{Pandora Sykes, Yours Truly, Imani Randolph}
When I heard the whispers back in February I couldn’t quite believe it.
No way could they be making a comeback? Surely they can’t be cool again?
Oh how wrong I was. When the Autumn/Winter ’18 fashions started rolling in I saw them everywhere. Yes folks. They’re back. The cowboy boot has returned to our trotters and has been pounding the streets as if she’s never been away.
I say boot, I, of course, mean boots. The trend that has been hibernating for the best part of fourteen years didn’t return as simply one boot on one foot and an Adidas shell top on the other. I still can’t quite believe it. I never thought they’d recover from 2004.
Having always been a staple ~ with actual cowboys ~ in Southern America they entered our sartorial consciousness in the late 80’s & early 90’s. Princess Diana wore them to a polo match and everyone complained. Standard. Then Thelma & Louise arrived & these beautiful, kick ass women wore them with high waisted jeans, sleeveless t-shirts and Brad Pitt as an accessory.
The boots dipped in and out of fashion but took off again at the turn of the century. On a trip to see my Nashville family, in 2002, I purchased my very own pair. Oh Boy, was I chuffed. At the time they were the most expensive thing I had ever bought. They were made from the softest pigs leather & I went for a slouchy, pirate boot style. Along with every other twenty year old who loved to jump on a trend I couldn’t wait to show them off. We wore them with denim mini skirts, low slung enormously wide, incredibly unnecessary, leather belts. We paired them with low rise boot cut jeans, halter tops and A line skirts. I think I even wore them once with a felt cowboy hat that I owned. They were comfy. They were cool and I loved them.
Towards the mid noughties though they began to resemble a costume. They were hi-jacked by the Southern women of pop who glue gunned them to death with rhinestones and butterflies and wore them in garish colours. Britney Spears single handed managed to start the decline of the cowboy boot. DAMN IT! What’s a girl to do? I loved my boots so much and having spent a fortune on them was reluctant to give them away. I couldn’t imagine they would ever make a comeback but they were such a sturdy boot. I have now had them for sixteen years and have never once had them resoled. The leather got even softer and they can be worn all day without the faintest whiff of a blister. They reluctantly went into storage and have only made one brief appearance in Nashville for Thanksgiving circa 2011. Of course no one there battered an eyelid. I was wearing their state uniform.
Fast forward to 2016 and the whispers had started, turn the corner into Fall fashion 2018 and BOOM! Would you Adam & Eve it? The cowboy boot is BACK! Danish brand Ganni & Raf Simmons at Calvin Klein have managed to breathe new life into this seemingly dead &, let’s face it, tacky trend.
But do we actually like the return of this trend? Or are we just jumping on the fash band wag?
If you are thinking of heading back in for Cowboy Boot revival 2.0 you have to stick to the rules. They’re there for a reason and were written after Jessica Simpson shoved the boot so far down our throats we gagged.
- Do not wear them with short denim shorts. Guys, I’m sorry but you just can’t. Simpson ruined it for all of us.
- No Little house of the Praire//Old school Laura Ashley style dresses. Too literal.
- While jeans can be tucked in they can’t be skinny jeans. A straight leg is as tight as we’ll allow. And by we, I mean me.
- Rack your brains for the complete opposite of Western and wear them with that ~ T~shirts, cotton workwear, blazers, sweaters, sportswear, ball gowns.
- White cowboy boots look the bomb.
- Never pair with check//plaid//tartan. We’re not in Texas.
And there you have it. How to wear your cowboy boots and not look like you’ve made any effort at all when really you’ve had to think about it loads so you don’t look like you’re off to the rodeo.
As for me I don’t really know what I think yet. All I know is my boots are out of storage and we’re off to Brixton market. Who’s coming with me?
…..Not you Britney. You’re not invited this time.