Currently I work on a college campus with a diverse student
body (almost 4,000 of the 20,000 students are international students). Diverse bodies generate diverse styles and I loathe
not taking the opportunity to judge, I mean silently observe, all fashion
statements.
I could take this time to discuss the lackluster interview
garb I’ve seen at On Campus Recruiting events, but lately the fashion oddity trumping
bland power suits is the cowboy boots epidemic.
And I’m not sure how I feel about it.
A few weeks ago I walked along the main strip of Ivy League
brick cutting through campus, my eyes wandering from very cute undergraduates
(cougar-in-training? It’s surprising how
mature those boys look. . .) to the disgraceful amount of clog-wearing-intellects
galumphing through campus (and we’re not talking about Chanel clogs, we’re
talking about dowdy clogs). Then my eyes
caught glimps of a pair of pointed toes, not stilettos, no. Not a pair of sleek flats. It was a pair of black cowboy boots.
In Philadelphia? Was
this young collegiate trying to imbue the Urban Cowboy into the lives of Ivy
Leauge co-eds?
I craned my neck, following her until I could no longer see
her trotting along. I thought about her
decision to wear those boots until I reached my destinations, and then like the
other audacious looks I see on campus I soon forgot about them. About a week later a fashionable friend
publically wondered on Facebook if she should purchase a pair of cowboy boots
during her upcoming trip to Dallas. I
immediately chimed in, saying no; cowboy boots in Philadelphia would be
kitschy. The other reactions she
received, which were aplenty, were mixed.
Most told her to go for the bold.
Last week in NYC’s Penn Station I saw a woman in black
cowboy boots hurtling herself and her luggage towards a moving train. She had on dark wash bootcut jeans, rolled
about four inches to show a fashionably tattered hem, and a long black t-shirt
that advantageously fit her every curve.
The outfit was effortless and completely befitting for her scramble to
the train. The cowboy boots she wore
were not the emphasis of her outfit, the simplicity of her ensemble shined
brighter than the kitsch.
After seeing the woman in Penn Station I took my friend
aside and confessed that after much debate she can pull these boots off, by
puttin’ em on. She, like the train
chaser, has a breezy and classy approach to dressing that will tame the corny
label that many of us apply to such a costume-y item of footwear. It is possible for a woman to make a stylish
statement without looking like Daisy Duke or Jessica Simpson. . .or Jessica
Simpson as Daisy Duke.
So, after considerable debate I have decided to make public
my support for integrating cowboy boots into one’s wardrobe. However, there are stipulations accompanying
my appreciation. Like neon or animal prints,
these boots pack a punch and should not be the main focus. They need to be tempered down to avoid making
a theme. Here are some things to
consider before putting on cowboy boots:
1)
Avoid listening to any music from the southern
region as it may cloud your judgment when getting dressed.
2)
Definitely restrain yourself from pulling out
your favorite license plate sized belt buckle.
3)
Stay away from plaid button down shirts,
gingham, pigtails, and any denim that has a hint of the ol’ west. I should not
have to tell you to leave the bandana tied around Fido’s neck.
4)
If you feel like a cowboy when you have them on,
immediately remove the boots and take a cold shower. You have been tainted and will need to wait
approximately one year before attempting the cowboy boot look again.
I’m glad that I was able to publically flesh out this cowboy
boot debacle for myself. Hopefully from
this we’ve all come away better purveyors of footwear. If I ever decide to invest in cowboy boots
(there are so many things higher on my list; pink booties and cropped flat
boots) they will be black, worn with black leggings and a loose sweater dress
or structured jacket. But for now I will
ride off into the sunset in my cropped flat boots and skinny jeans.
