True Grit...

I blame Kevin Bacon and Lori Singer for my fascination with Cowboy boots.  I adored the film Footloose as a teenager (and still do today) and will always remember the scene where Lori Singer puts on her red Cowboy boots after being with her then wayward boyfriend up to no-good in the woods.  "My daddy hates these boots", she exclaimed as if that gave her more reason to wear them.  And without going into my family history, those words rang true with me as I had a particularly tormented relationship with my own father.  And no doubt, he too, would have hated those boots.

So, I scoured the land high and low for a pair never quite finding that perfect pair and finally found them in France of all places when I was spending my wonderful year as a Teaching Assistant in St Raphael.  It was a year spent in blistering heat and despite their impracticality for the weather, they had to be mine.  It must have been a moment of frivolity too because they came with a 100 euro price tag (as did everything in the south of France).  The only other pair of shoes that have cost that much were my wedding shoes and then it still killed me to hand over such a stupid amount of money (by the way, I have lost those shoes since the house move, something that is vexing me greatly but that is for another time).

So, there I was, owner of a beautiful pair of red cowboy boots ready to burst into song or dance à la Footloose at a moments notice.  The kids in school thought it was hilarious, I wore them non-stop despite the fact my poor feet were baking in the heat and the majority of the school was in flip-flips.

They are still treasured today but they now have several brothers and sisters as my cowboy boot family has morphed into 6 pairs.   The newest additions being the ones below..

£7.25 from a charity shop here in Caldicot and a perfect fit to boot.

I started thinking about the origin Cowboy boots and decided to do a little research.  There is no definitive claim as to who designed them originally but it is thought that after the American Civil War, when cowboys were back to herding cattle across the beautiful plains of North America, they went to their cobblers with some suggestions of how better their boots could serve them.  Their feet needed protection not only from the elements but things like brambles, snakes, rocks and needed to be hardy and comfortable enough for long journeys in the saddle.   Many prototypes were made, each one individual to the cowboy himself until a more general design was upheld.  The one we know today that has become somewhat of a fashion icon with tough, colourful leathers and detailed stitching is a nod to the original work-horse boot that it once was and still is today for our modern-day cowboys no doubt. 

They are worn by models and celebrities alike, Kate Moss and Sienna Miller favour theirs with floaty dresses reminiscent of a visit to Glastonbury Festival (on a dry day of course). I like to keep it simple and wear mine with jeans usually. At this point, I should probably point out that I was in fact wearing a pair of Cowboy boots when I recently hurt my back.  Beautiful to look at but absolutely no grip whatsoever! Not on a very mossy outdoor step anyway. 

 If you do an Internet search for them, the array of designs is truly impressive, as are their prices so being able to find them nestled in charity shops, is for me, a real find.  I no longer have a spare 100 euros to give away to decorate my feet in such luxury. 

£7.25 is a much more respectable price to pay.