Comfort is your main criteria for boot selection, according to Back Row’s latest survey asking readers to share their favorite fall styles. Cowboy boots have been covered relentlessly as a trend over the last couple of years on shopping sites — and Blexas Senator-elect James Talarico may give them a sales boost yet — but for the most part, that’s not what the Back Row community buys. (Many of you work in law or healthcare or corporate offices and, unfortunately, probably don’t feel like you can show up to work in such directional footwear.) 

The most popular styles among this community are ankle boots and Chelsea or lug boots, followed by over-the-knee options. Respondents said they look for versatile pairs, with nearly half buying one per year and more than a third buying two or three per year. And a good number of you don’t refresh boots each year, meaning durability really matters.

Also, you all invest in footwear! The top five picks ranged from around $400 to $1,800. (The rest of the top 20 included lower price points as well.)

Readers were asked to name their favorite pairs versus selecting brands from a multiple-choice list — yet, as with the previous denim and swimwear surveys, a consensus emerged. Here are the styles you selected the most.

1. Staud - Wally 55 leather ankle boot

“Well-priced and comfortable,” said a reader who bought a second pair. Another respondent with size 10 feet said, “Many kitten-heel boots with a pointed-ish toe (these are just slightly square) make my feet look enormous, but I always feel like these look great. I have both ankle and knee-high.” Based on the Net-a-Porter promotional photos, these slap with a wide-leg jean.

2. Stuart Weitzman - 5050 over-the-knee boot

Looser tall boots have come into fashion in recent seasons, but readers love classic 5050s that come tight and tall. This classic received repeated praise for its slim look. “You can even tuck your out-of-fashion skinny pants in them… Cost per wear — amazing,” wrote Mary. 

3. Margaux

You all know I stan Margaux (I live in their flats and sandals). The West Chelsea came up again and again. “Genuinely can walk all day in these boots and not think twice. I also have very sensitive feet and therefore keep Band-Aids in my purse. These are a dream,” said one reader. The City Chelsea has a slimmer sole and slightly sleeker look but was also called out repeatedly. Readers also touted the Wells, Phoebe, and, for knee-high styles, the Hayes (pointy, low heel) and Sierra (one of the few Western recs).

4. The Row

A slew of readers called out flat The Row boots for comfort, naming different styles including the Nobilis, Zipped Boot, and Gaia (discontinued, but you can buy them resale). “I can walk for hours in them,” wrote Lisa. “They are chic yet a bit edgy too.”

5. Khaite - Nevada stretch low boot

These are more of an investment at $1,680, but this particular Khaite style came up again and again. “They do run small, so size up, but I love the low heel, long toe (but it’s a square shape so it doesn’t squeeze your toes),” wrote Megan. “You can wear day-to-night, it looks elevated, and makes you look like you are wearing a higher heel (slimming) with a lot of comfort.”

And the rest of the top 20:

6. Dr. Martens 1460 women’s smooth leather lace-up boots (with a special shoutout for floral): “The way that they manufactured the boots a decade ago made them very durable and comfortable.”

7. Blundstone #2365: “They are the most comfortable heeled boot option I’ve found and travel incredibly well. Wear it with a dress or miniskirt and tights, or a long jean. They don’t slip in the rain and they’re waterproof (I think). They’ve taken me on work trips in the winter and to Paris in the fall,” wrote Jenn.

8. Miista: This brand came up several times, and one reader wouldn’t even reveal a style (“I’m gatekeeping”). Melanie likes the Lois (which I could only find in denim but is similar to this style) and wrote, “Unique toe shape and stitching (kind of ‘ugly cool’); high quality leather, sole, and zipper; tight to the calf (kind of sock style) and has kept its shape; comfortable for a day of walking; can be worn with any pant leg style; black leather with brown stitching so can be worn with any color. I get a lot of compliments on them!”

9. Nomasei: Two styles came up for this brand: the Lovesong patent ankle boot (“The type of shoes that make you look and FEEL fabulous. An everyday boot that somehow has sex appeal.”), and the Whisper suede over-the-knee boot. “These boots are unique, comfortable as hell, I can dress them up and down. I love scrunching them down with jeans. They are also relatively affordable and incredibly well-made — I have over 50 pairs of boots that I rotate through, so that is saying something,” said Courtney.

10. Miu Miu leather lace-up boot: “Combat boots are tricky...they can be sooo heavy. But the Miu Miu lace up ones are deceptively light. Also...love the flat leather laces. They don’t easily come undone,” wrote Vickie.

11. J.Crew: The Stevie ankle boot, Annette wrote, “has a kitten heel that you can actually walk in, and a pointed toe — very comfortable to wear and walk in.” And the Stevie knee-high boot, another reader said, is “sooo comfy, sleek looking, and affordable.”

12. Larroudé: The Alexis bootie is “comfortable, walkable, and surprisingly durable,” while the Ricky tall boot received marks for “quality and height.”

13. Isabel Marant Dewina suede ankle boots: “Well-made, very comfortable, works well with pants and skirts.” It’s one of the few Western styles on this list, for anyone looking to get Talofreaky.

14. Loeffler Randall: The Elise leather ankle boot and Danny black leather lug boot were praised for comfort and being lightweight.

