I’ll make this as plain as I can---I love boots!
High boots, short boots, leather boots, boots with buckles and studs and
fringes and fur; it’s rare for me to encounter a boot that I don’t like. From the moment they start
appearing on the shelves, grandly looming over the sandals and sneakers, I’m
infatuated. I have to stop, look,
and touch. Any shopping trip in the
fall and winter requires a few moments to worship at the footwear shrine. And I will confess that there were a
few times when I was almost late for my Western Civ class because I was so
caught up on the internet wonderland that is Zappos, drooling over brands that
have never made it to the Spartanburg stores.
I suspect my great love of boots comes, in part, from being denied them
as a child. Don’t we all, to some
degree, want what we can’t have?
Growing up in Florida, boots were never deemed practical to
purchase, as it was rarely cold enough to be comfortable while wearing them. I used to look at pictures and long for them, but like heavy parkas, wool sweaters, and leather jackets, they were not a part of
my youthful wardrobe. 
Moving to Spartanburg finally gave me the excuse to start adding boots
to my footwear collection. When I saw my first snowfall, I was happy to have
a pair worthy of hiking through the winter woods, even if the only place I was actually
hiking to was my mailbox. In the
early 1990s I had two favorite pairs, both with wedge heels, which I finally
had to retire when they got so worn out and slippery that I was falling down in them more
than I was standing up in them! I’ve worn boots with jeans tucked inside and I have several short skirts
that I would never have requested my mother to create for me if I hadn’t owned
the little ankle boots first. I
even have a completely ridiculous pair of ‘hippie boots’ with long leather
fringes!
I’ve often heard that women like driving SUVs and big trucks because
these vehicles make them feel ‘in charge’ of the road. Maybe boots serve the same
function. They make the wearer
feel taller, stronger, and more capable. As the actor Hugh Laurie once said, a woman in boots knows
her own mind. There are many styles
of boots that women can run in---but don’t try that in stiletto heels! Boots can mean business; can be tough
and gritty, looking like they are poised to handle big motorcycles or spirited horses. Boots can be sporty, playful or even
seductive. In boots, the
imagination stomps wild!
I suppose there are good fashion rules to wearing boots, but for the
most part these are rules I don’t think about very much. I just enjoy seeing boots on everybody.
Little kids in their first pair
make me grin; seeing grandmas rock them gives me happy giggles. And working at Wofford provides me with
ample opportunity to admire the latest styles, as most of our young ladies will
break them out on the first brisk morning of fall. About the only way that I see boots worn that I really
dislike---and this is purely personal, because I know many fashion mavens and hip college girls approve of it---is wearing cowboy boots with dainty dresses. I don’t think ‘home on the range’
matches with ‘I’m a dainty flower.' Either herd the steers or have tea with the
garden fairies, but don’t try to do both at the same time.
My problem with wearing boots is that I have no calves—my lower legs
bear an uncomfortable resemblance to toothpicks. Any tall boot tends to stand off me, looking oversized even
when it’s a perfect fit. And boots can be especially confounding when it comes to sizing. Finding a comfortable pair can require an extra dose of
patience (or many returns to the store).
I suppose it’s fair to add that boots can get a fashionista in
trouble. At some point, a female
family member will inevitably disapprove of one's choice in footwear with a haughty sniff;
this, however, makes the wearing of the boots even more savory. But the other day my physical therapist
looked down at my feet and asked, “What are those, combat boots? That’s exactly what my thirteen year
old daughter asked for at Christmas.”
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