Yesterday, I did something I had never done before: I bought the exact same pair of Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots that I had already owned for two years, for a second time. Normally I like to spread my dollars around instead of having multiples of the exact same thing, particularly when said thing costs more than $50. Sometimes, though, desperate measures have to be taken.

I had walked completely through the bottoms of my first pair of these boots. After two New York winters of hoofing around in them nearly every day, even the incredibly heavy (far heavier than I expected for the reasonable price) soles that complete these boots yielded to wear and tear. I intended to take them to a cobbler in my neighborhood to have the soles replaced, but then I realized that doing so would render them unavailable to me for days on end. When you live in a city that requires a lot of walking in the cold, you don’t lose access to your favorite boots without some serious panicking. And when I panic, I look for a way to buy a solution to my problem. It’s not the finest aspect of my personality.

So now I have two pairs of my favorite boots, and I feel happy and secure knowing that I’ll be able to wear them for countless winters to come, between the new pair and the shoe repair. I’ve written of my love for these boots before, so I’ll save you that particulars of why I thought this design was worthy of even more space in my tiny New York closet. All I ask is that you comfort me by telling me that you, too, have done the same thing with your favorite kicks.

If you’re looking for a solid pair of boots, pick these up for $230 via ShopBop.

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Shoes without anything under the arch aren’t a new phenomenon; I’ve seen brands as elegant and high-end as Yves Saint Laurent do it in various ways, but those particular pieces were obviously not meant for widespread consumption. Not only were they prohibitively expensive, but they were postured as extremely special shoes that one might wear to a particular event, but not to just any old party.

On the other hand, the Jeffrey Campbell Benched Cut-Out Platform strikes me as nearly…casual. They’re made to be sold at mall stores like Urban Outfitters to regular girls without anyplace in particular to go, except they’re not a full shoe.

I know I can get a little preachy about shoe safety, but that’s because I’ve been on the other side of the fence – once you ruin an ankle or foot, there’s not much that can be done to fix it. That’s why I find shoes like these borderline offensive; 18-year-olds who don’t have any sense waste money on poorly made things like this with no structure and end up with painful fallen arches (I’ve had those too, because I was a moron in a past life), and at the risk of sounding like my mother, they just shouldn’t do it. Save your money and buy a real pair of shoes that doesn’t need a gimmick to be interesting. Or, completely ignore me and buy them through Need Supply for $139.

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You ladies wouldn’t believe how many issues I’ve had looking for a pair of comfortable, relatively affordable, totally badass black boots for winter. I live in New York City, but I’m sadly not part of the tax bracket that can take taxis or car services everywhere (or even the majority of places), so I’m left with a bit of a conundrum: Truly cheap shoes wear out too quickly and hurt too much for my walking-heavy lifestyle, but truly expensive shoes are often a bit too precious for the kind of beating they’ll take with continuous city wear.

On top of that, my feet are a tad wide at the toes and my arches are very high, so finding a boot that doesn’t squeeze my foot to the point of lost circulation has been tough. I feel as though I’ve been up and down through Frye’s entire product line, to no avail. Fiorentini and Baker? Too tight through the arch. Then I ordered the Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots, and finally, all of my problems were solved.

I wanted boots that would be, essentially, a jack of all trades. I wanted to wear them with tights, leggings, skirts, dresses, jeans, everything. Everyone needs a go-to pair of shoes every season, and I wanted motorcycle boots to be mine for this fall and winter. These boots may not be without their faults, but I’ve had them for several weeks and have yet to put them on with anything that didn’t look great. (It should be noted, I do not wear “work clothes.” These boots would not look good with most traditional office outfits.)

First, my gripes: The leather is kind of…crappy. It’s real leather, and at a $230 price point for a pair of heavy boots from a trendy brand, that’s to be expected, but it’s still far from what you’ll get from a premiere designer. It’s softening up nicely as I wear the boots, though, so it’s an imperfection I’m willing to live with in a shoe that’s supposed to get dirty and broken-in. Using Italian lambskin on this design would be beside the point, but be prepared if you order them.

Also, the “wrap” closure takes a little getting used to. Practice makes perfect, though, and I found the learning curve fairly small. The sides of the boots are open down to right around your ankle bones, though, which both gives the boot its excellent slouch but also makes your wrapping technique important. They’ll gap a bit here and there, but they’re supposed to – imperfection is part of the look, and these boots do that look exceptionally well.

