This breed of footwear can skew punk, outdoorsy, or utilitarian, depending on the pair you choose and what you choose to wear it with. I have a pair I wear a lot this time of year—you can at least partially winterize them by shelling out for shearling insoles. I like the clunky sole and orange laces on this pair from Italian brand Diemme.
You can’t go too far wrong with a pair of Doc Martens, and they’ll last forever.
I dig the sneaker sole and blushy hue on these, from Rag & Bone.
I wish this Tory Burch pair didn’t have the logo stamped on it, but I’m willing to overlook it because they’re so good: I’m a sucker for cracked leather, and I like how they deployed the fleece.
A polished and well-priced boot from Sam Edelman.
For those who require a platform sole, I bring you this.
These have a hint of a platform too, and they look like they’d be perfect with jeans.
This one is from Birkenstock, and I frankly don’t just love the way it looks, but it must be the soul of comfort.
These are from La Canadienne, a brand that’s serious about foul-weather boots, and they’re marked nicely down.
This Madewell pair has a menswearish vibe I like.
These, from Vince, are so good in this sandy hue; however if that seems desperately impractical to you, they also come in black.
I know these are slightly nuts, but I also find them completely adorable.
This pair would totally work with dresses and skirts.
These are from A.P.C., and they’ve got a sophistication that I appreciate.
As regular readers know, I’m not especially fond of brown footwear, but I do very much like the burgundy-ish brown on this Frye pair.
I know what you mean about brown boots, but if it’s the right shade of brown in the right style…for example, the dark brown knee-high, lace-up, side zipper combat-style boots that now live with me, they’re fine. Side zip lace-ups are just perfect for my wid-ish calves, and the kindergarten kid in me that just wants to get up and go!
Love these! I’ve been debating over whether or not I’d actually wear them, given my fairly recent conversion to “buy better – buy less.” But, man…do I want them!
I like the nutso wedge brown TBs too. I wonder if they’re comfortable.
I appreciate the ease of entry and exit a zipper could provide, but I’ve loved and collected lace up boots for years and always felt a zipper on a lace up was a cheat. Dumb, I know, but I guess I’m a purist. Great selection here.
As I scrolled through this outstanding selection of boots I was bemoaning my utter laziness in not wanting to bother with lace-up anything. And then the Vince boots came into view with their sly zipper on the side and the outstanding sand color which would be perfect for a crisp Spring day. I’ve got the television on watching the sunrise coming up over DC and thinking I might need just one purchase to celebrate our nation and the changing of the administration!!
A day to celebrate for sure!
I don’t know if you’re still taking requests, Kim, but I would LOVE an entire post about shoes with laces (high-tops, boots, what-have-you) that also have easy-access zippers or other slip-on ability, as I love the look but will never bother with a lace-up shoe for the quickie dog-walks, school drop-offs and grocery runs that have become my only outings these days.
Agreed. I seem to have lost patience with unlacing and lacing as I get old. Or tugging.
I can’t remember the last time I wore shoes with laces. Slip-ons of all styles (boots, loafers, sandals, Vans, Sabahs) are and have been my thing even before I became a GOACA!
I was about to comment that I have an irrational aversion to lace ups that have a zipper. Don’t know if it’s the busyness or what, but I think it (generally) cheapens the look. Those Vince boots may cause a conversion.
Me too! It drives me crazy. Sometimes I try to rationalize it with a boot I love by telling myself that it just makes the fit more adjustable.
I appreciate the ease of entry and exit a zipper could provide, but I’ve loved and collected lace up boots for years and always felt a zipper on a lace up was a cheat. Dumb, I know, but I guess I’m a purist. Great selection here.
What a perfectly timed post – so happy to be booting someone out of of office today!
I see what you did there, Eloise.
I don’t mind some logos, but that Tory Burch logo is just not attractive
. Especially when it shows up as a gold buckle on a flat. Imho.
Love the Frye pair&i bet they would age well too.
Watching the Horror finally leave. Whata huge relief.
For everyone who hates lacing – try lock laces. Granted, they won’t work for tall boots, but I just installed them on all my sneakers and no longer need to tie and untie them. It’s great.
I have lived in warm climates my whole life and am moving to the northeast this year. I have no idea how to wear boots/booties or shoes with pants! Do you tuck them in? Slide them under? What happens with socks? Catalogs and online images so often have models sitting in awkward positions to highlight the shoe that hikes up the pant…this is a truly perplexing conundrum. Maybe it’s just me??
Good for you, Annie! It is good to try new things. Though I haven’t had to do it in a while, one new thing will be air that is soooo cold, it is painful on bare skin. So, you might want to buy some long wool socks. They don’t have to be thick though. When I lived in cold weather, cropped pants were not in style, so that wasn’t an issue, and I can’t answer your actual boot/shoe questions, I’m afraid. … … Snow is beautiful. I used to fall reeeeeally, really hard on ice about once a year. Depending on your age, this could be catastrophic, so traction is going to be a concern. (Ice is what happens to snow when it gets packed down on a sidewalk by lots of people walking on it. It’s hard to see, too. Have you ever been iceskating? Well, that’s ice…) Besides the ice, I did not see any downsides. (I did not ever drive much back East though. That will be different too.) You get changing leaves to look at. It’s great.
people … I was snooping around Boden, and I saw these. May have to break my no-suede rule. Wallabeeeeeees… (-ish) https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/womens-shoes-boots#nav
Oops, I was trying reference the Gowrey ankle boots, which look really awesome. If you like that sort of thing. Theses: https://www.bodenusa.com/en-us/gowrie-ankle-boots-navy/sty-a0788-nav?cat=C1_S2_G11