Ode to Boot

With the recent nip in the air and early morning frost, the sun-splashed days of crunching on leaves are not far behind. This morning, I woke wishing I had my boots with me. Then I remembered I wasn't home. And I don't really have a good pair of boots anymore even if I was. I slipped outside to walk my dog in my 12-year-old Cole Haan loafers instead, sockless, longing for a pair of basic leather workman boots. More worn and scuffed, the better. You know the kind: Young Bob Dylan lifted the Americana style from Woody Guthrie. They were blue-collar kicks, old-style logger boots, basic upland boots, railroad work boots, and engineer boots (before they grew leather straps, sprouted a buckle, and devolved in biker boots). All basic and utilitarian, but everlasting.

L.L. Bean makes a decent pair called Katahdin Iron Works—accompanied by the legendary Bean lifetime guarantee, of course. The Chippewa company has been making a classic Engineer boots since the 1920s (get them without the clunky Vibram sole).Considering the boot did time on the bread line during the Great Depression, it might be your best suitable choice this fall. There are other options, of course. But whatever you choose, start looking. Because getting stuck sockless in loafers on a cold morning is no way to start an autumn day.