Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Black Shoes for Spring #2 - Hunter Boots

I know, I know...everyone knows about Hunter Boots...blah blah blah yadda yadda yadda whatevs. 

Ok, this is for those of you who don't yet actually have a pair.

What is spring without rain boots?  Yes, my first Black Shoes for Spring was rain shoes...but "April showers" anybody?  Yes, they are called that for a reason. Spring is just wet.  (thank you, says my garden)  And some of you lucky ducks may be in perma-warm weather but here outside DC, we most certainly are not.  I think there was a chance of snow in the rain last night...and maybe even tonight or Friday. And sometimes it's just too wet for shoes, you want serious coverage...you want RAIN BOOTS!

But if you can grab a pair of cute $29.99 boots from Target, why should you bother with spending the extra bucks on Hunters?   I'm not going to denigrate fun rain boots...I have a cute pair of hot pink Eprit ones that never fail to garner compliments BUT....they aren't Hunters.

I got my pair in December for my birthday.  My mom gave them to me and my sister (yes, us twinsies in our matching black Hunters) and then she & I gave each other our Welly socks.  It was a Hunter birthday indeed.  I got the black pair but they come in a rainbow of colors and quite a few other styles. But this was exactly what I wanted.  If I had realized how much I would be wearing them ever since, I definitely would have put them at the top of my wish list sooner.  I have been *livng* in them. 

What makes Hunters so special?  No, not Kate Moss wearing them to Glastonbury  way back when.  Although that certainly upped the glamour of the brand.

No...they are just the squishiest, comfiest boots I've ever put on.  Really and truly.  I admit, I love a good black boot for tromping around in...makes you feel like a bit of a bad-a$$.  But these...wow...they are actually comfy.  And you all know how rigid I am about mandating comfort in my daily life & wardrobe.  As Coco Chanel said, "Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury."  I think that may be my matra.  And trust me, these are so comfy.

How comfy are they?  To give you an indication...I spent a full hour sitting criss-cross-applesause on the floor of a gym.  Quite possibly more comfortable than some of my ballet flats would have been. They just mold and bend however your body, leg, ankle, foot goes.  So you can get a lot done.  And I find myself keeping them on all day, even walking around the house.  Never that "wow, I can't wait to ditch these as soon as I walk into the house" feeling.  I even wore them Friday on a field trip with M's class to Historic St Mary's city...which is basically 6 hours of walking.  They are that good.

So how do you wear them?  In short, with everything.  Thus far, I can't claim to have worn them bare-legged but I'll do that when (if) it ever warms up.  They go with anything..and everything. 

At right is just one example, when I wore them last Thursday.  Minnie pants in Tall (I'm taking a 6 now, and they tuck perfectly into the boots and work great with the thick camp socks) and the Cashmere Cabin popover.  In retrospect, the clunky bracelet was too much, esp with the jacket. 

Then the navy Quilted Double Breasted Puffer, which I nabbed a few weeks ago on the sale racks, I kinda liked it for $158 but wasn't willing to pay the full price but I really loved it for $60.  And it has a hood!!  And see...the navy totally works with the black pants & boots.  Yep, I think this jacket will see a lot of action this spring. 

6 comments:

The Chic Chauffeur said...

you look great! I have been coveting a pair of Hunters forever! You might have just knocked me off the fence!

jowjow said...

hi, i'm new to your blog and just love your style! i *just* bought the exact same boots! but i'm having trouble deciding on the size...

i'm normally am 8.5 and the 8's fit fine with regular socks (and without the hunter socks) but if i use the hunter socks, the 9's seem to fit better.

did you size up or down?

carol said...

Yes- good question. Size up or down? Since they are rubber they are not going to stretch, so they have to fit right out of the box. I would be inclined to fit them with regular weight socks/leggings/tights.
Carol

HeidiG said...

The Chic Chauffeur - had I known, I would have knocked myself off the fence ages ago!

jowjow - welcome! I have always heard "size down." I would say I sized sorta-down. I wear a 9 or 9.5. I got the 9 because I figured I would usually be wearing either the hunter socks or some thick socks - cotton ones when it's warmer out. That limits me to not wearing them when it's 90* outide, I suppose. But I like the way they fit like that - and I like wearing the thicker socks. I made my decision based on what socks/hoseiry I'd be wearing.

Carol - yep, excellent point - it's all about what you're going to wear them with. If I'm wearing tights in winter, I'll likely have the welly socks in anyway for warmth. Bt my feet are always cold. So definitely don't size up. I would size down or down-ish. And bring your socks or whatever you're going to wear when you try them on. Or go with zappos where you have free shipping and free returns.

Anonymous said...

so when you wear the hunter socks, do you still wear regular socks?

if i wear both, the 8s feel a bit tight. maybe i need to go with one sock or the other and not both??

HeidiG said...

Anon - I don't wear socks under the welly socks, but you could. Instead I look totally ridiculous wandering around the house the rest of the day with these slouchy socks on that look kinda like Robin Hood's boots. So I either do the welly socks or my own thick JC camp socks. So it's all in how you want to wear them. Hope that helps!