Boots have staying power without high fashion appeal

Tag : Fashion Fleece
Though the fashionistas and celebutantes who once made the boots aneed-to-own item would now end up on the worst dressed list fordonning a pair, Ugg boots remain a staple in the wardrobe ofcollege girls.

Despite the shoes' outdated association, perhaps the Ugg devoteescontinue to wear them because they consider the boots comfortableand a necessity in cold weather. Or maybe the steep price tag iswhat keeps the iconic sheepskin shoes in our closets and swarmingour legs.

Still, it seems to perplex the Ugg-less. This almost six-year-olditem that is still worn by meticulously dressed girls who wouldnormally shun anything considered "out of fashion."

Non-Ugg-wearers also maybe confused because Ugg's sales are notdeclining either. Last Christmas, Yahoo reported that Ugg bootswere the second most reserved gift for Canadian shoppers.

Chicago native Ashley Kraus, an entrepreneurship student at IndianaUniversity, said she and other Ugg fans insist that fashion takes aback seat to comfort for the boots. At the height of the craze, shesaid she would have worn them even if they were uncomfortable.

Now, she can't give them up because they feel so good.

She added that on a cold campus like hers, the wool-lined boots area necessity. She said the rest of the student body holds the samesentiment.

Even in the warmer climate of the sunshine state, UF girls stillshare the same commitment.

On campus, packs of girls parade about in the boots, some in coldweather, others in warmer.

Jessica Wilcox, a junior at UF, said she bought her first pair afew months ago. She now calls them a "go to shoe" for cold days.

The wool-lined comfort may be one of the reasons girls inCalifornia also keep wearing them, Jody Turner said.

Turner, a trend analyst and founder of Culture of Future, atrend-forecasting group that has worked with Apple, Starbucks andothers, said she has seen a has been a decline in Ugg-wearers inCalifornia.

Trends, she added, can be integrated into society as part of ouruniform, which may be the case for Uggs.

"It has become a staple in the diet of fashion," she said. "Theyare practical and comfortableólanguages people don't want to getrid of."

Some say comfort may or may not be the deciding factor for manyUgg-ers.

For 18-to-24 year-olds females, clothing choices are made tofulfill a need to be in fashion more often than to be comfortable,said Michael Solomon, the author of several books on consumerbehavior and a marketing professor at St. Joseph's University,

"How else would you explain the high heel?" he said.

Solomon said the need to be accepted by a group is a leading forcein our decision-making processes.

"If the style happens to be comfortable," Solomon said, "so muchthe better."

And fashion choices can often result from group choices.

At UF, many would consider Ugg boots part of the caricature of asorority girl. The boots are often worn over tight black leggingsand a t-shirt from the groups' most recent semi-formal or recentwoodser or grab-a-date.

Uggs are a very iconic part of fashion and that can make it often a"group item," Turner explained.

Still, the near $200 price for a pair may be what keeps them inwardrobes for so long.

The high price tag establishes the shoe as a "designer piece" inthe mind of most consumers, said Sara Wright, a Parsons New Schoolfor Design student and Vogue intern.

"They are the luxury handbag for the middle class," she added.

They aren't going to ditch their luxury investment just becausefashion has.

Wright, Turner and the students agree, a soft, sheepskin shoe thatkeeps you comfortable in the cold may have staying power no matterwhat the Anna Wintour's think.

The UGG Australia Company, who reported a $23.5 million dollarprofit in 2007, is giving consumers wearable piece that were oncescarce in fashion.

"People are actually looking for comfort in clothing," Wright said.

Despite the high price of a comfortable trend, Ugg boots are stillindicative of the cycle that the fashion industry depends on tostay in business.

Skinny jeans, the It bag, the It shoes and even once It Ugg bootswill slide their down the fashion totem pole.

The lifespan of a trend, Solomon explained, is similar to that of a"virus" or a cold.

The cycle begins with a select few who "catch it" from a fashionmagazine or see it on a celebrity, he explained. These trendsettersthen spread it to their immediate contacts.

Ultimately, the trend makes its way to a larger group, whilesimultaneously, the people who caught it first also get over itfirst.

And then, the process starts again.

"That's the case with Ugg boots," Solomon said.

"Even though the fashionistas in New York City are done with them,the virus still has a ways to go as it infects the mainstreampopulation."