TO UGG OR NOT TO UGG

The picture is taken by my super good friend Tina ;)

This year again, there is no way out from the Ugg paranoia. You will either love or hate them. Personally, I adooooore them and believe are super comfy. I even bought a grey pair when I was in London; there were made of “Mongolian sheepskin” (don’t tell the animal protection people I sort of feel some guilt about it, it even came with a guide on how to brush the fluffy fur) and it is so cute!

In “alternative” fashion, Ugg, the short version of “ugly”, is synonym to winter. This brand is discussed for years now. In New Zealand and Australia it is popular since the 1970s. In the States it emerged 20 years later; finally, in Europe, it became a hit in the 2000s, even in trend we get to be the last!  

A hit indeed: Every european female citizen has to own a pair of these boots; even if they are not labeled Ugg per se, it HAS to be something similar (less expensive too) such as Ew, Love Australia or those brands you can find in Camden Town, London that cost barely 15 pounds (regardless if you can’t walk a meter wearing them as your feet gets displaced withing the very lightly made material).

One thing people tend to often ask is why Ugg boots are so ugly and yet so expensive. Well, it is very simple: Sheepskin. This material, used for the inside has exellent insulating properties and is also resistant to flame and static electricity. It is so soft, many even advise you not to wear them with any socks as it is smooth and hypoallergenic (I’ve tried it and no, it did not not smell afterwards).

So why do people hate them so much? I don’t really know the answer to this but one thing I know is that there was a lot of energy given by the world to express their hater for the brand (i.e.: the Uggcitrin video, hate mail, forums etc.). The urban dictionary states: "The most retarded fashion trend of 2003 - 2004".

Frankly there is no label that can replace the pairs of Uggs I have. Minnetonkas? It is by far the ugliest thing I have ever seen (unless they are worn by Kate Moss of course), especially the moccassins; Pocahontas must have misplaced them in the Amazone where a very ambitious designer found them during the civil war and decided to make a trend out of it. Oops, wait, I like some of them. I was just looking now at the much fringed black, knee ones! But still, I turn my vote to Ugg.

Please help me here.. It's purely manufactured for her!

Australia Luxe Collective? It is a very new label (founded in 2003), as expensive and still, not the original hardcore Ugg boots. They look EXACTLY the same it is crazy; I wonder where the copyright lawsuit is.   

 Moo? P-leeease! Just because they are sold on Net-a-Porter doesn’t put them in the “pretty footwear” category. These are really, really ugly.

To cut the story short people, wearing Uggs is not a sin and definetely not a fashion no-no (as long as you don’t wear them to clubs), as long as you are NOT a man (capital IOU) and know how to wear them and what to wear them with.