Best Shoes and Hemlines for Your Legs

4. Keep skirt length around the knees. You need the right combo of shoe or boot style, skirt length and shape. A length that's somewhere between two inches above the knees and the top of the knees will be your basic. It's the lower leg where wide calves, ankles and feet visually add width and subtract length. Are you a midi-skirt fan? Keep hemlines below the knees at the point where your leg indents before starting to swell. Long skirts that stop where calves are fullest widen and shorten legs.

Alice Rutherford

5. Pair higher clingy ankle booties with skirts. Low ankle boots look great with pants, leggings and jeans, but opt for longer-necked booties that hug the leg. Stretchy suede, leather or microfiber gives a trimmer look with no obvious break — almost like socks — so check out the Mossimo Supply Co. Dania Crushed Velvet Sock Bootie or Donnie Side Zipper Sock Booties by A New Day (both at target.com). For a little more structure but a narrow extended top, try A2 by Aerosoles Strole Along Booties or the Journee Collection Heeled Buckle Booties (both at target.com and elsewhere). Match your tights to your booties for the sleekest look.

6. Wear sophisticated Mary Janes, not ankle straps. Ankle straps crop legs at the ankle, making them appear shorter and broader. For women with robust legs the ankles are your "thin" spot, even if you have cankles. A strap that crosses the instep is still flattering, but make sure to get a trendy pair. Try embellished velvet like Katy Perry The Saidee, the Nina Idette or a fancy cap-toe suede pair like SAS Cate. (Check zappos.com and elsewhere.) And yes, along with velvet, pearls and glitz are for day, too.

7. D'Orsay shoes offer chic and sleek comfort. The cut-out sides of a d'Orsay shoe update basic flats like Nine West Starship or Tommy Hilfiger Naree3 (both at zappos.com and elsewhere) or low heels like Nine West Solis or Sam Edelman Telsa (both zappos.com and elsewhere). The open-instep design exposes more foot, lengthening the leg in turn and providing roomier fit for swollen or puffy lower legs.

8. Peep-toe wedges are leg boosters (and make pedicures worth it). Yes, that little sliver of foot emerging is like an extension ladder to your legs. Try the combo of open toe and elevated wedge in black glossy patent or leather — like Naturalizer Olivia or Cole Haan Sadie Open Toe Wedge (both at zappos.com and elsewhere) — instead of another black pump. The wedge provides support and complements fuller calves and ankles.

9. Keep knee-high boots lean, frill-free and neutral. Tall boots with a low heel straighten curves and even out leg proportions for a sleeker, more uniform look. This year gray suede or taupe with top-to-sole zippers — like Nine West Nihari, Corso Como Hoffman, Sam Edelman Penny 2 or Born Fannar (all available at zappos.com and elsewhere) — are a fresh alternative to black or brown leather. So step on it! Another new option is a stretch over-the-knee boot like Journee Collection Sana Faux Suede Tall Round Toe Boots (target.com) or Chinese Laundry Festive (zappos.com and elsewhere). These work like control leggings to mold and lean out power legs. 

10. Leopard is the best diversion of all. Spotty pumps (like Calvin Klein's Genoveva, Tahari Amanda or Cole Haan Justine) or ankle booties (like Anne Klein Gorgia or Dolce Vita Maude — all available at zappos.com and elsewhere) with a block or kitten heel are so trendy, yet so classic, and flattering to all legs. You’ll love leopard footwear next year, too, when all the metallics and glitter fade away.

For more beauty and style tips for women age 50+, check out The Woman's Wakeup: How to Shake Up Your Looks, Life and Love After 50 by Lois Joy Johnson and AARP's Beauty & Style issue.