For my birthday this year, my daughters, who are 4 and 5, told me they wanted all three of us to get matching boots. I need to teach them that you don’t tell the birthday person to please order their own gift, but this is the first time they’ve asked for something matching. I was thrilled about the idea and would love if they wanted to match me forever, but I know they won’t, so for now, off I went to hunt for matching boots.
My first stop was Betsey Johnson online because my daughters love everything glittery and sparkly and, thanks to them, I’m starting to have a later-in-life appreciation for the same. I fell in love with rhinestone-studded hiking boots for myself for $149, but the children’s boots are around $70. As much as I loved those boots, I cannot justify that price for children’s shoes.
Continuing on, I half-heartedly checked DSW and Nordstrom Rack online but found nothing suitable. The shoes were either rather dull — basic brown boots that nobody would notice are matching or, again, more than I wanted to spend.
So I went to Target, where I buy most of my daughters’ shoes, but have never tried any for myself. I saw the kids’ Chelsea boots first and, as I often find myself wishing when I see kids’ clothes, crossed my fingers that they had an adult version. They did. I liked the tan shade of the grown-up boot, but white was the only color they had for all sizes. I bought a pair for me and two for my girls.
I ordered my usual size (7.5), and they run a bit large, but I wear them with thick socks and an insole. Had I tried them on in store I probably would have sized down a half-size.
They aren’t absolutely identical — the kids’ boots have zippers on the side — but they look distinct enough, especially in white, to be noticeably matching. And for me, the best part was that all three pairs came in under $100, and that felt like a reasonable amount to spend on the fleeting desires of a 4- and 5-year-old.
All the boots have nonslip good gripping soles, are waterproof, and while I know ordering these boots in white is just inviting my daughters to use them as blank canvases, for now, they’re so excited about all of us matching that the shoes remain unpainted.
They have both been wearing them daily since we got them, and I marvel at how effortlessly stylish they are in whatever they pair them with, whether that’s leggings or ballerina skirts. I could never look as cool, but I have also been wearing my boots near-daily as the weather turns cooler and wetter. I wear mine with my everyday pants but, inspired by my girls, I’ve also been wearing them with midi dresses.
All of our boots are holding up remarkably well so far (even with my girls scootering wildly around town and me chasing after them). There are a few scuff marks on them, and the material looks like it will benefit from a basic wipe down — something I will someday be organized enough to actually do, but for now I quite like shoes that look worn and comfortable.
The only bad thing about the boots is that they constantly serve as a reminder that we won’t always have this. Someday the girls will grow up and not want to match me anymore, but, I remind myself, that day is not today.
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