The Booty Call

Last night I had a booty call of the 21st century kind. I was hot, tossing in bed, surfing the web and looking for action. Perusing sites that in a satisfied state I'd never dare to explore. Sites that were dangerous and inviting. Sites that could strip me of my will, and thrust me into a world of leather and chains in which I'd lose all abandon.  I was exhilarated by the thought. 


I played around, waiting for something intriguing to catch my fancy. Then they appeared. Twin towers of pure unadulterated passion. I closed my eyes. The objects of my desire were within my reach.


"Come and get me..." they whispered. They stood tall, erect. They were lean, dark, and handsome. Wearing nothing but leather and chains. I lusted for them. I was restless. I had to try them on for size.  I made the call.


It was 2  a.m. Credit cards accepted. They'd be at my door before long. I tingled at the anticipation of a big package.

Yves Saint Laurent, "Passy 90" boot

The "Passy 90" cutout chain boot by Yves Saint Laurent. Proving that sometimes, to this girl, size does matter. And that's that. 

KIϟϟ & Boots

KIϟϟ is dubbed as one of history's most recognized bands. But it is not entirely because of their music. Their style is unmatched. If their black and white trademarked face paint and tight black leather outfits weren't enough to make them stand out, scroll down to their shoe of choice. Over-designed Platform boots. 

This band obviously knows how to accessorize. I love that they chose to do it with high-heeled, studded, black, white and gray, knee-high, bold boots. 

KIϟϟ has been in the public eye since 1973. It wasn't until 10 years after that, on September 18, 1983 that the band stepped out without their make-up on. They have since reacquired their traditional wardrobe that they will always be remembered for. They just could not leave their style behind forever, and that's that. I'll leave you now with arguably Kiss' most popular track and one of my personal favorites.

 

Kiss - Rock and Roll All Nite, 1996, Live, Under the Brooklyn Bridge

More up-to-date information about KISS can be found at the Kiss Official Website!

Boots for Boys

Ladies, boots are not just for you. Gentlemen, they're for you, too. Men have been wearing boots since well before the Elizabethan Era (1558-1603). Many wore gamaches, a high boot, or Buskins, a calf-length boot, everyday. In fact, we can see men in boots in period movies throughout the years. 

Elizabethan wear

Mel Gibson in The Patriot,  representing 1776

Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, representing 1811 

One pair of boots that guys don't seem to shy away from are workbooks, or what many call "timbs"(aka Timberlands). My dad wears them when he does yard work. My brothers wear them with their button downs and khakis in the winter. They will always be popular, they have a necessary function in the male's closet. 


The Mugg, or the man Ugg, is also a relatively popular boot within the male wardrobe. The Ugg Company makes advertisements to attract male consumers.

Yet, I still get the sense that men don't wear boot in the same way that women do -- for the style. Check out Ed Westwick, Chris Brown, Jude Law and Justin Timberlake (below) and take some advice from them. They pull off the fashion boot quite well. 

I think they look pretty good and men should definitely invest in a pair to elevate their style to celebrity status. And that's that. 

Country Stars and Cowboy Boots

For many musicians, especially country stars, cowboy boots are always in season. They wear them in the winter with a pair of jeans and in the summer with a breezy dress, on stage, at home and in the street. 

Miley Cyrus

Taylor Swift

Carrie Underwood

And if you're Miranda Lambert, you even wear them at your wedding. She loves her cowboy boots. For her, that is just that. 

This trend is not only for the female stars though. Cowboy boot wearing dates all the way back to The Beatles when they wore them in Hamburg in 1960 with leather jackets. 

Beatles, 1960

However, there seemed to be one time this year when many of these country stars left their boots at home. The 2012 Academy of Country Music Awards, a place where I thought cowboy boots would be stampeding down the red carpet, was surprisingly not full of boot-wearing musicians. Instead, this past April Fool's day many of the country stars stepped out in more delicate footwear.

When Taylor Swift accepted her award for Entertainer of the Year, she was not in a pair of her many cowboy boots, but instead in a pair of sky high stilettos. Nicole Kidman, Miranda Lambert (Album of the Year winner & Female Vocalist of the Year), LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood must have all gotten the memo, as well. Don't get me wrong they looked beautiful, just a little bit taller than usual.

