Since I come from the Middle East and not accustomed to winter dressing, I’ve always relied on my boots as the main winter fashion accessory to stand out in. Yes, I am one of those people that dress in a head to toe monochrome outfit, wrapped up in 7 layers. I’m a 5’4” and almost always successfully cover a large part of my appearance with a gorgeous boot- guaranteed to turn heads. Today, I will share with you my staple boots selection that I’ve put together with the goal of deciding on one unique winter boot while somehow figuring our how to justify to my bank that it’s part of an ‘investment’ plan….
Considering how often you will wear these babies, you will definitely need to spend twice the amount you would on a pair that you can mother and care for everyday. When looking for boots, here are a few things to look for, to make sure they stay with you forever:
- Quality of Leather: There are different kinds of leather and most affordable boot makers use the lower grade quality (leather post due soon!), make sure you use the highest quality (Full Grain), ask your shop assistant for more on the leather. My favourite: full grain, calf leather- softest and most durable you can find
- Get a boot that’s at least half a size bigger. For some reason, I always buy a size bigger and it always works, no matter what the style is. Your feet have a tendency to expand as well since it doesn’t get that much air as you would with regular shoes. If I get my normal shoe size, it’s usually harder to get on and off and for some reason my toes end up really un happy.
- It’s wide enough- the worst thing you want is to have super narrow boots in the name of style and to only come back home with baked potatoes for feet. Make sure your shoe assistant measures your foot size, usually they would send the boot and size it to your specification or have options suitable for your feet’s length and width
- Zip or Slip- whatever your preference is, figure out if the zip is not too close to your ankles or else they start rubbing in and cause a lot of discomfort. Similarly for the slip on boots, make sure they are wide enough or stretchable enough to get your calves into them without looking too baggy or too tight.
- Hand stitched if possible- Ask the shop assistant if the shoe had been hand stitched or not. With hand stitched boots, you have the flexibility to re-sole them in the future, re-heel them and it’s good an overall better feel & comfort instead of machine stitched ones that feel stiff on the feet.
- Type of leather- Suede or not- ask your assistant how to care for your boots. Usually there are sprays and brushes that they would sell or give to their customers. You don’t want your new ‘investment’ to lack any lustre, on any given day!
Here are my top 10 pairs picked with guaranteed comfort and toasty-ness!
Happy Weekend! Xo
