Just got feet, don't got SHOES

I could ask if we mean the same thing by "cheap" but I find I just don't care enough.

duly noted

Besides which a Kenneth Cole sandal is the opposite of cheap so while I do adore Ms Tomato Nation, I'm not totally sure what she's on about except that she likes a shoe company that doesn't make shoes for people with actual feet. Because I've tried on Kenneth Cole ankle straps and they were several inches short of actually going around my ankles.

Finefinemusic, I am HUEGS FAN of Merrell shoes, which are basically the only shoes I've ever owned that I can walk 4 miles a day in and still feel a-okay! Even compared to sneakers!

They have a fair number that aren't too squaresville:

http://www.merrell.com/Gallery/NZ/Womens-Casual-Footwear/Boots.aspx

I am big fan of PLAZA PEAK.

Oh, wait, you live in a land where you cld wear any of those. In winter here in New Mexico I can wear boots, but anything lined/sheepskin/etc still means calf & foot HEAT EXPLOSION.

plaza peak and spire peak look nice!

i do not generally like anything w/ the fur lining bc they remind me too much of uggz

http://www.sunsite.ualberta.ca/Projects/mimsy/CLTX/Thumb/1988/17-53_1.jpg

boots.. I wear size 10.5/11 myself.. I have a pair of charles david boots with prob 3.5" heel and they're actually pretty comfortable, though I wouldn't walk around in the snow with them or anything.

what about frye? they're well made and will last a long, long time. not cheap exactly

I don't know DC very well but women in NY will walk across sheet ice in 4" Costume National stiletto boots. It's kind of amazing.

When I lived in a nabe where lots of people didn't shovel, I promised self I'd buy Army/Navy paratrooper boots the next year, but then I moved. I really really love my Frye harness boots, which are now my winter staple.

oh it was merrell boots (not mephisto) - the tetra launch waterproof kind - that i bought last winter and on which the zipper broke! i am glad to hear you've had good luck with them tho, abbott - i guess one montreal winter was just too much for them :/ plaza peak doesn't appear to have zippers. it does appear to be $$ tho

oh how i want a pair of frye boots

I just got these for $100

http://www.zappos.com/images/737/7374122/6219-535658-p.jpg

Abbott: Yes, like Robert Plant I come from the land of the ice and snow... those boots look SO cute! I am worried though since Rrobyn's winters are only slightly more harsh than the winters I have to walk around in.. oooh, the Frye's are beautiful but expensive as hell, I would have to wear those for 5 years to justify their purchase! That may not be impossible though, as I am looking to go to university (as a mature student) soon...

I bought a cheap ($80) pair of boots three years ago that are very similar to these & still kind of love them, but I had to wear plastic bags over my socks last year to keep my feet dry:

http://www.thefryecompany.com/Product-Women-Boots-Harness-77300DBN.aspx
Those of course are $198 Frye..

Yeah, I am not a NYC ice heel walker :D I wish.. but in 4" heels I'd be 6'5" and if I felt myself slipping I could just grab THE TOP OF THE BUILDING to get my balance so maybe I'll give it a try! ;)

I am okay with an inside fur lining because my feet are ALWAYS COLD when I wait for the bus - the bus I take sometimes comes 45 minutes late in the winter due to traffic and general idiocy :( Maybe I will befriend some Inuit and learn to make boots of out seal pelts or something..

wow I screwed up that image:

http://www.thefryecompany.com/ProductImages/12820088554343877300_DBN_multi.jpg

oh also with the merrells there are little covers that go over metal snaps on the decorate strap parts on the boot and a few of those covers totally came off. so yeah i am fully skeptical of merrell boots even if they have some cute styles :/

lol @ heels in winter - so common here too. for me, it is like watching magic in action - i have no idea how these women do it. but my walking style is long and heel-focused, or something, and i hate having to take shorter steps or walk slower just b/c of shoe choice and weather conditions. i slip around a lot regardless. and my friends make fun of me for my dangerous winter walking. and so i should just get those unstylish cleat things, eh

yes rrrobyn i think i have the same walking style as you. i am a mega long stride speed walker and hate how heels make me have to take smaller steps.

I think you should get luxxxxxxxx leather boots and then put crampons over top of them like most fashionable arctic explorer ever.

p.s. okay guys help me put the cute fake-leather shoes of pain in the garbage. i actually swore at them as i was riding home yesterday b/c they were pinching the side of my foot right below my baby toe and it's like this awful nerve-type pain that goes right up to my brain. i need yr support b/c i will convince myself that they're good for standing around or for walking short distances but in fact no, they are always somewhat uncomfortable no matter what. but teal! and cute! they match things i wear! :) :( :*(

haha i do like the fashionable arctic explorer look - why sacrifice fashion for functionality & survival?!!

heels make me feel like, handicapped or something, when i am walking to the train, esp because the route for me includes lots of pitted/messed up sidewalk.

you need to accidentally on purpose spill red wine on those shoes, rrobyn! OR find some sort of decorative use for them inside your home, like as a catch-all for earrings (?) or something else (planter??) that will make people say "Oh my god, that's such a good idea, I am totally jealous" and then you will feel totally righteous!

