I’m always slow to give anything a superlative like “best” because I’m usually sure that something will come along that will be better and I’ll have to eat my words and backtrack. Plus, if you say it too many times, the term loses its very finite meaning. That being said, the Burberry Prorsum Shearling Ankle Bootes may in fact be the best shoes of the season.

This design was the talk of London Fashion Week back when it hit the runway, and for shoes to garner so much attention at an event that usually focuses more on ready-to-wear is unusual and worth noting. In my ever so humble opinion, the fashion bigwigs got this one right: these boots embody the feel and trends of Fall/Winter 2010 better than any other that I’ve seen so far.

There’s a lot to love about this shoe. The color seems to sit someplace between black and dark brown, giving the shoe ultimate versatility and an old school military vibe that’s much more palatable than the new-school camouflage I’ve seen bandied about fall’s collections. (Prada, I’m looking at you).

The touch of looseness at the ankle took me a moment to get used to, but when you see the shoes in motion it really makes sense. Not only does the structure give the shoe some additional vintage charm, but it allows the plus shearling interior to peek out ever so slightly. The overall effect is rich and luxurious while still being full of personality, and the design manages to be trendy without automatically dating itself. These shoes are a fitting cap to a fabulous fall collection for Burberry. Buy through Saks for $1095.