good-looking overshoes/galoshes?

[Lord Foppington]

Sorry if this has already been covered. But could anybody give me advice about what overshoes to buy?

Here's the situation. I walk to work every day. Part of the walk is an often muddy, and lately often snow-covered little tramp through the woods. So I've been wearing boots, Doc Martens, to work, through the winter. But though these are fairly understated and shoe-looking for Doc Martens, they really just don't look good with a blazer and tie, to say the least. I just looked down at them in horror today and asked, "what am I doing?"

So I figure if I get nice overshoes, I can call forth the full wonders of my shoe collection and not look quite so hopeless. The overshoes need to be high and fairly bootlike--not those little slip-on prophylactics sold by Tingsley or whatever--so I can get through snow. They need to be easy on, easy off. And they need to look pretty good. Sometimes I may just wear them when I step over to the cafe for lunch and not bother to take them off. I don't want massive duck-hunting stompers, in other words. But then I don't want to look too much like a fancy businesman. I live and work in a tweedy acadmic environment and wear nice blazers and trousers but hardly ever wear suits.

So I thought of some 10"-high zipper-front ones by Lacrosse, black and a little shiny. Are there obvious choices I don't know about, given my needs and way of life?

Thanks, pals.

Ld Fop.

 

[kabert]

I haven't seen any of those tall zip-up overshoes (overboots) since seeing my father wear them 20 or so years ago. Maybe its something that's seen in more northerly climates - -Boston or New York perhaps.

 

[Concordia]

Neos overshoes fill the bill in every respect except that they are not good-looking. On the other hand, they are so ostentatiously not good-looking that nobody will ever assume that you chose them for appearance.

They are easy on/off, featherweight, comfortable, and they provide good traction in snow.

 

[Lord Foppington]

Thanks Concordia. I've seen those and agree they're ugly: they look like they're for tramping around Mars.

But I like your thought that something so ugly could never be mistaken for an attempt to be handsome. They're cheap, too, I think.

 

[philosophe]

LF, you are looking for the holy grail of winter footwear. Alas decent looking boots worhty of mud and snow seem virtually impossible to find. What about one of the better looking Timberland or LL Bean selections? Leather hiking boots with Goretex might work pretty well for what you describe.