Good morning, Tuesday. Hope you are all recovered from that candy coma and managed to wash off all the makeup from your costume last night. From the looks of things, Halloween was a big hit this year, and I think I know why.
If there was ever a moment that Americans needed to masquerade, it was this Halloween. The opportunity to dress up and be someone else for a weekend or a night felt right this year- amidst so much anxiety and stress over a seemingly endless election news cycle, I enjoyed seeing everyone in costume, having a wonderful time with family and friends and perhaps emotionally eating too many mini Snickers. All over my Facebook feed were not just lame attempts at costumes but bona fide amazingness- the need to transform felt real and fun and extremely necessary, even if for a brief moment.
From my vantage point in my leafy Brooklyn neighborhood, Halloween was very much in the air. From hand crocheted Yoda costumes for babies to adults rocking zip up Werewolf costumes or Donald Trump mockeries, everyone had a chance to forget where we all are for a moment and trick or treat together. It's always fun to see Halloween go down in my neighborhood- full of "creative professionals" and alpha parents, there were no shortage of custom made costumes- I even saw two little toddlers dressed as characters from the Royal Tennenbaums, and it slayed. Was a pleasure to see.
And maybe it's this house of horrors of an election or a renewed interest in all things 90s (including club kid goth vibes), but I went out and bought myself a pair of Doc Martens the other day. I KNOW. Don't worry, I'm not going full goth any time soon.
Because even at my punkiest little art school high school moment I never owned a pair of Docs. I wore varying versions of men's oxfords, Paratrooper boots, and pointy patent leather lace ups. I had fuschia red hair and dark lipstick. But never did I own a pair of Docs, even though they were totally on brief for me at the time. I guess I always found them strangely unchic, and it some ways, I was proud to embrace a clompy shoe moment without having to succumb to black and yellow stitching. But cut to now. Because times have changed.
I happened upon a little click bait the other day from said shoe brand and I couldn't help but do a double take at this kiltie Chelsea boot called Tina, which felt very cool and somehow Japanese without feeling like PUNK ROCK! (Bolded for emphasis, naturally). I mean, there ain't nothing punk rock about me these days. The irony of me reporting from Cobble Hill on this very subject is not lost on me.
The next day found me in the city so I decided to pop in to the Doc Martens store by Union Square and man was I surprised. It's not just about the combat boot anymore, kids. So many cool styles of shoes, and as for that kiltie boot? Purchased. Mine. I'll be wearing them with shorter pants and boyfriend jeans rolled up like the chick above. Of course they'll look amazing with leggings too, and perhaps even a floral filmy wisp of a dress, as a tough accent. I love these shoes. So much. And at under $200, they are a wonderful and affordable option if you're looking for something a bit sturdy this Fall/Winter.
They also come in this awesome reddish brown that's very cool and even more in tune with a menswear type vibe. Oh and check out their blog- it's a cool celebration of self expression and indie culture for reals.
Go check them out and rediscover this shoe brand that no doubt a bunch of you rocked back in the day, perhaps some of you still do, but if ya don't- go get a pair. Super comfortable too. Maybe this election has me craving something a bit more ass kicky, and these suit me well. Cause that's what's up this hot tip of a Tuesday in the 718. Yours, in rebooting. XO