Spring Break
UGG! They're back!
Couture critic
Lindsay Turner
Issue date: 11/28/07 Section: Life & Style
It's official - UGG Boots have returned from hibernation and are back in business for the winter months.
About one week ago, when the weather began changing for real, girls (and some boys) raced to their closets and pulled on these granola-chic shoes.
I, for one, have made my feelings toward UGGs quite public - I think they are UGG-ly. I believe that UGG Australia has produced one of the ugliest lines of footwear and handbags I have ever seen. No one needs to carry a sheepskin purse or parade around Northwest Arkansas with UGG Australia's Adirondack Boot - it's just not that rugged here.
If the company was targeting roughneck women from Montana, I would understand their popularity, but instead they are targeting trend-crazed women around the world - insisting that their products are "cool" and fashionable. And, you know what, it worked. Britney Spears basically started the UGG fad four years ago when she was spotted trotting around L.A. in UGG Boots and a mini skirt. But even before that, Oprah became obsessed with them and has been claiming them as some of her favorite things since 2000. Just last week, Oprah announced her favorite things for 2007, and what do you know? The newest UGG design, their Crochet Boots, made her list.
I just don't understand why these unattractive shoes became associated with style. When I discussed this with my friends who own UGGs, they told me they love them because they are soft and warm.
Is that a reasonable excuse for tolerating a shoe's unattractive outward appearance?
I decided to find out.
Last week, I returned to Dallas to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and to begin Christmas shopping. While I searched for the perfect gifts for my loved ones, I decided to do a bit of reconnaissance work to decide whether the UGG phenomenon was simply spawned from "trendiness" or from comfort and utility.
I headed to Nordstrom, pushed past a group of swooning teenagers at the UGG display, grabbed the UGG Classic Short in Sand (the only color I could ever imagine wearing) and waved down a shoe salesman.
About one week ago, when the weather began changing for real, girls (and some boys) raced to their closets and pulled on these granola-chic shoes.
I, for one, have made my feelings toward UGGs quite public - I think they are UGG-ly. I believe that UGG Australia has produced one of the ugliest lines of footwear and handbags I have ever seen. No one needs to carry a sheepskin purse or parade around Northwest Arkansas with UGG Australia's Adirondack Boot - it's just not that rugged here.
If the company was targeting roughneck women from Montana, I would understand their popularity, but instead they are targeting trend-crazed women around the world - insisting that their products are "cool" and fashionable. And, you know what, it worked. Britney Spears basically started the UGG fad four years ago when she was spotted trotting around L.A. in UGG Boots and a mini skirt. But even before that, Oprah became obsessed with them and has been claiming them as some of her favorite things since 2000. Just last week, Oprah announced her favorite things for 2007, and what do you know? The newest UGG design, their Crochet Boots, made her list.
I just don't understand why these unattractive shoes became associated with style. When I discussed this with my friends who own UGGs, they told me they love them because they are soft and warm.
Is that a reasonable excuse for tolerating a shoe's unattractive outward appearance?
I decided to find out.
Last week, I returned to Dallas to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and to begin Christmas shopping. While I searched for the perfect gifts for my loved ones, I decided to do a bit of reconnaissance work to decide whether the UGG phenomenon was simply spawned from "trendiness" or from comfort and utility.
I headed to Nordstrom, pushed past a group of swooning teenagers at the UGG display, grabbed the UGG Classic Short in Sand (the only color I could ever imagine wearing) and waved down a shoe salesman.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Margareta
posted 11/28/07 @ 6:53 PM CST
..."because they´re so fantastic and comfortable - you can´t live without them once you started wearing these boots or slippers... Or seatpads of the same kind of sheep- or lambskin, for that reson. (Continued…)
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