OverU Boots

Ilse Jacobsen Rain Boots Move to New York City

An executive at Ilse Jacobsen contacted me on Facebook to tell me that the her "rub" boots can be found at NY Pull, Olive and Bette's, Madewell and might soon be selling to larger retailers.

I went to Madewell in Soho on Broadway and Broome Street to check out the display.

Looks great! If you know of another store where you want to see these boots, then please contact me and I can forward the message to the Ilse Jacobsen sales rep.

Here's a close-up image of the boot's signature Gusseted Laces: The design of the laces make them fully adjustable but still waterproof for those rainy days. FINALLY! A Rain Boot made for people who don't have stick figure legs! 

The boots are all handmade from 100% natural rubber from renewable resources. This coming Spring 2011 season Ilse Jacobsen is adding 4 new colors to the collection, making the total 19 all together!  

I was correct in my original post when I said that the 2nd Standout-feature of the boots were their soles. The soles are designed to absorb the weight of the person wearing them, to make the boot feel lighter on the feet, and to add flexibility in the boot compared to other brands.

Their price point is around $200. Please. Don't skimp on your rain boots. The bi-polar weather is no joke these days.

Top Ten Last Minute Halloween Costumes with Boots

You landed on this page so that means you're just like me and you wait until the last minute to decide on a Halloween costume!

If you love your boots and you know it and you really want to show it, then figure out a way to incorporate them in to your last minute costume. If you have a little bit of money to spend, then this is the perfect opportunity to buy new boots!

It's easy. Here, I'll show you. 

10) THE CONSTRUCTION WORKER.

All you need is a pair of Timberland Boots, overalls or shorts, a cutoff wife-beater (is there a better name for those?), a hard hat and a tool belt.

Do NOT walk out of the house like this because it's STUPID!

9) POCOHONTAS

Minnetonkas and anything suede, fringed, or leather; a suede vest with shearling and leather skirt is perfect. Oh and braid your pigtails, then go buy a bow and arrow set; something cool that you can talk about when you get bored. Take a piece of leather and tie it around your head.

8) COWGIRL

Cowboy boots, denim shorts or jeans, white t-shirt, lasso, cowboy hat, walk around with a cigarette and a gun. These will be the props that you inevitably lose and then you'll walk around the party in a drunken stupor slurring, "Has anyone seen my gun???"

7) BIKER CHICK

Motorcycle boots, jeans, fake tattoos, leather jacket, bandana tied around your head, a cigarette that you will lose or a real smoker will steal from you. It'd be cool if you could bloody yourself up too and then be "The Bitch who Fell Off".

6) WITCH

Pointy, ankle, lace-up boots, a witch's hat and a simple, black dress. Get some funky stockings, a witch's broom, maybe a gray scraggly wig. This one takes some time and effort, especially if you do makeup. It's not my fave, neither are the boots associated with it. 

5) A DRAG-QUEEN

Those crazy platform boots!!!  In a crazy drag queen color!!! A really tight, really short shirt/dress. Stuff your underwear with a pair of socks and make your boobs look all lumpy and fake. An outrageous wig....LOTS OF MAKE-UP!!!

4) FUTURISTIC

Mid Thigh-high boots (because that's what we're all going to be wearing), metallic pants, crazy wig, a ton of make-up, and I would wear something funky on top, like a bra and a sheer top over it. Can you find one of those electric swords that they used in Star Wars?

3) HORSEBACK RIDER

Riding boots, leggings, a crop, a helmet, crisp white button down. This one isn't as much fun, but walking around with a whip could get interesting.

2) HIPPIE

Platform Boots, bell bottoms, a fabric fringed belt tied around your head, a suede vest over a cutoff t-shirt or tank top. Give everyone the peace sign the whole night.

1) The BootLady

This is the easiest of all!!!!  Wear ANY pair of boots you have lying around, your favorite jeans and a t-shirt. Don't touch your hair or your make-up, grab your iPhone and then walk around the party and say, "Excuse me, I love those boots. Can I take a picture of you with my iPhone???"

 

 

Matching Leggings and Jeggings to Boots -- Because no one's invented Beggings

I'm curious to know which fashion editor first approved the usage of the term "jeggings".

JEGGINGS.... Really????

If you'd like to make the word a little less annoying, MATCH your boots to your jeggings!

How?

*****First - we need JEGGINGS

NY Daily News writer Issie Lapowsky test drove 3 pairs of jeggings around NYC and this is what she found: C&C California wins out on the most comfortable and flattering jeggings. Of course, they're also the most expensive of the three at $128.

Or just save yourself the trouble and head to your nearest American Apparel store. If you live in NYC, then you can find one at the next intersection of whatever street you're standing on. If you don't see it - walk two more blocks - There it is! 

