This will be the third time I have written about Western boots. If you know me in real life, you don’t need to have actually read all those posts (1,2) — you will already know that I wear them all the time. Maybe too often.
I will admit that the first signal of my mood may be the boots. Sad day, boots on. Plenty of happy days, too — but these are the footwear equivalent of comfort food for me. Dependable, memory-evoking, sentimental. They speak to my heart. But there is one thing my boots deliver that chicken soup or pasta cannot: a sense of cool. They give me attitude. They give a sense of confidence to my default dress code. I look in the mirror and try to imagine myself as a rugged historical-fiction heroine. True Grit’s Mattie Ross, or more recently the Yellowstone prequels. I might admire Helen Mirren in 1923, who is closer to my age than any plucky young thing, or the real girls at the rodeo who can handle a horse today.
I got to test my newest boots out last weekend on a trip I was lucky enough to take in real cowboy country – Jackson, WY — and even better, in a real cowboy congregation — the regional rodeo. Jackson is kind of a swank town. There are lots of amazing shops downtown that sell all kinds of Western getups. I can only imagine how many people load up on turquoise belts and crazy boots and hats. Cowboys for the week. And why not! If you can pull it off when you touch down at home in Chicago… good for you!
There have been a few rodeo experiences in my life. Cheyenne Frontier Days in college. The Iowa County Fair when we lived in Wisconsin. (I still have a hat from that one.) The MASSIVE, amazing Houston rodeo. And most recently, the Jackson Hole Rodeo. All of them had different flavors, but all with real cowboys who really knew what to do in their boots. It was the first time I watched barrel racing, which is a sport dominated by women. Let me tell you. Those girls are TOUGH. Watching them go so fast was a little terrifying, in fact. The whole atmosphere was fun. Loud cheers, loud music… kind of like a pep rally for cowboy families. Amazing! I didn't realize that the competitors actually travel around the country for these things. It was the same age demographics as, say, travel soccer… but a totally different psychographic. I was thrilled to be in the crowd.
But back to the Marie. She is not the mod, Chelsea-ish cowboy boot that is on heavy rotation for me (and practically every other woman who works in our company.) That is the one I have written so much about. This new one is one you can add to your collection because she is so different. I say different, but to be honest, she is more traditional in feel. Well, sort of. While you might not be chased off the ranch for wearing her… you also won’t find her in the Western Wear catalog. She is kind of a hybrid of a TRUE cowboy boot and a roper boot. (Isn’t that what we love about design? The mix?)
A typical cowboy boot shaft height sits at 12" or more and covers the whole calf. The idea is to give more leg protection when you are riding on horseback. A roper boot's shaft is shorter, usually no more than 10", and sits well below the knee. (For the record, the Marie sits around 7".) Better to stand outside the gate, ready to ROPE the calf that is about to shoot out of the stall. The problem for me is that a true roper boot traditionally has a rounder toe, and I have never liked the way that looks on my feet. I have a few vintage pairs that I wanted to love, but I end up feeling too masculine in them and they just stare at me from the closet. Whether it is shame for not being chosen or regret for coming home with me in the first place… it doesn’t matter. I don’t reach for them.
The Marie has the same beautiful, squared-off toe as our short cowboy boot, but with a straighter, higher roper shaft. She is kind of perfect. And of course she is made up in an inky navy leather. Blue boots – what could be better? A wide-leg pant is fantastic with these (the Sloane!) if you don’t want to tuck in a narrow jean. I love how my medium-width, tomboy-fit jeans like Levi’s fall over them. Sometimes the bottom of the hem falls in, sometimes it falls out. I don’t always fix it – it just feels natural and casual. I also think they look amazing peeking out from a long skirt or dress. At the wedding in Jackson, I showed up in a glittery skirt and I am still kicking myself for choosing heels rather than these boots. They would have been perfect. The exact touch for the glorious Snake River backdrop… I am embarrassed to tell you I am still thinking of that outfit regret. There is always next time! If you happen to be planning a wedding out West, please invite me. I need a re-do.
So, back to my comfort zone, and my collection of boots in this category. They all speak to me differently. Marie is a tough tomboy next to the short cowboy boot with the groovy, Chelsea-like ankle. I will wear both pairs this season... too often, I am sure! But right now Marie is making me smile and lifting my mood for another reason as well…
And that is her name. So, so many songs in my life have come to me through Sid. If I could turn him upside down and shake out all of them from his head — little scraps of paper, like the ones from the card catalogs of our youth, flying everywhere — I could paste them up like wallpaper and it would cover my entire house. When I asked him to help me name this particular pair of boots, he spit out a suggestion in a second: “Call her Marie.” From a song by Randy Newman. “You’re a flower, you’re a river, you’re a rainbow.”
You need her, I promise.
You looked like a princess the night we met
With your hair piled up high
I will never forget
I'm drunk right now baby
But I've got to be
Or I never could tell you
What you meant to me
I loved you the first time I saw you
And I always will love you Marie
I loved you the first time I saw you
And I always will love you Marie
You're the song
That the trees sing when the wind blows
You're a flower, you're a river, you're a rainbow
Sometimes I'm crazy
But I guess you know
And I'm weak and I'm lazy
And I've hurt you so
And I don't listen to a word you say
When you're in trouble I just turn away
I love you, I loved you, the first time I saw you
And I always will love you Marie
I loved you the first time I saw you
And I always will love you Marie
