Akshara

It is 7:50 on a school night, I’ve just eaten a sub-par falafel salad and am now standing in my kitchen watching my Nespresso go through descaling ( a term unbeknownst to me as of Monday ), sipping on some p’ mint tea with a side of Easter eggs ( balance). I’ll spare you the hum drum of my working day.

You’re probably thinking, why the random banter? Well as I watch my nespresso spill out pink water mixed with coffee granules, I can stop thinking about the pressing questions of “what makes the perfect boot?” As we enter into an early winter ( thanks La Niña) it’s time for me to shift into my favourite season – the season of boots. Being a self proclaimed boots connoisseur I have been a forever fan of the over the knee/ thigh high, due to the practicality of a long boot. Not only incredibly warm but a great alternative to pants.

However, transitional they may seem, I personally feel boots of all lengths (heel included) should be welcomed with as much robust as the the GG Marmont leather belt. Given, I am a fan of all shapes and lengths of boots, my current flavour of the month is the never-failing Combat boot. A staple in the 80s of the British Punk style scene and popularised in the 90s from the Perry Ellis Spring ’93 show, which had top models trail down the runway one after the other in combat boots in an unpolished aesthetic. What was seen as a rebellious stance to pristine fashion week goers, is now deemed as a powerful statement, a movement so unconventional, that is effortlessly cool.

A testament to the cool, grunge look was model Kate Moss. Dubbed as unconventionally “short” to be a model, she made a mark with her effortless, authentic look and providing a heaping dose of realism the fashion work craved at that time. Anna Sui noticed a change in the air and saw models mixing vintage tees with designer jeans. She saw an opportunity and designed the ultra feminine baby doll dress and thanks to pop legend Madonna, the baby doll epitome of the grunge era with a helping had from the ever so versatile – the work boot.

Moving down the timeline, a grunge shoot directed by the legend Grace Coddington, gave attainable and realistic clothes the Vogue stamp of approval, further felicitating the practical and effortless approach. More so, the introduction of grunge in Vogue was to exemplify the significance music and culture had on everyone and thereafter.

Brining about focus to the combat boot was holding up a mirror to the times where eclectic rebellion and vintage influences continue to shape fashion culture today. Not micro trends but niche anti-fashion looks disrupted an industry. When you wake up tomorrow and put on a look that makes you feel good and confident, it is an act of expressing our true authentic self. So, when you slide on your favourite pair of combat boots, just know you are wearing a piece of accepted disrupted history. But of course, always on trend.

Dare I say the combat boot is the diamond of the season?

-A