For instance, you could take Gap's Faded Gray wash Legging-Jeans (thank you Gap!)--

And match them with these Giuseppe Zanotti Denim Boxer Boots. 

For a streetstyle example of the Legging-Boot Combo check out this lady waiting for the train. She's looking at my business card as I take pictures....Is she wearing yellow nail polish? Cool, it matches the tint in this photo.

She's applying the same concept to American Apparel's Shiny Leggings.

The key is to try and match them perfectly. The transition should be so flawless that it seems from afar that the boots and the leggings are one piece. It might be a little time consuming and expensive to find the perfect boots to match the jeggings or vice versa but TRUST - 

Someone will come up with Beggings eventually and then we won't have to worry about buying a separate pair of boots to match each pair of jeggings or leggings. We'll have beggings! And the boots will be built right in! 

Matiko Boots are "Nice Baby"!

A few days ago I overheard a man cat-calling a woman as I walked to the bank.

All I heard was, "Nice B--" and I assumed he had complimented her on her boots.

"Excuse me, did he just say 'Nice Boots!' to you back there?", I asked her.

"No. He said 'Nice BABY!'" as she rolls her eyes at me, bored with such a lame attempt at a pick-up line.

Why would you want to say anything else besides "Nice Boots!" to a woman wearing these? And in this fashion?? That's CLEARLY all she wants to hear!

What's great about these boots is their versatility. Not only can you wear them full-calf but you can also manipulate the boot shaft with the zipper to achieve a cuffed look...

 
Maria bought these boots at the clothing store, Variazioni where she works. No wonder it was so easy for her to sell me on their functionality and comfort!

For $265 these boots are a good deal. The wedged heel makes them comfortable and they can be worn in three different ways that can also be mixed and matched in the same outfit. In most of the pictures that we took together, she had the right leg at full-calf and the left boot slightly unzipped and half folded-down.

I asked her what brand they were....She knew they were from Brazil....

 
The brand is Matiko. Unfortunately, they don't sell this style on their website but they have other reasonably priced boots on their site that are worth checking out.

Take the GIA boots for instance. They're only $218 and they have a covered wedge heel - a big trend this fall.

Covered wedges and an adjustable fold-over cuff. You really can't go wrong...

 


The Roles of Boots Throughout History

When I began planning my first presentation in my public speaking class this summer, I didn't have a clear direction for the paper. I knew I wanted to educate people about the various roles that boots have played throughout history, but I wasn't sure how to organize the examples I would highlight. Should I focus on certain styles? Time periods? Designers? Regions of the world? I was also unclear on how I would relate the material back to the audience and prove the relevancy of my speech.

As I was researching in the library at FIT, I decided to format the paper by "Purpose". So I chose three purposes that boots have had for the person wearing them; I decided on Status, Protection, and Sport. 

After I was done writing, scanning, editing, and organizing the images in to a powerpoint presentation, I was stuck --

This was important to me because I'm obsessed with boots, but how did it serve the audience?

Lightbulb idea....I looked to Stylesight.com and Net-a-porter.com [loud clapping and cheering sound]....

Strangely enough, there was a Forecasted boot on Stylesight or a Featured boot for sale on Net-a-porter that matched each one of the historic boots I talked about.

For Status: Roman Campagus Boots used to show military rank

Gladiator Hybrid Sandal Boots seen in shows for SS2010

For Status: Tibetan Lama Boots used to show spiritual rank 

Penelope Chilvers Calf-Hair Boots on sale at Net-a-porter.com right now. Weird, huh? The top of the Tibetan Lama boots are red silk FYI -- even more similar in style...

For Protection: 17th Century European Postilion Boot (used by carriage riders whose right leg might potentially be crushed by two horses)

 

Sorry for the tiny image (Macs come with everything but a good program for editing images).

For Protection: Inuit Kamiks made out of Sealskin (and the fur of some sorry-ass animal). Hey, when it's that cold out something's gotta give....

MOU Cowboy Goatskin Boots: on sale now at Net-a-porter.com. I swear faithful readers, this is the last time you will see this image. I promise!

For Sport: 19th Century American Bicycling Boot. See those buckles? They were meant to avoid getting the laces caught in the chains.

This style is coming back in a big way. Check out this post of a woman wearing them in Chelsea when I incorrectly refer to them as Riding Boots. They're really bicycling boots but I didn't realize until I wrote this speech....

Lookbook from Stylesight's FW 2010 Forecast. One of the granola/farmer/prairie lookbooks. I think it was called "Into the Woods".

For Sport: 19th Century American Cowboy Boot

Golden Goose 108 Cowboy Boots "Pre-Loved" as Barneys says in the description.

