Monday Funday: You will pry my Uggs from my cold, dead feet.
Oct 19, 2009 / Posted in Trends by Amanda Mull.
In my region of the country, we usually get a nice, gentle transition from summer to fall, and the weather is generally mild until the holidays. This year, that’s not the case: one day it was 80 degrees, the next day it was 50, and I’ve had to pull out my winter clothes a lot earlier than I ever have in recent memory. And with that comes one of my favorite vestiges of cold weather: my much-loved but widely reviled UGG boots.
Don’t get me wrong – I resisted for years. They first came to popularity around the time that I started college, and for three long years, I snickered and rolled my eyes every time I saw a girl wear them. I joined a Facebook group about how hideous they were. I considered them utterly and completely gauche.
And then I tried on a pair.
Suddenly, the sun shone brighter, rainbows were more plentiful, and flowers smelled better. The world was a nicer place. And it caused me to do something that I hadn’t done since elementary school: I left the store with my new shoes on my feet and my old ones in their box. Two more pairs of Classic Short boots and two years later, I actually love them more than my summertime staple, Havaianas flip-flops.
I wear them everywhere. To a bar with tights, to the grocery store with sweatpants, and every occasion in between. I try my best to not wear them with gym shorts, but sometimes I falter. And I’m okay with that – the UGGs are worth the occasional raised eyebrow.
Normally I’m not one to let function triumph over fashion, but the boots have totally won me over. They’ve been around for quite a while at this point, and I think that maybe more people are starting to accept them as a normal part of winter attire instead of a trendy item for young girls. From time to time, they still make me feel like I’m an 18-year-old coed, but perhaps there are worse ways to feel.
So, have you started drinking the UGG Kool-Aid yet? If you haven’t and wish to never venture down that road, I have but one piece of advice for you – never, ever let anyone convince you to try on a pair. Not even just for a second, just to see how it feels.
A wide variety of UGG boots are available via Bloomingdale’s.
I am was with you, thought they were ugly and didn’t get the appeal. Then I tried a pair on this weekend and I was hooked. They are so comfortable!!
I’ve got a pair and I puled them out on Sept. 30 when we got our first snow (way too early).
pulled not puled, my typing stinks.
Well, for something for tacky to remain in the market for so long it must have other redeeming factors. That’s all I can say coming from the tropics. Just like how sometimes I feel flipflops aren’t the most fashion-forward things to wear EVERYWHERE, they function so well on 100-degree fahrenheit days.
I think they are hideous…have never liked them and never will…I don’t care how comfy they are. For most they make your feet look uglyyyy and does it have any arch support cause from looking at them on someone else it doesnt look like it….
I love my Ugg boots so much. I love Ugg’s so much I even bought a pair of the fuzzy bottom flip flops to wear in the summer !
i have had the same pair of sand colored sunburst tall uggs for about 7 years now. same pair, in the same wonderful comfy amazing condition. its crazy because i seem to wear them all the time and they are still in great shape and are still very clean. these things last!!! its absolutely insane how wonderfully made they are. they are very comfortable for the feet and actually offer very good support for feet. its all the knockoffs that are cheaply made and hurt ppls feet. but uggs are awesome and i dont think that they are ugly – that said, they are obviously NOT office or evening out appropriate, but they are perfect for those less than warm days when the choice is between some yucky ugly sneakers or super duper comfy ugg warmalicous boots
btw- i loath coach sneakers…i dont know why but i find them horribly tasteless and ugly. can we stop with all the branding please???
*loathe
I was a super early adopter too. Kate Hudson talked about them in In Style magazine, and I went and found them. Soooo comfy. Now, when it’s snowing I wear boots by La Canadienne. Just like Uggs, but FULLY WATERPROOF!
I love ‘em..but I really want to hate them. LOL. They’re pretty ugly but they do the trick! I wear them EVERYWHERE..but only to the front door..as soon as I get to where I need to be, they’re tossed in my bag and my REAL shoes come out!
sorry but every guy in the world hates uggs, please stop wearing them.
come check out the first ever fashion blog from a guys POV, let He know what you think
fashionbyhe.blogspot.com
I can say with 100% certainty that no woman on Earth wears Uggs in order to solicit any particular reaction from men.
WELL SAID!!! guys don’t deal with bras, thongs, heels, skinny jeans… they get a break from fashion “bondage” all the time. for us, UGGs are like a treat. and women aren’t constantly thinking about what men think – contrary to what sneaking a look at cosmo mag may suggest.
we dress for ourselves contrary to what you guys might think and way to plug yr blog by insulting the women on this one duh!!
I love mine, I have the Sundance ones for the awful Chicago snow storms, the little clog ones for whenever, and recently, the mini ones. They are the warmest and comfy-est footwear for our winters.
And I won’t stop wearing them because some guy doesn’t like them, get real.
