Take that, trend-watchers: Ugg Australia’s now-classic boots in their comfy, cozy glory are still going strong after 35 years, having just celebrated their anniversary this month at all the company-owned stores.
The sort-of-clunky sheepskin boots have been declared “in” and they’ve been called “out” — many times over. They’ve been knocked off even more. But their loyal fans keep buying them.
“Have you ever tried one on? If you did, you’d know,” says Tacey Powers, national merchandise manager for Nordstrom. “They are part of the everyday wardrobe. You own a sneaker, you own a flip-flop, you own an Ugg.”
The original boot style is still the most popular, but Ugg has branched out to include more fashion-y silhouettes and loungewear. Home products such as blankets and decorative pillows are being offered this holiday season. Almost every item is touched, even if it’s hidden at the base of the heel, by the signature sheepskin lining.
The peak of Ugg’s pop-culture trendiness was in the early 2000s, when Hollywood starlets made them part of their uniform with short denim miniskirts. Never mind that they were cruising the sunny beaches of Malibu, Calif.
Now it’s evolved into a “Goldie-Hawn-in-Aspen look,” says Adam Glassman, creative director at O, The Oprah Magazine, and that’s how you should wear them: with leggings and a long sweater, or jeans and a fur-trimmed parka. Or like you just don’t care.
“Ignore the rest of your outfit. It’s nearly impossible to build an outfit around them,” he says.
However, don’t wear them with socks. Not because they’ll look bad, but you’ll be missing out on the sheepskin sensation that makes them special.
Put Ugg boots in the category of Wellington rain boots or the all-purpose cardigan “cozy” that DKNY has offered year after year, Glassman says. “It’s totally consumer driven. Every high-end designer has done a version of Uggs in his or her own line.”
They’re not really for the times when you’re making a major fashion statement, but how many of those do you really have?
Glassman recalls a glitzy black-tie event during a snowstorm. “Everyone was so glammed up, but I was tired of ruining my fancy — and expensive — shoes, ruining my pants. I brought a little shopping bag with my tuxedo shoes, I switched them inside and checked in my Uggs at the coat check. It was a little awkward — a little Melanie Griffith in ‘Working Girl’ — but when we left, it was still snowing. I changed again, walked outside, and everyone said, ‘Wow, you were the smartest guy here.’”
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