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.
