It’s time that I stop pretending. It’s time to remove guilt from the “guilty pleasures.” I don’t want to keep anymore secrets from you.

This is the first of a short series of posts that aim to set me free.

So, what? I have an unnatural affection (affliction?) for brown boots/boot-like-shoes.

From Left to Right: Vintage Tony Lama, Earth Boots – Mirage, Polaris Boots (Waterproof, from Target… $40), Durango, L.L. Bean Wicked Good Slippers, Clarks Desert Trek. (Missing from photo: Classic Brown Sperry TopSiders, Vintage Frye Campus Stitching Horse Boots)

The Clarks are my latest acquisition–purchased on Saturday–and they are a dream. A little bit of moleskin is necessary for the break-in process, but so far they are super comfy. I have been dreaming about them for weeks now. Which brings me to my next point… that I dream about practical, comfortable, semi-boring-looking shoes and the following things have cemented in my mind that my style is prematurely gray:

1) In the shoe store, a 60+ year old woman noticed my pile of Clarks, “All those shoes you’re trying on are the shoes we wore 45 years ago!”

2) More than a few pairs of shoes I’ve purchased have elicited comments from my mom about how she wore the same exact shoes when she was my age (TopSiders, Earth Boots, Clarks)

3) In a meeting just last Thursday, my 40-something academic advisor: “We have almost exactly the same boots!” about my Tony Lamas.

4) My boyfriend’s mom gave me the Frye Boots last year.

5) The 40-something mother of the boy for whom I nannied had two pairs of Wicked Good Slippers.

6) I get excited about buying and having things like Shoe Goo, Lexol Leather Conditioner, Saddle Soap, and Shoe-Waterproofing Spray.

Now my inner-old-lady is free. Teeter away, ma’am, teeter away.

While food and tasty beer and houseplants are also good ways to get into my heart, a pair of brown leather boots will expedite our budding friendship. And I can guarantee that my obsession won’t be stopping soon. It’s only on pause now because I’m trying to patch the hole that money tends to burn in my pocket. Some future hole-burners:

Frye Harness Boot & Earth Twilight Boot

Take care of your brown boots, and each other.

- Emily