Riding High

By: Angela Parks

Contributing Writer

While we are happily engrossed in Fall and winter is soon nipping at our heels, this is the appropriate time to chat about boots. Not just any boots; the wardrobe essential AND eternally fabulous - Equestrian Boot! Riding boots can be paired with your favorite dress, skirts or skinny jeans.  We are even seeing them worn with shorts (yes, I said shorts). Better yet, they come in a variety of shapes, sizes, soles and hardware. I personally prefer my boots to be vanilla (a.k.a. plain). I stay away from revealing hardware (buckles, etc). Though, I adore embellishments on boots, I find pairing accessories to the hardware to be a nuisance. In a perfect world (and a very fat bank account), I would have two dozen pairs that would suit my many wardrobe needs. However, I am on a budget, so I purchased two pairs - one in black and the other in brown (told you I was vanilla).

Pictured above are the two Ciao Bella boots I purchased on Endless.com (both reasonably priced under $200.00 in addition Endless.com is having a 25% SALE RIGHT NOW on thousands of boots)

  

For the love of a couture Riding boot. If cost were not an option, the boots above would be in my closet as we speak! Gucci, has designed a convertible Riding Boot. The top portion is removed, revealing a lower profile boot. Next in line is the Tall Burberry boot, classic styling with the buckle, and incredibly fabulous (would pair well with....well what else - a Burberry Trench!). However, my favorite BY FAR is the Chloe Equestrian inspired boot (allow me to wipe the drool from my keyboard).

Finally, how fab are these Riding Rain Boots? As I mentioned in a previous post, I adore Ralph Lauren, while these equestrian rain boots are not in my budget, perhaps one of our loyal readers will be lucky enough to call them their own! I've always been a huge fan of Hunter. With a reasonable price tag, these Hunter Reagent rain boots will be mine (available at jildor.com)!

Not sure how to pull off an equestrian inspired look? Here are a few photos of your fave celebs for inspiration:

Side note: Equestrian inspired fashion is NOT a trend. Two couture powerhouses come to mind when I think of this look: Hermes and Gucci. REPEAT: This look is not a fleeting trend! Purchase the best pair of boots you can afford and look casual chic whereever you go. Not to mention, they are incredibly comfortable. Style and comfort - why compromise either?