On the positive side, as I mentioned previously, these boots are heavy. In fact, the sole is so thick that it’s not unlike those that you find on Fryes. They’re rubber on the bottom, which I prefer for traction purposes, but the overall look is much closer to a real motorcycle boot than you’ll find from most fashion brands. That’s the look I wanted, and it’s exactly what Campbell delivered. When you wear these shoes, they feel solid and you feel slightly cooler.

More than anything, though, they’re very comfortable. The footbed is a little hard, so you may prefer yours with gel inserts, but I haven’t found the need so far. I’ve done quite a bit of walking in them with relatively thin socks because of the mild fall weather, and although I do have a blister on the back of one of my heels from breaking them in, it’s somehow a blister that doesn’t hurt at all. In fact, I didn’t even realize I had it until I crossed my legs on my couch at home and saw it. For a tough, rigid pair of shoes, that’s not bad at all.

Finally, if you find most foots too tight or restrictive in the foot or ankle, this is a great pair that gives you some control over exactly how tight or loose you want your shoes because of the straps closure. I’ve read elsewhere that this design runs large, but I ordered my true size and have been very happy with the results. They can even accomodate my ankle brace, when I occasionally wear if my torn ligament is giving me problems. For the price, I doubt I’ll find a pair of boots I like more. Buy through ShopBop for $230.

The post In praise of the Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots appeared first on TalkShoes.

The return of tough, black, flat-soled leather boots warm the cockles of my little ex-teenage-punk heart. I do not simply want a pair of these boots, I want all of the pairs. In fact, I already have one pair of great, grungy BedStu boots waiting for winter, and I’m going to be adding more pairs as soon as possible.

If you feel me on the whole tough-girl-boots thing, then I’ve got a Look for Less for you – the Burberry Explorer Biker Boots and the Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots, both of which will add a note of grunge to your casual fall wardrobe. And I mean “grunge” in a good way.

In the spirit of fairness, I will admit that I bought the Jeffrey Campbell boots through ShopBop about six months ago and returned them. They are one of the only things I’ve ever regretted returning, and I really should get off my lazy butt and reorder them before it’s too late. I keep putting it off because it’s not cold yet, but by the time it gets cold, they’ll probably be gone and I’ll be a very sad ladyblogger. I’ve looked everywhere, and I don’t think I’m going to find something I like as much as these boots for less money.

If “less money” isn’t really your main concern, then these Burberry boots are a great option. They’re like a flat play on the brown leather high-heeled booties that everyone swooned over (with good reason) last season, and I love when a good design is repurposed in a more functional, wearable way. Plus, zoom in on that leather. It looks scrumptious.

Jeffrey Campbell Brit Wrap Strap Boots, $230 via ShopBop

Burberry Explorer Biker Boots, $895 via Net-a-Porter

The post The Look for Less: Strapped Biker Boots appeared first on TalkShoes.

I can think of no city that merits a capsule collection of vegan hipster shoes more than Berkley, although Williamsburg, Brooklyn and Portland also make the list for places that the Jeffrey Campbell x Convert Capsule Collection would be well-received. Jeffrey Campbell is already a favorite among people with modest budgets and very contemporary tastes, and nixing the leather only makes them even more relevant to a certain subset of consumers.

Unfortunately, Refinery 29 reports that only customers at Berkley’s Convert boutique will be able to shop the min-collection of five shoes made completely out of vegan, sustainable materials. Although maybe if the shoes do well there, the companies will think about expanding the range so that ethically minded customers everywhere will have access to the shoes. Check out the rest of the line after the jump.

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The Jeffrey Campbell Slash Tk Shoes may be too far out of my comfort zone, but I have read many people giving these shoes rave reviews. These are thigh high boots that pair rock-n-roll with a touch of goth. Could you find yourself wearing these?

The good news is the price. If I were ever to buy a pair of shoes like this, the price would have to be much lower than my typical shoe purchase. These boots are $190. Let’s get to some more of the details, shall we?

The boots feature synthetic leather upper and lining that is shredded for the slash effect. The TICK base is what all Jeffrey Campbell fans are said to being going crazy over (though I really have no idea). The boots have a 5″ heel with a 1.5″ platform. Buy through Sole Struck for $189.

These are one of those things that I hear people saying they love, but I’m just not seeing it. Are you?

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