________________________________________________________

Is it a coincidence that I was able to find a current boot modeled after each boot worn centuries if not millennia ago?

I think not.

I am the BootLady.

It comes with the name.

 

 

Fall 2010 Bootwear Trends: Part 3 of ---

When I first noticed rain boots with laces in FW 2009, I was immediately attracted to them because they seemed tailored for women with "ample"calves.

I immediately went home and did some research. Fell in love! My favorite part of them is the thicker combat boot sole.  

I didn't think that there were other designers putting laces on rain boots until I ran into Foo Mei-zee in the train station. 

These Hunter Boots are from two seasons ago, so I have to retract what I said about Hunter in the original post when I berated them for not modernizing their classic wellie boot. 

They made them even more hardcore than the Ilse Jacobsen version! Look at the studs and that strap that wraps around the shaft!

This is another Hunter design. They moved the laces from the front of the wellie to the back and added a wedge to appeal to the under 5'9" crowd.

They're selling online at Nordstrom.com... buy them soon if you like the style! They're gonna sell out. Just make sure that you measure the circumference of your calf and are sure about the fit first...Because I'm pretty sure that these laces don't serve any purpose at all. Form doesn't always follow function in fashion.

I also dig these short rain boots by Ilse Jacobsen. This is a style that can actually be worn by people with thicker calves who don't want those unsightly creases in their boots that happen when boots get pressed up against moving legs. It's like a panty line for a boot. Gross.

These JFOUR boots are selling on Yoox.com. They're only $105 and they come in a variety of colors that have mixed and matched laces.

What do you think? Pink and Purple or Brown with Pink? Check them out! There are color combinations for everyone.

These See by Chloe Boots might be my favorite. I think because they're sold on Net-a-porter and I like everything they sell. At $215 they're probably the most affordable boot on that site.

I also like the leopard print of the rubber and the embossed side pocket detail. Check again! Can you see it now? It reminds me of one of those Magic Eye pictures. 

How To Clean MOU Cowboy Goatskin Boots

It's hard for me to write 5 Bootwear Trend posts in a series. I'm getting sidetracked by the "Evolving Influence" IFB Conference and the streetstyle photos I took this week. I just downloaded TweetDeck and so I'm feeling pulled in a lot of different directions.

Ok, real quick, before I mention the 3rd trend --

I want to add a follow-up post to the first MOU post where I pose the question: How in the world does one keep these boots clean?

Especially when at times, the streets of NYC look like this:

Good thing Shana from Mou-online.com contacted me in response. MOU Boots are reasonably priced (at $415 on Net-a-porter.com) which is hard to find when you're looking for quality fur boots. The cheaper, faux fur boots tend to look poorly made. Then the really classy fur boots are expensive to say the least. MOU Boots on the other hand are well-placed on both spectrums. 

And it's really quite easy to keep them clean: Treat them just as you would if the animal was still alive!

1- Using a bristle comb (or horse brush), brush along the nap.

2- For heavy soiling use a mild shampoo sparingly with warm water and a damp sponge.

3- Wipe down, rinse and repeat with clean water.

4- Towel dry and air-dry naturally.

Don't try to invent alternative methods because you might do some serious harm to the boots. I never recommend putting an animal in a washing machine or a dryer on high heat, so it follows that a pair of boots made with real goatskin and shearling fur shouldn't be washed that way either.

You're going to have to buy some proper mild pet shampoo. I use Earthbath on my pug at home. It's pet-friendly: "People Tested. Pet approved!"

Perfect for cleaning your all-fur boots.

(Please, no mean comments - I really hope you can read my sarcasm in between the lines)

 

Overview of Fall 2010 Bootwear Trends: Part 2 of ---

Fur Boots are the last thing on anyone's mind here in NYC this September. We still have heat waves, hurricanes, and the beach to think about.

But the trendsetters have their sights set on fur. Fashion-conscious New Yorkers are already browsing and saving for, or splurging on their All-fur Boots. Endless.com has a few pages of boots for sale on their website labeled "Shearling and Fur-trimmed".  

But nothing compares to this season's jaw-dropper: It's Alexander Wang's Goat Hair Polina boot. 

This is a bit extreme, even for me. And at $925 from Net-a-porter.com the price is no joke either (or maybe it's hilarious--I'm on the fence about it). 

If you want to view another cutting-edge designer's use of fur this season we can look to Christian Louboutin's Toundra Boot. It's much more toned-down and that red sole never hurts. 

For most of us, these boots are not only hard to afford but also hard to pull off -- and then there are those who cringe at the idea of killing animals needlessly for fashion.

Thankfully, there are plenty of designers who create faux-fur footwear. Nextag.com has a database of online stores selling faux-fur boots.

