Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Today I am a ham

Yesterday in a fit of whimsey -- or a fit of having an unscheduled hour toward the end of the day -- I decided the moment was right for the buying of boots.

Longtime readers will know that I have a Boot Problem. I know that I need to to ask boots to come into my life. I know that boots will be just what I need. But boots are alien to my lifestyle. I don't know how to shop for them. The boxes are so big, and the prices are so daunting. Every time I looked at boots, I ended up confused and bootless.

But it was clear to me for the first time this weekend that fall was really coming. Monday was cool -- so much so that I was hesitant sending the kids off to walk to school without jackets. I had told myself during the two weeks of rain that just ended that I wasn't going to get complacent about sunshine again. No more wishing I had bought boots before I needed them, then suffering without them because I didn't prepare.

So I left work with a new determination. It felt like Boot Time. And at the big shoe mall (slogan: "It's an anomaly!"), there were boots everywhere when I walked in. I fondled the suede Uggs, but I knew that suede wouldn't give me the weather resistance I needed. These weren't fashion boots. These were work boots.

Two or three aisles later, I was back at a familiar spot for me -- the Born section. Seems like most shoes I buy are Borns. They have a chunky aesthetic. They're made for walking, not standing around looking pretty. The leather is durable and rustic.

A few minutes later, these boots were on my feet. The heel is low -- walkability. The material is soft and matte finish -- functional, not fashionable. Comfort was the clear watchword, but with my calves encased in leather for the first time in decades, I felt unaccountably daring.

Thanks to my frequent-customer card, almost one-third was knocked off the price. Glowing with boot success, I took my savings and cleaned out Tuesday Morning's bin of Patons SWS ($1.99 a ball) and Elizabeth Austen Antuco ($3.99 a skein).

When I woke up this morning, the weather station said that it was 54 degrees outside. A real cool fall morning. If I were to walk to class, my options would be pants and my Born clogs, or a skirt and ... my Born boots. Yes, I broke them in today -- walking to work and back and all over campus. I felt like a superheroine -- a very comfortable, ready-for-anything superheroine. I have converted. I am a boot person.

5 comments:

Jenn said...

Cute! I've been on the boot hunt, coveting (I think) the Keen Bern High Boot. They look super comfy with high walkability. I just can't decide between brown and black!

Whitney said...

The way you talked about them, I was expecting something that looked like what my cattle-rancher grandfather would wear to pasture. They're beautiful! Beauty, quality, and practicality - a shoe trifecta! I'm pretty sure you could make the felted coat the model is wearing in the picture with them, too.
Donna B. - J. Crew model, UCA edition.

Ali said...

Bad ass, girl. Maybe I'll have to be a boot person, too. The high heels on most boots scare me away. These are nice, though. Do you have to buy new hosiery?

donnadb said...

Ali, if I'm ever asked to take off my boots in public, I'll be horribly embarrassed -- I'm wearing sports anklets underneath. I do not intend to buy specialized hosiery or haberdashery.

Ali said...

Then don't wear them on a plane! I remember being impressed when I watched "Pretty Woman" that she seemed to have special hose that went under those very tall boots.