15. Frye: Melissa Button 2 and Engineer 12R. “I’ve had my Frye Melissa boots for 12 years now,” wrote one respondent. Another France-based reader with 12 pairs of boots in her closet said Frye “lasts forever.”

16. Aeyde: I’ve been a fan of their loafers, and their Neil leather ankle boot and Isa lace-up ankle boot also come recommended by a reader who called them “comfortable from first wear.”

17. Reformation Remy knee boot: “They go with anything and all are extremely comfortable and easy to wear for long periods of time.”

18. La Canadienne Cye pebbled leather bootie: “La Canadienne boots are waterproof and very comfortable. They also last a long time.”

19. DuoBoots Freya knee-high boot: “Offers a range of calf width sizes (up to 8) and multiple shaft height options (petite, regular and tall). A few other brands offer wide calf, rarely offer extra wide calf or different shaft heights. The quality of Duoboots leather is also great.”

20. Tecovas Annie: “Look cool, didn’t need much breaking in.”

Finally, my personal pick: The M.Gemi Una bootie, which is flat, super walkable, and can be dressed up or down. I also love their flats.

Like the rest of you, I have been gripped by the story of the Nvidia CEO’s affair with an alleged Chinese spy. The New York Post has gone all-out on digging up footage of the two and, of course, coverline copy.

Ideally, this is the first step in Huang exiting the zeitgeist, putting a permanent fork in the discourse about his uniform of a black Tom Ford leather jacket. That godforsaken jacket (one of which sold at auction for nearly $1 million) was one way he signaled to the world that he was too busy for this silly fashion stuff, even though he was going out of his way to wear the most capital-F Fashion brand around, bloviating about it every chance he got.

Back to his much more interesting personal life: Huang disclosed the affair in a memo to employees on Sunday, causing shares to dip 4.3 percent, Bloomberg reported, erasing nearly $200 billion in market valuation (wow!). Nvidia and the federal government are investigating the situation. The New York Times reported that Trump was told about all of this last spring and decided not to do anything. Trump defended Huang over the weekend, telling reporters, “I haven’t heard he’s done anything wrong.” 

It’s unclear if Huang has a prenup, but as of Tuesday, he was estimated to be worth around $150 billion (the scandal caused him to drop out of the top ten richest men). Divorcing his wife Lori, to whom he’s been married for 41 years, could result in a record-breaking settlement. (That record is held by Jeff Bezos, whose ex-wife MacKenzie Scott got $38 billion.) And if he doesn’t have a prenup and she wants out, well, love that for her. 

Last week, Dior released a six-minute animated ad masquerading as a short film called “Night in Color.” The idea was to compare the ye olde craft of hand-drawn animation to Dior’s craftsmanship — the same craftsmanship, presumably, that went into bags made for $57 that then retailed for thousands. People rushed to social media to accuse Dior of using AI to make the ad, citing imperfections like a six-fingered hand.

However, Variety talked to producer Aton Soumache about the film, directed by four-time Oscar nominee Sylvain Chomet, known for The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist. Soumache swears no AI was used. “Some people are claiming Sylvain was contacted two weeks ago and that the entire film was made with generative AI, without a single drawing, but the reality is that this film took seven months to make and it was entirely drawn by artists,” he said. He added that an “automated interpolation system” was employed for “a very small part of the process.” Chomet called this “a way of automating the repetitive, mechanical part of animation, not the creative work,” and bristled at being attacked when he’s remained committed to hand-drawn animation versus the CGI look of Toy Story.

One of the worst reputational hits for creatives these days is getting accused of using AI. This whole incident seems to underscore the risks creatives assume when they collaborate with corporate high-fashion houses. Remember that whole Balenciaga “BDSM teddy bear” scandal? The photographer, who wasn’t nearly as protected as Demna and the brand, took an unfortunate reputational hit. 

It’s official: Any public servant hiding a high-fashion modeling career need hide it no more. 

Iowa governor-elect Rob Sand leaned into his high-fashion bona fides after an old video of him walking the Prada show started making the rounds. 

Interview editor Mel Ottenberg called it “not just normal male modeling… Rob Sand’s level of male modeling here is very high.”

What a stark shift since last Tuesday — politicians are HOT now, rather than just loathsome ghouls. 

Brands surely make advent calendars these days in hopes they’ll go viral, which has been a Thing since Chanel unleashed its $825 cardboard version on the vigilante reviewers of TikTok in 2021. But consumers have basically been trained to look for one to take down as an angry mob each holiday season. And this holiday season, that honor belongs to Skims. Forgive me for quoting myself, but I told the New York Times, “[C]elebrity brands are always going to be a flashpoint. This is perfect internet catnip: Kim Kardashian, Skims, advent calendars, and then, you know, junk within the advent calendar.”

The $150 advent calendar included scrunchies, pink bobby pins, and straps that could have been for a bra, or maybe they were headbands. Social media users likened it to the crap that accumulates under, say, a couch cushion or in the nether regions of a bathroom drawer you'd rather die than clean.

As the weekend neared its end, people were posting about Skims offering a refund or store credit. “We understand that, for some, the calendar didn’t meet expectations,” the brand wrote in a statement to the Times. “We’re sorry that this fell short.” 

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