This post is amusing to me for a number of reasons, the main one being that I never thought I would write a blog post about practical boots.
I love shoes. Really really love them. I am such a sucker for a lovely pair of shoes - I've been collecting Irregular Choice shoes since I first saw a pair in a shoe shop in 2008, an expensive habit that is currently on hiatus. I have numerous pairs of Converse pumps and espadrilles from Toms and I find it impossible to walk past a shoe shop without stopping to look longingly in. They can entirely change an outfit can't they, shoes? Make it from nothing into something and I'm known in my circle for always having excellent footwear - my boyfriend's best friend looks right to my feet as soon as he's said hello whenever we're in the pub. So given my love for beautiful shoes it seems odd that I should be here to talk today about my winter boot recommendation.
And yet here I am.
Thing is, winter is a thing here. I do not live in a place of endless summer, and, we ski which means we spend a fair bit of time in the mountains and there's a fair walk from the apartment to the bar at night so a decent pair of boots is a must.
The ones I've had the last few years are these.
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| Winter boot of dreams. And looks even better worn in. |
They're by Salomon and My Best Guy bought me them for Christmas a few years ago; I think this is their third winter and they're still pretty good. They look pretty good and they're warm and comfortable and have a decent sole. Everything you want, really, in a boot. I love them. If you need a good solid decent boot for the colder months then these - or whatever this season's version of them is - would serve you well.
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| I think this is the 2019 version of the Salomon boot I have. |
The thing is, is that they are a little bulky and also, this is me: what I put on my feet means a lot to me and I wanted a change. I've worn these for two whole winters now and I fancied a change, I wanted at least, an option. Something also that I could wear on the less cold, cold days. I was on a new winter boot search.
When we were getting out skis serviced at Christmas I fell in love with these and wow who even knew Moon Boots could look so good?
And then a day or so later I saw these by Sorel. Again. SO nice. Seriously, these are lush in real life.
However at £150 a pair they were both more than I wanted to pay and also, with the Sorel ones, not all that different to the boots I already have. (I did some research though and they're both really good boots so you know - get them, let me live vicariously through you!)
In the end, I plumped for these.
The Out'n'About boot from Sorel. I GOT ME SOME DUCK BOOTS.
I cannot tell you how I love them.
Look at them - they're a bit quirky aren't they, which is a thing I like in my footwear. I think they look really outdoorsy-stylish. They come just above the ankle bone which makes them look and feel a little lighter than my Salomon's: when we decide to go out for a nice meal on a ski holiday I can put these on and feel a little more dressed up than I do in my big hefty boots which is exactly what I wanted; they look less like a winter walking boot and more like a funky casual active boot. They're chelsea boot height and I love me a chelsea boot.
But they're still practical. They're warm - canvas lined - and they're fully waterproof and the grip on these babies is better than on my other boots which is a bonus in the snow and they're so so comfortable. So comfortable. They have a moulded footbed and it's fabulous. They look good with jeans and they look good with leggings - put Sorel Out n About into Pinterest and see you for yourself - and basically, I am just so besotted and at £70 they are are less than half the price of any of the others I've looked at. They are so cute - and just what I wanted, a boot for when you don't want to go full winter but you need something a little bit more. I've hardly had them off my feet. GET YOURSELVES SOME DUCK BOOTS.
Also I don't mind telling you that there's a tiny part of me that thinks she might like these, I'm just not sure I can pull them off:
