I tend to be pretty bare bones when it comes to my kids’ wardrobes. (Especially my son’s because, yeah, girls’ shoes!) In any given year he’ll have a good pair of runners, winter boots and some sort of Croc knock-offs for summer. We buy dress shoes only when they’re absolutely needed. And that’s it.
In fact, I may or may not have just purchased a $12 polyester dress for myself from a store that starts with a “W” and ends in “almart.” Shhh! I swear it’s cute. We’re not fancy people.
So when the Australia-based Emu company sent me some kids’ boots to review I wasn’t quite sure where they’d fit in. They’re warm and water-resistant, but not quite up to hours-long snow fort building in sub-zero temperatures. They’re not Canadian-winter boots. They’re also definitely not runners or sandals, so, hmm.
Emus are, however, incredibly soft. Made of 100% soft sheepskin with solid rubber soles, the boots were originally designed to keep surfers’ feet warm. They’re water resistant and, like anything made from wool, they’ll keep you warm even when it’s wet, so it makes perfect sense. I keep picturing those cold nights at the cottage when you just want to pull on a sweatshirt and cozy up to the fire. These would be so perfect.
They are a complete luxury, really. I don’t think I can possibly impart just how soft they are! Clearly many families cannot afford to buy another pair of high-end footwear that’s not completely necessary. (The Emus retail for about $100.) We certainly can’t. But, oh, if you can. I keep superimposing these boots on my own childhood memories of beach vacations and cold and stormy summer days and trips to friends’ cottages and the last days of summer as it blurs into fall. Heaven.
And, really, my kids will probably wear these boots on cool and wet summer evenings, yes, but also right through the fall into winter. They won’t be sufficient for snow ball fights or tobogganing, but can’t you just see pairing them with a party dress, a sweet little overcoat and matching hat and scarf set? Because they’re just that pretty.
Or, you can just stand in front of your house pretending to be a surfer. That’s good enough for Colum.
“Stuff I’m Digging” features some thing or things that I like. These are often things that have been sent to me to review or that I received at a PR event. They can also be things that I bought myself or perhaps even something I crafted! (It could happen!)