Winter is my least favorite season for like, a million and one reasons. It’s always dark and freezing, I have no motivation to do anything besides eat on the couch (even though that’s kind of year-round), and there just aren’t as many opportunities to get a good Instagram. But the number one reason that I hate winter is that it’s basically an entire season dedicated to ruining all my favorite shoes. Between salt stains and gross, wet snow, every step outside is putting your beautiful shoe collection in jeopardy. Plus, most winter boots are really fugly. Here are a few styles that don’t totally suck, though.
1. Kodiak Surrey II Waterproof Boot
Normally, I have a personal vendetta against waterproof boots that are a leather bootie/functional winter boot hybrid, but I weirdly fuck with these. They’re not trying to scam anyone, you know? It’s kind of like when you randomly find a cheap rosé that comes in a cute bottle and actually gets you pretty drunk.
2. Sorel Women’s Joan Of Arctic Lux Boot
Sorel boots are basically the shoe version of the pineapple on pizza debate. You’re either really into them or totally hate them. However, they’ve recently launched a new Lux collection that might make you change your mind, because it’s significantly less fugly than the original design.
3. Vans SK8-Hi MTE
I know the rules were real that time Karen wore a vest, but I feel like it’s time to reassess. Maybe it’s okay to wear white sneakers in the winter. IDK. Vans are def the shoe that goes with totally everything, and these winter-proof sneakers have made it so you can still wear them when the weather gets shitty.
4. Jeffrey Campbell Monsoon-2
When you think of wearing over-the-knee platform boots in the winter, you probably typically visualize absolutely ruining a suede pair you promised yourself you’d be careful with. These Jeffrey Campbell boots totally prevent that tragedy from happening, because they’re water-resistant.
5. Timberland Women’s Velvet-Accent Premium Waterproof Boots
NGL, I lost my shit when the Kardashian-Jenner clan started frolicking around Calabasas in Timberland boots, because it meant that by some stretch of the imagination, I could kind of pull them off, too. This updated style has velvet accents, but they’re still waterproof.
Images: Drew Coffman / Unsplash; Nordstrom (2); Sorel; Vans; Timberland
