What’s the best way to blouse my boots?
There are several ways to effectively blouse your boots, although the easiest and most reliable method is to use boot bands, also known as blousing bands. These simply hook around the top of your tied boots, and then you can tuck your pant leg under the band. Boot bands come in numerous designs, but any type will work, providing the safest way to keep your boots bloused.
If you don’t have boot bands at hand, you can use either rubber bands or electrical tape as a stop-gap measure.
Need to blouse your boots properly for a parade, or just want to show off your boots?
Being able to blouse your boots quickly and properly can be a massive help, especially if you need to do it regularly.
Knowing how to blouse your boots can save you hassle and time. And I’m all about making life easier, so today, I’m going to show you the simple steps you need to take to blouse your boots like a five-star general.
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What You’ll Need to Blouse Your Boots
If you’ve bought yourself some boot bands, you’re halfway home; all you’ll need to be able to blouse your boots are:
- Blousing boot bands
- The boots you intend to wear
- The pants you’ll be wearing when you need to blouse your boots.
These are the simple elastic garter bands I use to blouse my boots.
What You’ll Need If You Don’t Have Blousing Bands
If you need a quick fix, anything that’s flexible and will hold its shape for a while can be used to blouse your boots. All you’ll need is;
- Rubber bands
- Or electrical tape
- Or scotch tape
- Or use the socks that you’re wearing
- The boots you intend to wear
- The pants you’ll be wearing when you need to blouse your boots.
There’s nothing wrong with getting creative, any of the above methods will work fine, and you can go without boot bands for some time if necessary. They are still the most accessible and reusable option, so if blousing your boots is a regular thing, that’s the way to go.
- If you don’t have anything to hand and plan on tucking your pants into your boots, you only need the boots and pants you’re wearing.
I don’t recommend this approach, although, in the case of an emergency, you can make this work for a while. If you’re in the military, this is unlikely to pass muster, so be prepared to explain yourself.
How to Blouse Boots the Right Way
Step 1: Get Dressed
The first thing you’ll need to do is put on the pants you intend to wear and your socks and boots. Blousing boots using boot bands is the cleanest and most effective way to ensure a smart look that will remain stable all day long; it’s also achievable in seconds.
Step 2: Attach Your Boot Bands
With your boots tied, wrap your boot bands around your boots, right at the very top of the boot shaft. There are varying opinions on where to put your boot bands; some say at the top of your boot to keep circulation, and others say to hook them around your leg just above the boot. I prefer the boot option; it restricts the band from riding up your leg, holding it in place better.
These are the simple elastic garter bands I use to blouse my boots.
Step 3: Tuck Your Pants Under the Boot Band
Once your band is in place, grab the hem of your pant leg, and tuck it under the band. A few inches is fine for now, as the next step in the process will ensure a clean-looking boot blouse.
Step 4: Drop Those Pants, Mister!
That’s right, you heard me. This step is, admittedly, optional. But I recommend you at least try this once; you’ll get a much neater boot blouse that’s good for the whole day. If you’re outdoors and not alone, perhaps just make do; otherwise, drop your pants.
As it stands, your boots are technically bloused, but they will look baggy around the top of your boots. To finish off with a flourish, drop your pants and pull up the hem of the pant leg that you tucked under the boot band.
You’ll have to practice a few times to find the right balance here; pull too much of the hem up, and you’re wearing shorts, too little, and the pants remain baggy. Once you find the right amount to pull up under the boot band, usually between 3-6 inches, pull up your pants.
Made in the USA from Merino wool, these work socks really are something else in terms of quality. They feature compression through the arch and calf which helps your feet recover after a long day. Plus, because they're Merino wool, they're breathable and help reduce foot sweat.
Step 5: Remove Any Creases
Your boots should now be on full display, bloused, and ready to go. Neaten up the hem of your pants, removing any creases or lumps, and you’re now good to go. This method of boot blousing takes seconds, looks excellent, and lasts all day. Your pants are looking tidy, and your boots are there for the world to see; just make sure they’re polished.
How to Blouse Your Boots with Your Socks
Another perfectly acceptable way to blouse your boots is to use something that’s already on hand (or, in this case, foot), namely, your socks. If you don’t own boot bands or can’t lay your hands on a rubber band or some tape, there’s a great hack that you can use to blouse your boots quickly using your sock. Let’s go through the easy steps you need to follow.
Step 1: Get Dressed
As with wearing boot bands, using your socks to blouse your boots requires you to be fully dressed, put on the pants you’re going to blouse, put on, pull up your socks, and then put on and lace up your boots. One thing to mention is that your socks do need to be longer than your boot; ideally, you can pull your boot sock up to around 4-6 inches above the top of your boot.
Made in the USA from Merino wool, these work socks really are something else in terms of quality. They feature compression through the arch and calf which helps your feet recover after a long day. Plus, because they're Merino wool, they're breathable and help reduce foot sweat.