I love my Ugg slippers, but I will never give in to wearing Uggs as anything other than house slippers. I’ll admit that they looked kind of cute on my 14 year-old neighbor a couple of days ago w/ her plaid boyfriend shirt and black leggings, but she is rail thin and, well, 14! I just can’t drink the Ugg Kool-aid, no matter how comfy they are. Maybe I would wear them in Tahoe after skiing, but that would be it.
Oh, honey I drank that Kool-Aid a LONG time ago! In fact, I’m getting ready to go back for a third shot of it.
Up here in the cold, cold north, I find that they are the only boots that make sense to me.
LOVE them! been a fan for 10 years! and im over 40! all year long! and when at the lake in the summer time too! (i hate sand in my feet at nite by the fire)
my children wear them every year and i love the fact- (if well cared for) during the spring meltdown (Im way up north in canada) they will keep my kids warm and dry!
so from +10 C to MINUS 40 CELCIUS!!!! they keep our tootsies warm!
the big negative- they are riducoulously expensive this side of the border! ($adult 250.00 CAN)
Love, love, love Ugg boots. I have a pair of the gray ones with laces on the sides so they are Ugg comfy but regular boot cute. I love my classic talls too, though. Poodle, this post isn’t about Coach sneakers, and fashionbyhe- I don’t dress for guys. If my footwear is really a deal-breaker then I don’t think I’m interested.
ew!
http://www.bagpoor.com
I love my Uggs but I still think they’re ugly as hell.
HAHA!! I love this posting! I totally agree with you! They are pretty much addictive…screw the fashion police!
I’m kind of sad that no one has mentioned the movie reference. Identify it and I’ll give you a cookie!
Did I get the cookie, Amanda?
Katie W. got the cookie, but I like your enthusiasm! And that you knew where that phrase came from, I bet most people don’t realize. So you get a slightly different cookie.
Movie reference? Not sure. But I do know that the NRA used the line “I’ll give you my gun when you take it from my cold, dead hands!” and that actor and NRA President Charlton Heston popularized it in his 2000 anti-Al Gore campaign. Did Michael Moore get him to say it again in “Bowling for Columbine?”
As for Uggs, I don’t give a rat’s ass whether guys think they’re cute or hideous. Full disclosure: I’m almost 50 years old and have been married for 27 years. If DH doesn’t like my Uggs, oh well. I live in Western New York state (up near Niagara Falls.) Uggs are a winter NECESSITY! (Uggs with shorts in California? Stupid, but comfortable, probably.) Just know that there are zillions of styles and some are made for ice and snow, but most are not. They sell like crazy up here, btw!
I think the one place where Uggs should NOT be worn is Seattle. Uggs start to look really disgusting (even uglier than they already are, imo) after being worn in the rain for a month straight.
I was against Uggs as well, until I got them as a gift last Christmas. My sister knows how much I hate pull on boots so she bought me a caramel brown pair that zipped up the back. They are so comfy. I can’t believe I went so long without them.
I was actually thinking about this today.
I’m so glad someone made Crocs
It makes the Uggs seem not so bad.
Granted, I would only wear Uggs when I’m walking around campus, but still.
That is hilarious! My husband wears Crocs. Otherwise he has great style and is a total fashion freak. My daughter and I would never wear Crocs, yet live in Uggs all winter long. So, in the summer we are embarrassed, and during the winter he is.
The reference is “Wedding Crashers”…in the beginning part, where a woman that vince vaughn works with tries to set him up with someone..I love that movie, and my uggs!
YES! YOU WIN THE PRIZE! I’m glad someone knew it!
Uggs look cute on my 17 year old sister but not me. Shame because it gets pretty cold here in Vancouver and I could really use a pair of comfy, warm boots!
Ugg? Ugh!
Every year I swear that I won’t wear Uggs again but then it gets cold in New England and oh well what the hell I give in…and now I want the purple ones. Sigh. I could also care less if my man likes them or not. In fact, he owns a pair or two himself.
are they water proof?
Ha its so true i resisted for yrs and then tried on a pair last year and didnt take them off all winter. All my other boots are gathering dust.
There are much worst things going on in the world than Uggs. Don’t mind them, but they’re not so popular in Europe anyway. I just find it very stupid when women wear them in summer (with shorts). Really do not want to be around when they remove their stinking, sweaty feet from their boots.
dierregi, you don’t have to worry about stinking, sweaty feet – uggs were invented in Australia to be worn after surfing and the insulating effect keeps one’s feet as cool in summer, as it does warm in winter.
So, whilst women may LOOK a bit incongruous to you in them in summer, their feet are, almost certainly, less sweaty and stinky than yours are in a pair of sandals!
I LOVE uggs (I don’t own any Ugg brand, but I do have quite a few pairs of LFA), I wear them ALL the time (winter and summer!), I even wear them to very nice restaurants, where VERY conventionally dressed (but badly brought up!) women look down at my feet and snigger (well, one did recently, anyway!) and I really don’t care, because I’m safe in the knowledge that I’m comfy and they’re not! LOL!
Cold, dead feet, indeed!
