UGG! They're back!

Couture critic

By: Lindsay Turner

Posted: 11/28/07

It's official - UGG Boots have returned from hibernation and are back in business for the winter months.

About one week ago, when the weather began changing for real, girls (and some boys) raced to their closets and pulled on these granola-chic shoes.

I, for one, have made my feelings toward UGGs quite public - I think they are UGG-ly. I believe that UGG Australia has produced one of the ugliest lines of footwear and handbags I have ever seen. No one needs to carry a sheepskin purse or parade around Northwest Arkansas with UGG Australia's Adirondack Boot - it's just not that rugged here.

If the company was targeting roughneck women from Montana, I would understand their popularity, but instead they are targeting trend-crazed women around the world - insisting that their products are "cool" and fashionable. And, you know what, it worked. Britney Spears basically started the UGG fad four years ago when she was spotted trotting around L.A. in UGG Boots and a mini skirt. But even before that, Oprah became obsessed with them and has been claiming them as some of her favorite things since 2000. Just last week, Oprah announced her favorite things for 2007, and what do you know? The newest UGG design, their Crochet Boots, made her list.

I just don't understand why these unattractive shoes became associated with style. When I discussed this with my friends who own UGGs, they told me they love them because they are soft and warm.

Is that a reasonable excuse for tolerating a shoe's unattractive outward appearance?

I decided to find out.

Last week, I returned to Dallas to enjoy Thanksgiving with my family and to begin Christmas shopping. While I searched for the perfect gifts for my loved ones, I decided to do a bit of reconnaissance work to decide whether the UGG phenomenon was simply spawned from "trendiness" or from comfort and utility.

I headed to Nordstrom, pushed past a group of swooning teenagers at the UGG display, grabbed the UGG Classic Short in Sand (the only color I could ever imagine wearing) and waved down a shoe salesman.

Taking a deep breath, I sunk my foot slowly into the forbidden abyss of the UGG Boot. It really was soft and warm.

Dallas actually got flurries on Thanksgiving Day and it remained chilly all weekend. I mention this because I returned home with less-than-appropriate footwear for the cold weather.

Fayetteville had been 75 when I left for home. How was I supposed to know that peep-toe flats, flip-flops and one pair of dressy, closed-toe shoes weren't going to fit the forecast? Needless to say, my feet had been freezing since I got to Texas.

So, sitting there in Nordstrom, I began to chuckle at the fact that I actually enjoyed having my foot in the cozy, cream-colored boot. After maneuvering my way through the crowds of Black Friday shoppers in the shoe section, I finally reached a mirror. I wanted to see what they looked like on me. I thought just maybe the boots would look so good on that I would fall in love and be converted to the other side. It didn't happen. They are still ugly, but, at least now my angst for the Australian shoe company was assuaged.

I was glad to learn that UGG Australia's sheepskin felt cozy and comfortable, and that some girls really were wearing the austere shoes for comfort instead of "coolness."

According to their Web site, "UGG Australia is the world's largest purveyor of Grade-A sheepskin. [They] take great care to ensure that every shoe is going to feel great from the moment the consumer tries it on. [They've] combined the natural comfort features of plush sheepskin with Poron memory foam to guarantee a long-lasting comfortable fit."

What most UGG wearers don't realize is that the brand has actually been making slippers and such since 1978. But, "it wasn't until 1998 that the critical repositioning of UGG took place. The brand was positioned as a high-end luxury footwear brand, made evident by a premium distribution strategy and high-end fashion marketing and communications," according to their Web site.

In layman's terms: all they had to do was get a few celebrities to be seen wearing their shoes, and the rest was history.

By the end of my UGG investigation, I discovered some slippers (that I don't have to wear in public) that I will be adding to my Christmas list and learned that the quality and comfort of the inside of their oh-so-adored boots somewhat alleviates the outward appearance, making them worth the $100-plus price tag.

Lindsay Turner is the Life & Style editor for The Arkansas Traveler. Her column appears every other Wednesday.