the best winter boots for nyc (that happen to be vegan)
Eureka! I have the weekend Chelsea Boot style.
I was on the hunt for the best shoes for my first winter in nyc and I wanted them to be water proof (obvi) but also vegan, and super comfy - because if it wasn’t explicitly clear when nyc was mentioned - they need to take a beating of walking miles on the sidewalk. I didn’t walk bulky or heavy boots that extend half way up my calf, or have a bunch of ties, or faux-fur-lined and make my feet sweat. I scoured the internet, searching with all these key words…..and found nothing. No one was talking about the specific needs of a new yorker, which is dry warm feet, but comfortable walking shoes, not just snow boots. Leave it to the algorithm, I kept getting ads on Instagram about Vessi boots, you know the ones with the shoe stepping in the big puddle? I saw the puddle and thought they were trying to reach the Carrie Bradshaw inside of me. They also happen to be vegan, which is a plus, cause it’s hard to find winter boots without leather on them. Honestly, I have never spent so much on a single pair of shoes, but I went for it.
Now in my second winter in nyc, I can confidently say they are the best shoes I have ever bought, and worth the money. I call them my cloud shoes - they weigh nothing, light as a feather, and it feels like walking on clouds they are so comfortable! I don’t understand the science of it, because it is a knit fabric, but my feet stay dry and warm, even in the flash flooding of nyc. Your stomach drops when you see your foot landing in water that is deeper than it looked, but its too late to not step in it…...every new yorker knows this feeling. But with these, your foot comes out dry!?! It still shocks me every time, and when I was in Salzburg, Austria last week, stupidly braving a blizzard, walking to the top of the fortress in slush, every other part of me soaked, somehow my feet were dry, warm and comfy in my Vessi boots. And they haven’t completely worn down over a year after purchase! If I haven’t convinced you, I don’t know what will. Go shop their shoes and boots, and accessories here.