Step 2: Pull Your Socks Down
To create something we can tuck your pants under, we need to use your sock as a band. So the next step is to pull your sock down over your boot shaft, as close to the top of your foot as possible. We’ve now got something to tuck our pants under.
Step 3: Tuck Your Pants Under Your Sock
Slide a couple of fingers under your sock, pull it away from your boot shaft, and begin tucking your pant leg underneath it. Work your way all the way around your boot, and make sure all of your pants leg is under the rolled-over sock. Because your sock goes all the way to the top of your boot, keep tucking your pant leg beneath the sock all the way to the top of your boot.
You’ll need to do this while kneeling; if you tuck your pants under your sock while your leg is straight, the moment you bend your leg, the blouse comes free, and you have to start over.
Step 4: Tidy Up Your Pant Leg
Once you’ve tucked your pants under your socks to the top of your boots, you can gently pull the pant leg in opposite directions to tidy it up a little. Make sure there are no bunched-up areas under the sock; it makes the blousing look neater and stops any uncomfortable bumps.
And that’s it; you’ve successfully bloused your boots using nothing but a bit of ingenuity. While this method isn’t my favorite way to blouse boots, it’s certainly effective and much smarter than tucking your pants into your boots. An excellent hack for those times you’re caught out.
How to Blouse Your Boots without Bands
Aside from the sock method of blousing your boots, there are other ways to achieve the same effect without needing to buy boot bands. Let’s go through the three main options, they’re definitely stop-gap measures, in my opinion, but they’re worth knowing for those times you’re in a pickle.
Tucking Your Pants into Your Boots
My least favorite alternative method is tucking your pants into your boots. While it achieves the desired result, it looks untidy and won’t hold under serious movement. I won’t give a how-to on tucking your pants into your boot for obvious reasons, but try it, then try and tuck your knee up to your chest.
Chances are, the pant comes out of the boot, which is why I don’t recommend this method of boot blousing. If you’ve got minutes to spare and really need to blouse your boot in a hurry(military folk, I’m looking at you here), then It will solve a problem for a while.
Rubber Bands
If you’ve got some rubber bands to hand, you could follow my boot band guide above, but instead of using boot bands, replace them with a few rubber bands instead. It’s as simple as pulling the rubber bands up your boot from the toe end and then following my boot band instructions.
This nifty little trick looks so much neater than tucking your pants into your boot and could last you all day, providing you’re not doing insane exercise. If it has one flaw, it’s that you’re relying on the rubber not to break, but I’ve found using two or three bands reduces the risk.
Scotch Tape or Electrical Tape
If you have either scotch tape or electrical tape to hand, you can create your own makeshift boot blouse; this is a great way to keep your boot bloused throughout the day and uses something that most of us can put our hands on reasonably quickly. This method does warrant a quick step-by-step guide, so let’s get to it.
Step 1: Turn Up the Hem of Your Pants
Grab hold of the bottom of your pants and turn it up inside your pant leg, don’t worry about how much you tuck inside the leg yet, as the next step takes care of that.
Step 2: Drop Your Pants
Here we go again; it’s pant-dropping time. Now you’ve got your pants down, grab the cuff that you turned inside your pants and pull it up your leg. You’re aiming for enough so that when you pull your pants back up, the hem of your pants touches the top inch of your boots. But before pulling them back up again, it’s taping time.
Step 3: Tape Up Your Pants
Once you’ve got the right amount of pant leg folded back up inside your pants, use the tape to tape around the bottom of your pants where they meet your boots. Don’t worry about taping your skin; your pant leg is between you and any nasty taping accidents. Once taped up to your satisfaction, you can pull your pants back up.
Step 4: Finish Up
Once your pants are back up, they should be secured right around the top of your boots. The tape holds your pants in position so that the blousing remains stable, and you’re good to go. This method is another solid quick-fix to blousing your boots; it’s good enough to last all day and doesn’t crease your pants, making it a smart alternative.
Is That a New Blouse?
I really hoped you found my article interesting and fun to read; I found many online videos where these methods were used, often demonstrated by men and women in the military, several of whom mentioned they wished they’d known these tricks while in boot camp.
These are the simple elastic garter bands I use to blouse my boots.
FAQs
Why do soldiers blouse their boots?
Soldiers blouse their boots for various reasons, ranging from looking smart while on parade to keeping out debris or bugs while outdoors. It’s also a great way of stopping your pants from catching on things while climbing or jumping. Tripping over due to hooking a pant leg is something a soldier, especially one in training or combat, can’t afford.
How low can I blouse my boots?
For personal use, the height to which you blouse your boots is a personal preference. Some people will blouse a boot to the top, such as the military, but ultimately it’s up to you. For a military person, the standard specifications are that the boot should not be bloused below the third eyelet of the boot.
What is a boot blouser?
A boot blouser is another term for a boot band or blousing band; it’s a 2” woven elastic band with hooks on each end. The boot blouser goes around the top of your boot or around your calf, just above the top of the boot, and can be used to tuck pants under to blouse them.
