“Boots with the fur” has been around for so long that the trend earned its own name-check in the chorus of a terrible (ok, fine, I liked it) rap song, but it seems to me that the shoes pictured above aren’t exactly what Flo Rida had in mind when he wrote his ode to dance-floor dressing. After all, goat hair trim is a far cry from your average Ugg boot.

My shoe crush Nicholas Kirkwood made a pair of very bold goat hair boots as part of his brilliant Fall/Winter 2009 collection, and it seems as though more than a few other designers have picked up the material for 2010. Fur is a huge trend for winter, so it only makes sense that a tougher, more utilitarian type of fur should show up on footwear.

The Alexander Wang Polina Goat Fur Leather Boots are a bit similar to Kirkwood’s 2009 shoes and a perfect example of the more avant garde direction in which this look can go. They have a bit of a post-apocalyptic warrior feel to them, and only the most confident of fashionistas should attempt to make these work. On the right person, they could be brilliant, but on most people, they’d be silly fur boots. Buy through Net-a-Porter for $925.

The Yves Saint Laurent Palais Suede Pumps, on the other hand, are an example of how goat fur shoes can actually skew feminine and ladylike. The fur creates a bit of a crown for your heel, and the effect is subtle enough to go with any number of cocktail dresses. I’d wear them with a pair of vintage-inspired stockings with a seam down the back of the leg for added emphasis on the heel. Buy through Saks for $880.