I am also a really fast walker and hate the little steps in heels. Oddly enough, I can run really well in heels though! (for the bus, etc) I never ever run in the winter though due to stupid ice phobias/mental blocks.

Rrobyn, take them to the thrift and have a maniacal cackle every time you think about what they are doing to their next poor unfortunate mistress.

haha good shoe-recycling ideas... i will no doubt just throw them out tho b/c that's how i roll. ed, that is just cruel. and yet... maybe they would be perfect for someone who does not have such a round/square shape to their toes

i think that running in heels is easy too - this is b/c when we run there's more emphasis on the toe than the heel, right?

Do you people think that running in heels is easier than walking in them?? I think it might be.

I do. I should just start running everywhere when wearing heels. Perhaps people will think I am busy and thus important!

holy shit i love these shoes:

http://zoomcc.richfx.com.edgesuite.net/zoomcc_stevemadden/image/media/SLICCK_MIDNIGHT-BLUE_large.jpg

i bought these
http://www.piperlime.com/Asset_Archive/PLWeb/Assets/Product/611/611996/main/pl611996-00p01v01.jpg

they are comfy, even though the heel is an awkward height for looking dressy w/ pants. i think they will go well with tights and skirts/dresses.

http://www.revolveclothing.com/b/Product.jsp?code=CORS-WZ57

i want these, but i'm afraid they're not versatile enough (ie, i don't think they would work with a lot of my vintage dresses/more mod stuff)...?

Critiques on these?

http://ns1.revolveclothing.com/images/CORS-WZ49_V1.jpg

I covet those, quincie - and those too, Lauren! I am not a vintage/mod authority but surely those would work with mod dresses??

Lauren, those boots look to me a little more equestrian than Swinging London, but perhaps this is a harbinger of a new style path for you in Fall '08.

The brown pair is very pretty.

I told my friend I wanted Frye boots and she said she thought they were cheesy. (She doesn't like the type of girl who wears said boots with sundresses.) My values are all confused now (not that I was planning to be that kind of girl).

that's what i'm thinking, v. they're beautiful, but a bit too horsey.

what kind of boots are those quincie?

i am fine with being the kinda girl who wears boots, esp cowboy boots, with sundresses

i think those are corso como.

i really like them, lauren! i think you could definitely make them work with certain skirts/dresses, though maybe not *quite* mod. you could probably pull them off w/ a mod dress, though.

thanks, lauren! i do liek the boots you posted too, but yeah i don't know if they'd be as versatile as what you're looking for. but good with many things.

ohman i almost wore the stupid fake-leather shoes i should've thrown out already today, but then stopped myself and wore my blue leather wedges instead - haven't been wearing them b/c i thought they wldn't be good for biking in, but they are fine! yaay. still tho, it's getting colder, i need a pair of cute closed-toe shoes.

thanks for the advice, folks. i haven't bought new boots in several years, and it's going to be a big expenditure so i'm obsessing about this purchase. basically i'm worried that as nice as those boots are, they won't be dressy enough. i have a pair of more casual tall suede boots that can do more relaxed duty.

this is the other pair in contention at the moment:
http://www.piperlime.com/browse/product.do?pid=620073002&tid=PLYA1&ap=3

not crazy about the heel on those. i think i like the first pair you posted more. they are kind of exquisite.

at what date is it appropriate to start wearing boots? after labor day? when do we switch into fall wardrobe gear? i am confused because it's all over the stores, but outside is still summer.

boots are so hard. of course every pair i see that i even like seem to cost $800!

i tried on some boots the other day that were actually fake leather, with a rubber sole and completely waterproof/rainboots. but they didn't look THAT bad. they were $300 though.

it kills me that the only shoe stores between the subway and my work are searle and chuckie's.

i have so far resisted the temptation to check out what otto tootsi plohound has on offer for fall/winter.

every time i go in there, i am really disappointed :-(

haven't checked their winter stuff yet though, i was on a summer quest. i think i'm just gonna give up on sandals and get some good fall/winter stuff.

maybe i'm not missing much, then. that's a relief.

i wld never in a million years spend $300 on fake-leather boots!

The equestrian boots remind me muchly of Felicity Redwell, so I am getting a good vibe off of them.

Any suggestions for boots I shoud buy? My beloved Campers have been much maligned on this board.

My friend only suggested lace-up knee-high Docs--for that wonderful 1980s British vibe.

Lauren and I are going to exhaust the possibilities of online boot shopping and still end up buying the same pair, I fear. :) I'm not really in the market right now, though.

bell, were the "waterproof" boots Aquatalia? I was just telling L how I liked all their stuff but wtf for $250?>?

Mary, your friend who thought Frye boots were cheesy has apparently not looked at their website lately? They make A LOT more than just the old pull-on cycle boots that my dad wore 30 years ago. And not with sundresses, either. I think they're wonderful but $470 is -- ulp -- not going to work.