There’s something romantic about cowboy boots that’s inexplicable. They’re unique, mysterious, and, on the right pair of legs, they are downright sexy.
On a recent trip to Austin, Texas, I found myself in the market for cowboy boots. I popped into a few local shops, spoke with the owners and makers of boots, learned the history of the boot and gasped at the price of the boots. Reality: Real cowboy boots are expensive, and for good reason – they are hand-crafted, hand-stitched and each piece of leather on those boots are hand-worked from animal to shop. From the colors to the textures to the form and fit, each pair of boots is made for someone in mind.
I walked down aisles of boots seeking the perfect pair. Tall, short, brown, black, some with embellishments, some with designs, each one a different pattern, look and feel. Recognizing my complete confusion and bewilderment in the field of boots, a salesperson named Ryan walked up to me and asked if I needed any help. Ryan was tall, blonde, big and handsome – if you close your eyes and picture a cowboy coming from a chicken fight on the farm, you are picturing Ryan. A cross between Kevin Bacon’s character Wren McCormick in “Footloose” and Kiefer Sutherland’s Sonny Gilstrap in “A Cowboy Way,” Ryan oozed cowboy and probably knocked around a few boots in his time.
“I have no idea where to begin,” I confessed.
“Just take a walk through – let the boots talk to you,” he replied.
Let the boots talk to me?! I think Ryan the Cowboy has spent a little too much time with the cattle on the farm. Exactly what were these boots going to say to me? This wasn’t like walking through Saks Fifth Avenue and finding the perfect little black dress. Boots aren’t going to fit better if you pair them with Spanx. But, I was in Austin, and if the cowboy wanted me to hear the boots talk, then I was willing to hear what they had to say.
Read my column on how to buy cowboy boots in Austin on Gadling.com
I grabbed about half a dozen pairs of boots to try on. A few whispered, I think one boot winked at me, but none of them really “spoke” to me. In hopes they talked once they were on my feet, I tried each pair on and walked them up and down the aisles, stealing glances in mirrors along the way.
Photo credit/Catherine Bodry
I grabbed one last pair of boots – a red pair that kept tugging at me – and when I put them on they talked, no screamed, “I’M YOURS!” Ryan was right – the right pair will speak to you, and when they do you’ll know it. My boots were perfect – fire engine red and stitched perfectly with white and gold designs. The heel is stacked about one-and-one-half inches and the top of the boot comes just to my calf – perfect enough to wear with jeans or a dress. They make a statement, for sure, but it’s a statement I’m proud to make. My fire engine red cowboy boots were made for walking!
As for Ryan? I showed him my fire-engine red Lucchese-brand boots, and he nodded and said, “Those are some serious boots but I think you can handle them. Every girl should own a pair of red boots at least once in her life.”
I couldn’t agree more.
I *LOVE* those boots!! I’d pair them with a bright turquoise chiffon dress.
my theory is you can never go wrong with red — love them!!