As your friendly neighborhood lunar astronaut, hiker, Nancy Sinatra or safari… um, person… will tell you, boots are your closest ally in the battle against the elements. Being residents of the greatest city in the greatest state in the world, the fiercest elements we have to suit up for are drenching rains, feet upon feet of the fluffy white stuff, filthy slush- formerly known as melting snow- and gubernatorial controversy. Boots are the perfect solution to all these problems, whether it happens to be a good snow boot, galosh, ankle boot, mukluk, or steel toed, in the case of the latter. However, it can be a slippery slope, as it were. It’s easy to misstep and favor style over functionality and vice versa. But fear not! I have come up with a few tips for you to ensure that you always have the proper footwear for whatever situation you might find yourself in.
There has been a lot said, recently, against one of my personal favorite cold-weather deflector footwear pieces: a certain plain-looking sheepskin boot of particular notoriety in recent years. I’ve heard them called uggly, stupid, trendy, passé, and even common! Them’s fightin’ words… it seems the boot in question needs a little defense. The truth of the matter is that those who would wear this boot as a style piece or fashion statement are completely misguided. What they do not understand is that these boots do not belong beneath your sweater-dress. These boots belong beneath your sweats, your knock-around jeans and with hoodies and puffy jackets on cold days! These should be worn to class, perhaps for the commute on the way to the office- not out to the club or on a date! The boot itself is probably the simplest piece of footwear since the flip-flop and, consequently, exists with almost complete neutrality, the only stipulation being the color you choose. So I suppose you could say that this paragraph is a plea to both the haters and abusers of this boot: Know its place!
You also see a lot of plain leather boots out in the fashion world these days. There are as many ways to do this as there are normal shoes out there. Some have heels of varying heights, some come up above the knee; some not halfway up the calf. They come in every imaginable color of suede and leather. Depending on the style, some may be a little slouchy or skin-tight, some may have buckles, and some may have embroidered designs right on the leather. Whatever you choose, the plain leather boot is a staple of the modern woman’s wardrobe. I love seeing a flat, that maybe slouches a bit around the ankle, worn with solid, dark tights, maybe a long tunic and a belt to match the boots. Heeled boots can be worn under any trousers in the colder months and help you make your way through the cold and even take you right to the corner office. If the trouser is the proper length, your boot will just appear as any of your pumps from the rest of the year.
Of course, you mustn’t neglect your big, nasty galoshes. You know the ones I mean- you only wear them if you absolutely have to- when there’s a foot of snow on the ground, it’s still coming down and you have to walk to the bus stop. Then you go for the winter boots. Don’t be misled, these boots serve just as vital a purpose as any other pair of shoes in your wardrobe. So yes, put them on. Wear them out. Let your feet stay warm and dry! Carry your other shoes to your destination with pride! The fact that you’re traveling nice and toasty and warm (albeit a bit bottom-heavy) means that you can really show what ya got when you arrive without worrying about salt stains, wetness or mud.
Winter is certainly the most treacherous season to be a citizen of Chicago, but the key is to know how to arm yourself. If you’ve got boots, you’ve got your most valuable weapon in battling the winter. If you don’t have boots… well, why don’t you have boots?! The temperature high yesterday was 17 below… well, let’s not divert our attentions, here. How about this? Go buy boots!