When I wake up and look through the barely opened blinds and see a white roof on the house across the alley I know one of two things has happened, either 1) a huge flock of migrating crows have all used that house as their toilet, or 2) it snowed. Lucky for those homeowners (they are grumpy so I don’t refer to them as neighbors) it was the latter. With snow comes the question, what boots to wear?
Winter in New England is kind of like several months of dirty grey slippery slush. The snow falls in heaps, stays white and fluffy for less than a New York minute, and quickly melts into dirty puddles. Oh what fun we have on the morning commute! The key to keeping our cute shoes cute is not to walk to work in them. Instead, we must don the required footwear – snow boots.
Snow boots are not to be confused with other boots, these boots are specifically made for walking in snow. Snow, ladies, snow. There are a ton of options out there, you can get snow boots that look good enough to wear around the office, which eliminates the need to carry our cute shoes in a shopping bag, but it also means that we don’t get to wear those cute shoes around the office.
There are also snow boots that look like snow boots, but won’t look good with a suit, and must be taken off once your butt is safely planted in your desk chair.
But the key here is to cover all the bases. A snow boot must not only be waterproof, it must also be conducive for trudging through snow. Case in point – these snazzy red la Canadienes, you might recognize this brand as the famous makers of expensive waterproof boots that are quite fashionable to boot, no pun intended.
Here’s the skinny on that though, one step on those lovely granite steps with a quarter of inch of slippery grey slush and you’ll be looking at these babies as they fly over your head and you land on your ass. Waterproof, yes, slippery snow proof, no.
Another option many women turn to is Uggs. And I must say, when I think of these boots I add an ly to the end. They are more ugly than a baby girl born with a full beard. No one should wear these in public. Not the famous, the infamous, or the unknown. They are hideous. But they are popular. So if you must, please be advised that the Easter-egg color options are best left for those who haven’t hit puberty yet.
Another option many women turn to is Uggs. And I must say, when I think of these boots I add an ly to the end. They are more ugly than a baby girl born with a full beard. No one should wear these in public. Not the famous, the infamous, or the unknown. They are hideous. But they are popular. So if you must, please be advised that the Easter-egg color options are best left for those who haven’t hit puberty yet.
And another thing, the salt stains must be managed. If you must wear those god-awful things, please at least keep them clean.
Another popular option is the rain boot. Some people refer to them as wellies, but I don’t. I think that word sounds like something you’d buy in a certain type of store in Chelsea, and so I don’t say it. I call them rain boots. They are a very practical option for several reasons, 1) your pants can be tucked inside them so that they are protected from salt, sand, and ick (note: yes, the pants can balloon over the top and look sort of German soldierish, but this effect is minimized with a longer overcoat); 2) they are completely waterproof so your feet will stay dry when you accidentally step into a puddle that looks shallow and is in fact about ankle deep (this is common at corners in Boston); and 3) they are cheap, cheap, cheap!
Another popular option is the rain boot. Some people refer to them as wellies, but I don’t. I think that word sounds like something you’d buy in a certain type of store in Chelsea, and so I don’t say it. I call them rain boots. They are a very practical option for several reasons, 1) your pants can be tucked inside them so that they are protected from salt, sand, and ick (note: yes, the pants can balloon over the top and look sort of German soldierish, but this effect is minimized with a longer overcoat); 2) they are completely waterproof so your feet will stay dry when you accidentally step into a puddle that looks shallow and is in fact about ankle deep (this is common at corners in Boston); and 3) they are cheap, cheap, cheap!
You can get an expensive pair by Marc Jacobs (I totally lust after these!), 
Orla Kiely (second major lust),
Kate Spade 
, or Burberry (I personally think this plaid is annoyingly over-sold and a stupid trend. Remember when everyone was wearing a rugby shirt with a big “Coca-Cola” logo across the center?! Things are trendy and then later we go, whoa, what the F@#$ was I thinking?! I’m still waiting for this to happen with all the Burberry plaid. But I’ve been wrong before, and am probably wrong with this one too. Sigh.)
, or Burberry (I personally think this plaid is annoyingly over-sold and a stupid trend. Remember when everyone was wearing a rugby shirt with a big “Coca-Cola” logo across the center?! Things are trendy and then later we go, whoa, what the F@#$ was I thinking?! I’m still waiting for this to happen with all the Burberry plaid. But I’ve been wrong before, and am probably wrong with this one too. Sigh.) I bought a pair of these campy rain boots at Urban Outfitters for about $38.00 and they suit me just fine.
(The pair I bought is black with black & red plaid, this pair is now on sale (web only) for $29.99!). No complaints. Also, if you forget your cute shoes at home and don’t happen to have 2 or 3 pairs under your desk (guilty of 3 pair, but somehow none of them matched that days outfit) you can untuck your pants and they just look like brown (or in my case, black) boots.
So there you have it. And remember, an ugly snow boot, is still way more attractive than one of these.
So there you have it. And remember, an ugly snow boot, is still way more attractive than one of these.
