February and March welcomed the upcoming fall and winter trends, and while fashionistas and style icons have given us new ways to wear everything from booties to OTKs in the summer heat, boots are first and foremost known as a winter staple. Thus, it wasn’t much of a surprise when boots, tall and short, dominated the catwalks of Fall 2016 fashion shows, supplying us with a taste of what to expect in the next few months. From the use of metallics to red patent leather, there were plenty of boot designs to go around, in addition to new twists of the classics such as black ankle boots that feature in Lyst’s trending and most fashionable boots currently on the market. But something in particular caught some people’s attention, as fashion houses and leading labels showed us what it truly meant to travel in style. Some designers focused on the long boots to keep our legs and feet warm for the winter. Others channeled their wanderlust through their shoes, giving normally unfashionable hiking boots a luxury treatment to provide globetrotters with a style upgrade on all their winter escapes, whether they’re packing for an African safari getaway or a jungle adventure along the Amazon River. Taking the road less travelled, Louis Vuitton and Mulberry demonstrated a toughness in their footwear by adding chunky heels to hiking boots, while Ivy Kirzhner had a safari escape or possibly a Himalayan camp in mind with sherpa lining and rose-gold hardware, an elite pair among the travel footwear. For trekking through rainforests, Jimmy Choo and Burberry debuted water-resistant shoes made from leather and patchwork python respectively, offering shoes that can withstand the elements of all kinds of exotic expeditions. Fur linings and ski boots were also in the mix of winter travel gear, as well as animal print accents on edgy bikers. Could this be a new era in boot trends? With activewear and athleisure as the new standard in fashion, the latest generation of hiking boots could be a sneak peek of what’s yet to come at future fashion shows. Image: Conde Nast UK