These Boots are Actually Made for Walking

...And they're surprisingly hot! (And warm, and waterproof, and made in Canada...)

La Canadienne Dorina Boot

I know I've talked about this brand before - and it's gorgeous flagship store in Montreal - but I can't say enough about how much I love the brand.

I've owned two other pairs of (more rugged) La C boots that I literally ran into the ground. But it took 2 years before the waterproofing started to wear off and the weather took its toll. Not to mention my miles-a-day of walking.

Buying winter boots is a serious challenge for me a) because I live in Canada and it's freakin' cold here, b) because I walk a long distance every day, c) because I want something multi-purpose (for dresses or jeans), d) I have the skinniest calves I've ever seen on a real person and e) because I demand comfort. Fortunately, I'm not high enough to think I can do all that on a budget. And very fortunately, this brand inspires me to spend my hard-earned bucks.

I had a very amusing shopping experience this week when I purchased them at Brown's. I was staring approximately 500 styles of boots in the face, trying to figure out which ones wouldn't be completely useless or entirely ugly, when I came upon the Dorina's (pictured above). I asked to try them, and when the SA brought them out from the back, they were in their branded, La C box. (This is the point when suspected, if they fit and looked good, I was going to buy them.)

I tried them, they fit like a glove (well, with my mega-skinny calves they could be slightly more fitted but they'll be perfect with tucked-in skinny jeans and quite fine with tights) and they were comfy with a chic heel.

Note: La C's do fit slimly in the calf in some styles. Not slimly enough for me, but on some the calf is a challenge because it's too tight. And before someone suggests that skinny calves are a good thing, they are perfectly lovely to be sure (as are all working legs), but even more difficult than thick calves to fit into a winter boot. Cue gratitude that they were in stock, in my size and I liked 'em lots.

In the end I got the black (couldn't find a reasonably sized photo of those). They are more boring, to be sure, but more practical. And a girl's gotta be sort of practical when she's spending $300.00 on footwear. Apparently, the price has come down since last year, 30 bucks on this particular boot, likely because of current economic realities, so support Canada (no matter where you're from) because these boots are the real deal.