Manolo Blahnik created this white faux-fur boot to satisfy these needs. It's sold on Nordstrom.com, but at $1,695 it doesn't satisfy me!  And I'm not even sure it's animal friendly because that honestly looks exactly like a Pomeranian with a shoe up its arse.

These faux-fur Marc by Marc Jacobs are selling on Endless.com for $181 but... I don't see how anyone could think they're flattering. I did see a thumbnail image of them in black and it wasn't as bad but I think the overall look could have been improved had the laces been thinner and dyed the same color as the fur....or just--no, maybe it's the shape??

Moving on... 

Even if you don't think that you can fully commit to the all-fur trend there are plenty of designs that allow you to partake in the fun without going "all the way".

We've got Roberto Cavalli, comin' through for us on Net-a-porter($1,650). 

I love these!!!  See....now THIS is the ribbon-look that Marc Jacobs was going for in the last one done right. The ribbon-wrap detailed is used in many of these designs. Did anyone else notice that?

And then there's See by Chloe on Net-a-porter for $450, which look odd on white space but look really chic when paired right with an extra long plaid button-down.

I'm still on the MOU Cowboy Goatskin Boot...

Or Muks Rabbit and Suede...

Gotta love that wedge, ladies. 

 

An OverU-view of Fall 2010 Bootwear Trends: Part 1 of ---

I want to share some Bootwear trends that I predict will become popular this Fall/Winter 10-11. I'm leaving this series open-ended with a goal in mind of 5 trends/posts.

PART 1 of -- : The Fabric Calf (adapted from the Thong Sandal-Boot and Hybrid Sandal-Boot)

3 Designers: 3 Very Different Boots...

Following the popularity of Fabric Ankles that we have seen this summer on Thong Sandal-Boots and Hybrid Sandal-Boots--

Designers are taking this trend and adapting it for colder seasons and inclement weather.

The fabric is attached to the top of the ankle of the boot. Sometimes the seam is hidden inside of the boot and other times it's visibly sewn with the upper material.

Let's start with a Marc by Marc Jacobs design, only because... my favorite boots EVER were a Marc design.

Part-Duck Boot, part-Rain boot, part Cinch-sak.

These Marc Jacobs add a special twist to an old staple.

Anything looks good on a Net-a-porter model...

But if you're a 9-to-5, maybe the Givenchy Stocking-detailed Ankle Boot is more your style....A classier look.

Before you decide, check em out on the model...

What looked silly a moment ago looks appealing now...

Also check out how wide the opening of the shaft is at her ankle. That's another thing I've been noticing about boots these days - the popularity of the wide fitting calf. Maybe it's meant to offset the skinniness of the jeans?

And last but definitely not least -- The Olivia Boot from 7 for All Mankind. Perfect Blend of Work Boot and the Fabric Ankle.  LOVE THESE!

They remind me of a Timberland work boot, but fancy!

Timberland, you clearly are not listening to me but I think you should make a Wedge Work Boot and a Fabric Ankle boot.

Instead you're making boat shoes and wannabe-UGGS.

I want to cry every time I look at my old Tim boots. How can I possibly wear them another season?

 

Top 5 Boots for Summer

5. The Cowboy Boot

Don't be fooled by the full-calf of a traditional cowboy boot. They are unlined and breathable - perfect for the summer! Check out the D & G boot - it's a vented version!

 

Which brings me to ....

4:  The Summer Mesh Boot

I'm honestly not a fan of this look. In theory I am because I look back to my notes from 3 years ago and see "Mesh Boots for Summer" among the creations in my head. These all remind me of a wicker chair. 

 3. The Tramper Moccasin

These Tramper Moccasins are perfect for the summer. Combine them with a loose-fitting jumper, a zippered dress, or high-waisted shorts for an updated summer look. 

 2. The Boot Thong

It's a Thong Sandal and a Short Boot all in one! Never thought I'd say "thong" and "boot" in the same sentence but then again, I was forced to watch a show called "Dating in the Dark" last night at the laundromat. Our world is changing fast, not always in a good way, and now we wear Boot-Thongs.

These Boot-Thongs didn't look right on me because I have muscular calves...This is why I wear flip-flops in the summer.

Last but not least.....

1. The Hybrid Sandal-Boot

My absolute favorite for this Summer 2010. Perfect for any woman who wants to sport an edgier look combined with the allure of a sandal. There are so many versions of the Hybrid Sandal-Boot: wedged sole, gladiator, peep-toe, peep-ankle...I could do another post entirely on these alone...

 

Before this post and the summer season draw to a close I would just like to thank Stylesight and Net-a-porter for providing an endless supply of inspirational photos for my use in this column.