Now that the awards have been handed out, I am sure the Country stars are back to dancing around in their boots. Country stars and cowboys make too fitting a pair for them to be parted for much longer than a few hours. And that's that. 

Boots...Not Just for Winter Anymore

Boots. For most, you wear them in the winter, you wear them in the snow, you wear them in the cold, and then put ‘em away. But not this year. Boots are not just for winter anymore.

Even though spring has sprung, it does not mean your boots have to head back into hibernation. Springtime is time for your boot collection blossom. 

This year it’s all about adding a little spring into your boot-step. A great way? Color! Color! Color!

Here are some of my suggestions:

Despite the warmer weather, spring is also known for it's frequent rain showers. To keep your toesies dry, try a pair of the-ever-so-colorful Hunter Rainboots. They come in a tall or short style. You can find a pair of your own at The Hunter Official Website, but they can also be found at many department stores. 

A colorful pair of riding boots can go a long way. These Frye Carson Boots come in a variety of colors ranging from the usual Black and Brown to some great springtime colors like Blue (below, left), Berry (below, right), Emerald and Sapphire. To see all the colors for yourself check out the Frye Comany's Official Website.

 


Doc Martens, a brand a little bit out of my comfort zone, but nonetheless, springtime savvy. Not only do they work all the right springtime colors, but they even make their boots in floral prints. Take a look at the Doc Martens Official Website, for your own fun pair of colored of flowery boots. 

Boooooooooots!!!!

 Every year at the beginning of September my mother used to ask me and my two brothers one very important question: “What do you want to be for Halloween this year?”

Now, that’s a hard question for most kids, especially ones in elementary school when new “favorite” cartoon and fairytale characters change with the seasons. But in our house it was a question that needed to be asked early. It was around this time every year that my mother would get out her sewing machine, head to the fabric store and start concocting three elaborate homemade Halloween costumes for us. We knew that once we picked our costume, we would be wearing that costume, and that was that.

Usually, it worked out just fine. Aside from the one year when my older brother decided the week before Halloween that being Peter Pan to my Tinkerbell wasn’t “cool” with the 2^nd grade set, we were happy with our choices.  In fact, our costumes were good, and usually got a lot of compliments, especially from adults.

me, Tinkerbell

 Through the years,  I have been transformed into the Queen of Hearts, a Fair Maiden, Tinkerbell (twice), Hannah Montana (also twice) and Cinderella. I have been one of three blind mice, one of the three musketeers—and yes, each time my mom made all three costumes. I have seen my brothers become dinosaurs, lions, tigers, a loli-pop kid, a sumo wrestler and Captain Hook. That explains Tinkerbell’s repeat performance, by the way. My little brother “needed” to be Captain Hook, and begged me to be Tinkerbell again. I figured I owed him the favor. He did, after all, happily walk around as my sheep when I was Little Bo Peep.

Little Bo Peep and my sheep 

So what does this have to do with boots? Well, my mom left nothing to chance…not even our footwear. Yes, she made “boots” for almost every costume to cover our regular sneakers, which were the safest shoes to wear on a dark night, she said. And I have to hand it to her, the “boots” really did finish off the costumes.

Of course, when I got a little older, not too old for trick-or-treating, but “too old” for my mom’s hand-made costumes, I wore my own boots. My boot collection was just kicking into high gear when I was a biker girl. I loved the leather jacket, the pleather pants, the tall leather boots. I felt cool. I did after all get to sit on a motorcycle.

Now, as my twenty something life goes on, I look back on Halloween and have a new appreciation for how my mom put together so many elaborate costumes in such a short amount of time. She whipped them up proudly, and I even think she was disappointed when we outgrew the need for her needlework and wanted to throw together our own crazy costumes at the last minute. I remember the detail, the fittings, the first time I tried on my finished costumes. And I remember the boots…a detail that never went unnoticed to me. 

Boot Up the Melody

Who doesn't love listening to music? For all you boot-loving music gurus out there -- this post is for you. Here's a look at some of the most popular songs that talk about boots.

Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking (1966)

Randy Houser - Boots On (2008)

The Killers - Boots (2010)

Kesha - Boots & Boys (2010)

T-Pain - Low (2007)

...apple bottom jeans, boots with the fur...