings me. And I won’t be bitching because my knee is hurting,” she says. “At the same time, I like height and I don’t want to be in a sneaker. A boot is the perfect balance between a stiletto and a sneaker.” That’s not to say that her shoe game has always been this strong. She’s had her fair share of footwear faux pas just like the rest of us. “I really wanted to be the ’90s dream girl,” says the model, recalling her high school fashion aspirations. “I went with white Dr. Martens, which sounds really cool, but they weren’t actually Docs, because I couldn’t afford them. They were some lame version. I would wear them with thigh-high socks.” Despite the mistakes of her past, Ratajkowski isn’t shying away from the cringe-worthy ugly-pretty shoe trend that’s currently percolating on the runways. “I like the Balenciaga sneakers. I like the ugly thing,” she says. “I’m one of those people who is fully on board with it.” And if anyone can make a jolie-laide fashion moment totally hot, it’s Ratajkowski.