I love the Ugg brand !!!!!!!!!! Most assume that they make the one boot in Short and Tall . I have some awesome driving moccasins along with my go to Tall and a recently purchased no longer made mini . Havaianas slims are also my go to summer casuel . I love clothes and fashion and love looking at beautiful shoes but hate uncomfortable feet . For you hatters , Why do you care??? No one is forcing them on your feet !! As far as a trend Uggs have been around for well over 20 years !!
i LOVE my uggs! i have a chestnut and a black pair so regardless of the outfit they match haha! mine are pretty waterproof because i bought the spray to use on them, so even in the rain/snow they hold up well. i wear them with jeans, sweats, tights, leggings, etc. everything but shorts and skirts –i hate that! and as for guys, i dont care if they like them or not, infact my bf bought my black ones for me. uggs are amazinggg. the only thing i love half as much is my danskos for nursing. they fit like a glove!
I looooove them. Want my fourth pair and I live in Miami.
Yes, I too am completely in love Uggs. I remember the first time I saw them thinking to myself, NEVER! Pamela Anderson was on the beach in a bikini sporting a pair. I had a huge aversion and an almost emotional response to how hideous I thought they were, Uggs indeed. Then I tried on a pair. Total Utopia. My thirteen your old daughter and I live in them, sharing several colors and styles of the sheerling lovelies. I have two negatives concerning Uggs: They are no longer made in Australia and the chocolate brown ones wreak. I heard it was something to do with the dye used. I read it on a website trying to find a solution to the stench. Nothing has worked, but I still wear them. My daughter won’t. Thanks for the great article. Uggs: our guilty, fashion, faux pas pleasure, too.
I think they are quite alright when you are in the right setting, ie: snow/blistery cold weather. But what gets me is when girls wear Uggs in the summer with their shorts or mini-skirts. It’s like an oxymoron!
Brought my UGG boots AND my UGG slippers to San Francisco this weekend…..boy was I glad I did!!
I have not drank the koolaid yet.. but I’m willing to take a “sniff” before I fall in head over heels!
I LOVE mine. I have black talls, fuzzy flip flops, and slippers (not the clogs, actual shoe slippers), they’re amazing to put on after a dance class! I just hate that I wear the insole down so much, I gotta order replacements to put in my talls.
ugg,a legendary brand ,i like it too , i think it is charming for its originality and comfortable .
on the couch, in my bf’s favorite hoodie, with my english bulldog snoring under my elbow, in uggs = happiest place on earth
Uggs are bland. Comfortable yes, but far too frequent. I’m a junior in college now and I got my first pair when I was a freshman in high school, which was that first sell-out year for them, so I do believe it’s safe to just accept them as a winter staple for many, but they’re so boring.
I have Pucci moonboots which are just as comfortable, waterproof, and insanely interesting. Additionally, for dry weather, Minnetonka fringe boots, though also common, are cheaper, very comfortable, and more styled.
Blah blah blah boring
Can’t live without my Uggs…so warm and comfy…I wear them as winter weather boots only, so no fashion statement here. They are wonderful on freezing Pittsburgh winter mornings. My toes are no longer numb!
I only wear uggs when neccessary ie. when it’s below 40 or snowing. I wear them down every winter. I just never saw the logic of wearing it as a fashionable piece with a mini skirt. Doesn’t it defeat the purpose and cancel itself out?
Love my Uggs! I hate how they look, but they are just so darn comfy. I have 3 pairs, classic tall, mini and cardi…the minis are prob my favorite because I can wear them to football games under jeans and stay toasty warm!
I LIVE in my Uggs from Late Sept – April. Forget the haters! LOL
I adore my Uggs. I’m lucky enough to have small feet, so I buy the kids sizes (cheaper). I dont generally wear them with anything other than skinny jeans or leggings tho. I’m not a fan of putting them under jeans, its just not as cute. I always smash my jeans into them.
You mean warm, dead feet.
Stumbled on this site when looking for information on how long black Uggs will leave your feet black. Not sure how and why I ended up here but it was an interesting read.
I’m a guy and love my Uggs as well. Have 3 pairs now, slippers, a regular-looking boot and the classic in black. I think they look great on both guys and girls. I don’t get how people think they are ugly. While they may not be the most stylish things, they are very simple and that’s good. Some of the “weirder” patterns are a little over the top but the normal colors look just fine.
I love them for many of the same reasons the author mentions – keep my feet nice and warm, are comfortable and waterproof and just a great all around pair of boots.
So for any other guys or gals that stumble on this, just put your feet into them and you’ll see. You’ll pry my Uggs from my cold dead feet. I’m a convert for life.
The one reason I’m against UGG is not because its design, rather, the company UGG Australia itself. Hate the company practice. They’re just as evil as McDonald’s.
Amanda you are so right. I was against UGGs for as long as I could remember. Also thought they were ugly and not practical for GA weather. Then when I moved to OH for grad school, I still thought I won’t need these. Unfortunately I tried them on, and I love them. (Shedding a tear now) lol. I am soon to get a pair.