It will be chilly and rainy for the next six months where I live. Is there such a thing as a boot that is cozy, waterproof and isn’t going to make me look as if I got lost on my way to backcountry trekking when I am in the office or out with friends? — Hilary, Portland, Ore.
It’s not that hard to find great snow boots: ones that are warm and waterproof and have good treads. (Good treads are essential if you live in a place where ice forms on sidewalks.) What is harder is finding good snow boots that are outfit-appropriate when navigating snow drifts or sloshing around rainstorms but also when entering an office or a restaurant.
Ones that don’t, for example, make you look as though you are playacting a famous explorer or a character from “Ice Age” — unless, of course, that’s a vibe you like. For example, I tend to appreciate the irony of Moon Boots in the city, not to mention the comfort. They can be like walking around in two giant pillows. And Ralph Lauren’s Team USA designs for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Milan Winter Olympics include some retro mountaineering boots in brown leather with red- and black-striped climbing rope laces that may turn out to be a winner all their own.
But if you don’t want to resemble a winter sports fan (or an armchair winter sports fan) or suggest that you are taking a detour on your way to Aspen, there are certain details to keep in mind when choosing winter boots.
First, the technical necessities. Lesley Christoph, the chief marketing officer for LOWA Boots, advises that you “look for waterproof leather or sealed seams, hidden waterproof membranes or lightly insulated linings, a grippy but not bulky sole and room for a normal, size-appropriate sock.”
The folks at Wirecutter suggest choosing boots that are eight to 10 inches tall and contain at least 200 grams of insulation. (If you are in a particularly cold place, it suggests 400 to 600.) Wirecutter also recommends toothlike treads, rather than treads with wavy lines.
Then consider the style. “A good city boot,” Ms. Christoph said, “will combine function with clean lines so you can wear it with jeans, trousers or even a skirt”
In other words, stay away from some of the obvious details that push the “outdoor rec” button, like puffy, quilted uppers. Think leather (or leather-effect) bodies, platform or very chunky treads (the farther you are from the cold ground, the better) and a narrower silhouette, rather than one that skews snowmobile. Check out, for example, brands like Dr. Martens, Blundstone and Toms, all of which offer a more urban, and urbane, but still practical way to handle the elements.
For more inspiration, check out attendees at two famous winter events that showcase their own kinds of cold-weather style: the Sundance Film Festival, which is held every January in Utah, and the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, later that month, where masters of the universe gather in the Alps.
At Sundance, Sorel seems to have a lock on the market, with numerous celebs adopting their shearling-lined styles, though Anne Hathaway, in lace-up platforms with a monster-truck tread, offered another way to go.
As for Davos, it is becoming a more useful study, given that a few years ago, according to one attendee, the convention halls started charging for checked shoes, meaning fewer people try the bait-and-switch of swapping their boots for more office-appropriate lace-ups and pumps when indoors. Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, even modeled a pair of brown lace-ups onstage.
Honestly, it’s a more, well, economic choice.
Your Style Questions, Answered
Every week on Open Thread, Vanessa will answer a reader’s fashion-related question, which you can send to her anytime via email or X. Questions are edited and condensed.
Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014.
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