OverU Boots

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. 

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. 

 

Timberland Does It Again

NEW TIMBERLAND WEDGE BOOTS!!!!! I'm not sure if they're a new design but they're new to me. I've never seen them before. And they're not really a wedge but...I REALLY REALLY want Timberland to make a new wedge boot so I'm just going to pretend that they're wedges.

This particular woman didn't even flinch when I told her I was going to take her boots' picture for my blog. She didn't even look up from her phone, so we didn't speak at all. I wonder when she bought them.  

I love Timberland Boots. I really do. I guess we can say these are heeled, green, Timberland duck boots. Weird. They sure are getting creative over there in the design studio.

Now.

If they would just bring these back, I'd be satisfied.

Timberland, I know you can hear me because you're following me on Twitter.

Please bring these boots back! It's bad enough that my favorite pair of Marc Jacobs was stolen last summer. Now my Timberlands are at the end of their lives too. It's sooooo saaaaaaad.