Stomping Ground: Utility boots are your new season must-have
Taking inspiration from the grunge era, stomp into autumn/winter 2016 with chunky, possibly platform, combat boots, writes Sarah Young
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As you begin to piece together your wish list for the season ahead a comfortable set of boots are almost certainly on the agenda but for the more fashion conscious among us no ordinary pair will do; Enter the utility boot. Starting out as the military shoe of choice, this style was designed to be worn by soldiers during combat thanks to a trusty combination of grip, ankle stability and foot protection. Fast forward and chunky lace-ups soon became a firm favourite with goth, punk and grunge crusaders in a bid to break the conservative dress code. Nowadays though, thanks to the likes of Doc Marten, what was once considered a symbol of subversiveness has become a natural part of the wardrobe.
Whether or not designers chose to elect the combat boot in an attempt to rebel, to signify feminism or to bear an anti-military stance is debatable so let’s stick with what we do know here; they’re chunky, tough, rugged and undeniably this season’s IT boot style. The designer camps seemed pretty divided on how to style their lace-dashed boots for autumn/winter with a battle between straight-up street style and girlish juxtaposition. For Louis Vuitton and Alexander Wang, boots came thick soled in tough black shiny leather and while the latter opted for a flat-foot, Vuitton’s variety came stacked with a platform heel and a luxed-up gothic vibe. Either way, both paired theirs with oversized jackets, bondage pants and a bulk of metal hardware.
On the contrary, Valentino and Prada set out to juxtapose their stompy biker boots with a heavy dose of femininity. Beautifully tailored coats, shin-skimming black tutus and full 50s style dresses all provided the perfect antithesis to tough as old boots footwear. Luckily for us, plenty of covetable creations have hit the high street too but whichever way you choose to style yours there’s a fine line between all terrain style and looking as though you’re dressed for armed combat. For real-world dressing that we suggest pairing your flat-footed style with a silky cami or floral midi dress while those elevated with chunky heels look great teamed with a tailored trouser and chunky, oversized knitwear.
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