These boots were made for walking…

Garage Clothing coat (c/o Ivanhoe Cambridge)
Dynamite sweater (c/o) Ivanhoe Cambridge)
Old Navy jeans (c/o Ivanhoe Cambridge)
Forever 21 boots (c/o Ivanhoe Cambridge)
Massimo Dutti bag (similar)
RayBan sunglasses
Madewell rings
Old Navy earrings (c/o Ivanhoe Cambridge) (similar)
Location: Maison Birks – Winnipeg, Manitoba

When I first put these boots on, seated under the hot fluorescent lights of the outlet mall location of Forever 21 here in Winnipeg, I just knew. It was just before Black Friday, and I was working on a challenge put to me by the Ivanhoe Cambridge group; put together an outfit for only $200. I was entirely prepared, until I realised I’d given no thought to footwear. No outfit is complete without shoes.

Given my budget, I had more options than you might expect. So many, in fact, that I was a bit overwhelmed. With limited time, I decided to stick to Forever 21, where I quickly found more potential choices than I really knew what to do with. I’m a sucker for a good pair of boots and every pair I chose was fabulous in its own way. There were ankle boots with ribbons in place of laces, and western-style mid-calf boots with chunky wooden heels, and… well, I could go on. But just as I sat down to begin the try-on process, I spotted a lone pair of Doc Marten-style boots out of the corner of my eye. “What size are those?” I asked Ian.

“They look a bit big for you,” he pointed out correctly.

“I know,” I admitted, “but I think they might be the ones.”

So he dutifully grabbed them for me, anyway.

The last time I owned anything like a Doc Marten was in late childhood, when I inherited a hand-me-down pair of Doc Marten church shoes from a family friend’s son. They were a bit big, and I never did grow into them. I remember them being heavy on my feet, and looking strange in contrast to my skirts. (At ten, I wanted nothing but pretty dresses and all the impractical high heeled shoes I was absolutely not allowed to wear.) They gave me blisters. I complained, probably quite vociferously, and got a pair of my own shoes to replace them in short order. And I haven’t given a thought to wearing the style since.

But it’s no secret that I’m a fan of nineties throwback trends. When I saw these boots, they reminded me of Daria, the iconic cartoon character whose bitterness and disgust with the way of the world I am only beginning to fully comprehend in adulthood. They reminded me of all the strong women I watched make their way through the world when I was growing up, the kind of women I wanted – and still want – to be like. I was right; the boots were the ones. I don’t wear them often, but when I do, I feel like I can not only safely assume that I won’t slip in the ice and snow, but I can on the world – or at the very least, stomp to the beat of my disappointment in it.