Booted!

Why is SFE wearing those stupid wellies again? you might be asking.  What sort of horrible place does she live in that requires her to continue to forgo wearing normal shoes?

 black sweater dress - Viola/Anthro (remixed)

Bow & Angle belt - Anthro (eBayed)

amber earrings - Corcoran Gallery, DC (remixed)

tights - Accessorize (ages ago and remixed)

scarf - London street vendor (remixed)

wellies - Capelli via Marshalls (remixed)

Monday started out great.  I tried out my first belt (see above and below), loved how much it improved an outfit I've already tried before, and was really excited to take a photo to show all of you! I worked at my favorite coffee shop and continued the overhaul of an essay that's due today and then, as I was walking to an appointment on campus I slipped on a patch of ice and did this:

 

Low/Mid-Calf Black LOFT boots, Oct 2010 - Feb 2011

There is no fixing it.  And I'm now down to four pairs of shoes for this time of year:  vintage-y black Clarks maryjanes, brown New York & Co. maryjane pumps, green Faryl Robin pumps, and my comfy cranberry J-41 walking shoes. By far, these boots were the most versatile and weather-appropriate footwear I owned and they will surely be missed.

 Before the black boots broke I was already down a pair of boots.  In October I had to throw out a pair of brown half-calf dress Dibas that I wore into the ground over a six year period.  Since then I had been searching for gray boots to replace them, and last week I settled on Miz Mooz Skye ankle boots, but I had to send them back because the way they were cut rubbed the ankle bone in a bad, bad way. And then last night, between editing, I took a quick inventory of Piperlime's black half-calf boots and had these Tracy Reese's in my shopping bag but by the time I tried to check out they were sold out of my size! Why did I hesitate?!?

 So, I am hoping for some help from you dear readers and here are a few things that make this difficult:  I need half-calf boots in black and half-calf or ankle in a neutral/color.  That already takes out a good chunk of available boots which tend to be "knee-high" (a description that like the "flesh" colored crayon  only applies to what is considered a normative population).  They need to have a thicker heel that is preferably between 3 and 3.5 inches. And they have to be comfortable.  I live in an urban area and I suffer from the memory of wearing tall and painful shoes across cities and campuses.  I can't even pass a Bakers or a sale at Aldo without cringing because between the ages of 16 and 21 I made a regular habit of buying $20-$50 high heels and walking miles in them.  And although $150+ is really out of my price range, I'd love to hear any and all of your recommendations in case I run into a great pair on sale or on eBay. Also, those Dibas I had did not look that well structured but they proved to be sturdy and took me over cobblestones and icy streets for years.  What's your favorite pair of boots that surprised you?