If you ask me, nothing says fall’s here like the first big ankle-boot drop of the season. It’s akin to back-to-school shopping but for adults—an annual ritual that every avid shopper looks forward to when September arrives. And now that the month has kicked off, so has the opportunity to get boot shopping, and this week marks the unofficial switch over from sandals to ankle boots at all our go-to stores, including Shopbop, Nordstrom, H&M, and Zara.

Naturally, as a self-certified boot expert, I was quick to peruse the offerings across the market in order to find out which styles were worth adding to my already extensive collection and which weren’t likely to make the cut. And let me tell you—my buy list has never been so long. Below, shop my picks for the season’s best ankle boots, from Western styles and sock boots to classic Chelsea boots.