You might remember me asking for help a few months back. The question went something like this, “I have been searching for a distressed, black, slouchy, worn in, non-embellished, perfect black slouchy boot for a very long time. Please help.” Just a tiny request, really. Got so many recommendations (thank you!), but I’m something of a Goldilocks when it comes to these imaginary black boots.Too shiny. Too non-distressed. Too narrow. Too pointy. Too masculine. Too feminine. You see, I can see it in my head, but does it actually exist? I’ve thought before while I’m sudsing up in the shower, “I should really start a boot company.” It feels like there’s a gap in the market! Probably never going to happen. But anyway, I was getting desperate and was beginning to think while it might’ve existed one time or another, it didn’t currently exist. So, I took to Etsy and scoured vintage shops. And I found something that was pretty near perfect and that, since then, I’ve thrown them on almost every day and have even stuck them in my bag for more than one trip (that’s when you know it’s good–when it gets a spot in a limited-space carry-on). I’ve worn them with dresses and skirts, and with jeans. Now I know vintage perusing is not everyone’s cup of tea (even mine, though the environmentalist in me would like it to be). So I’m sharing a few of the shops that gave me pause while I was doing the searching. I had about five pairs in my cart before I narrowed it down to these ones (for $50!) so I wanted to share them with you! While the sizing is hit or miss, just saving a few of the shops that have things that are your taste is smart as they’ll probably end up having something that is your size eventually.
one. equestrian boot, size 7. $52.80
two. leather knot biker boot, size 8.5. $55.25. i’m really tempted by these; my size too.
three. vintage frye cowboy boot. size 7. $159. with some shining up these would be amazing.
four. tall heeled boot. size 8.5. $47.35.
five. etienne aigner tall boot. size 7. $48.
six. cowboy bootie. size 8.5. $28.
seven. justin roper vintage boot. size 6.5 $47.99
eight. black harness boot. size 8.5. $55
nine. moto harness boot. size 7. $68.
ten. oxblood riding boot. size 8.5. $89.95
okay. that’s all for now. go forth, and enjoy more vintage finds! no greater feeling than really NAILING a vintage purchase. (okay, except for several other greater feelings, but still, feels pretty good.)
After all your looking, you gotta show us a close up picture of the boot you found!
i know! i wish i had a better closeup picture when i went to write this post. i will get one!
Black boots are a must! I don’t think I’ve ever owned slouchy ones, though. Is the look making a comeback? 🙂
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Thank you for sharing those vintage find links, Bridget! I have to share my story with you, because I had a very similar experience to yours, looking and searching for the perfect ankle boot for so long. Finally I found mine. My husband laughs at me because he knows they are “my dream boot.” Blundstones (they are expensive, but they truly are an investment and WORTH IT). They are really the perfect boot. (I am not in anyway affiliated with their company, I just love their boots that much). I live in Manitoba, where it gets minus something-that-is-way-too-cold-for-human-survival on the regular, and I love to wear them to the store and errands. I took these boots with me to Ireland, and they are the perfect crossovers – awesome for hikes because they are waterproof and have impressive grip on wet/ice/rocky terrain, great for walking because they are so comfortable, and cute with a pair of jeans for a day in the city. I really only need my Birkenstocks in the summer and my Blundstones in the fall/winter/spring. They are also a great riding boot, and clean up like new. I’ve never worn a shoe more than I have worn these, and the more I wear them, the more I love them. I do hope everyone can find their “perfect boot,” because when you do, you have them for life 🙂
you’re the second person in a month to raaaave to me about blundstones!!
and while i do love mine, they might not be THE LIFER pair… we’ll see. 🙂
Autumn, Just a suggestion that you consider purchasing a second pair of Blundstones. Either you can save them for when your first pair wears out or rotate them with your current pair. It’s taken me too long to realize that there are certain wonderful items that are worth having backups of–favorite items that can’t be replaced many years or even a few years later. Because when the time comes to replace them, there’s a good chance they’ll no longer be available, or will have been updated or “improved.” I’ve recently experienced this with a piece of jewelry and some china pieces. But gosh, shoes/boots are sometimes the hardest things to find–ones you like, ones that fit, ones that are comfortable! And thanks for the reminder about that brand; I think I’ll check them out myself.
I was literally JUST boot shopping online and clicked over to Bridget’s blog (hi Bridget!) and THIS!! Fellow Canadian yay – I am off now to look up this brand! So glad you both found your perfect boot.. life just got that much better right?!
Very good choices!
Mariya | http://www.brunetteondemand.com
Huzzah! Very happy to hear you found those gems – I remember when you wrote about wanting (hoping!) to find them!
And? I keep getting distracted by your gorgeous bag in this pic – where is it from?!
ONA bag! It’s a camera bag (but I use it every day– camera or not!)
Congrats on finding a pair you love. I remember the post and I commented but from your description I had the wrong picture in my head. I chase ideal mind’s-eye items all the time – my latest was trying to find the perfect floor lamp. UGH! When I thought I found it, they e-mailed a week later saying it’s out of stock. Get off my planet, perfect-floor-lamp-buying people! lol