dana's favorite things: christmas 2010 #4

cold weather and warm shoes. in other words: boots!

boots are another thing southerners love to spring out at the first sign of cooler weather. emphasis on the "cool." because never does anyone wait until a boot is actually needed. no sir. because by then we'd have to wait another month. unacceptable. and once that first person decides "i feel a breeze in the air...i'm going to wear boots today" then it doesn't stop. its a snowball effect. everyone is showing off their boots for fall.

so first things first:

the cowboy boot. the staple in every deep southerner's wardrobe. summer, winter, fall, or spring, a cowboy boot never fails as the attention-getter. whether yours have seen barns, pastures and cowpatties, or the broken glass covered dance floors of nashville, they get er done.

the classy spin on the cowboy boot: the riding boot. they're tough, low-profile, and sleek. and they've become very popular lately. they're on my list of wants.

what do you even call this? the buckle tough-guy boot? a motorcycle riding boot? i don't know if i could pull them off, but just today the girl at the local cafe was sporting some with black tights and a gray short skirt and it was cute. maybe you could pull them off too?

the "i don't go anywhere but to dinner and cocktail parties" boot. these would most likely be acompanied by a long wool coat (possibly a fur collar?) and flashy jewelry. every once and a while a retail store worker sports them during christmas but you can tell you'd hate to be their feet at the end of the day.

the short boot. i have to admit i have a big ol' crush on these fads. they'll probably go out of fashion as quick as they came in, but i like them. i'd wear them. they're a good alternative if you don't own enough skinny jeans to tuck a pair of boots into, or you honestly don't want to dig through your sock drawer to find a pair of socks high enough that won't slide down into the inaccesible region around your heels while in tall boots. it's happened to the best of us. after sticking a number of long objects down the back of your boots, you finally realize you're only option is to 1: remove the boots either in public or the bathroom, 2: pull up your mis-matched christmas socks so far your toes almost have wedgies, and 3: put the boot back on and hope that dang sock stays in place! ...but in addition to that, these are just good-lookin.

the slouch boot. i own 2 pairs of these in short and tall and have to say i love them. they're warm, no fuss, and can be dressed up and down. a classic to own, sure not to go out of style anytime soon (at least not to my knowlege. but hey, i live in the warmer part of the region which also happens to be the last to receive fashion tips so maybe i'm living in a world of slouch bliss ignornance. but i don't care.)

and let's not forget "boots with the furrr" exploding in popularity thanks to flo rida (yes, that's florida with a space in the middle--brilliant). think back to junior year of college....everyone knew the words to that song.

and next thing you know, shorty got low.

it's painful, i know, but i couldn't leave them out. last and least: the ugg boots. there are theories that the name stems from the latin meaning for "why would you do that": "ugly." despite arguments for comfort (which have also been used for crocs, but hey, crocs have made leaps and bounds since the original; i now own 2 pairs and you'd never know they were crocs..step it up ugg), the brontosaurus-shaped footwear have been doing nothing for feet for at least 5 years now. and somehow they even have magical powers that make the section of your legs from below the knee to upper thigh resistant to cold weather. how do i know this? because girls insist on wearing them with shorts/skirts and northface jackets. did i miss something? when did this fashion make an appearance on the runways of nyc?

that is all.

find yourself an attractive pair of boots and keep warm!

merry christmas and stay tuned for more of dana's favorite things.