How Holly even made hiking boots hip
HOW TO DRESS LIKE A GROWN UP
EVeR since Holly Willoughby made her debut in the I’m A Celebrity jungle last week, donning a different pair of (admittedly rather glossy-looking) hiking boots every day, the nation has been in a performance footwear frenzy.
Holly’s favoured Grenson Nanette boots sold out quicker than you can say ‘bushtucker’, and she’s also worn styles by Russell & Bromley and Maje.
It is, I admit, a confusing state of affairs. The last time I had any serious dealings with a hiking boot, I was picking blobs of mud out of them at Girl Guides in the Peak District and regretting my slapdash application of Dubbin.
Putting the world of compass reading, OS maps and Kendal mint cake to one side for a moment, how did footwear with caterpillar treads and complicated metal eyelets stomp its way to the height of fashion?
We can probably thank Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, who marched down the catwalk earlier this year for Louis Vuitton men’s collection (yes, menswear) in monogrammed macs, bare legs, and no-holdsbarred hiking boots with metal toe-caps and two-tone laces.
Flanking creative director Kim Jones for his finale bow, the veteran supermodels looked sexy and cool, but also empowered — as befits these 21st-century feminist times.
HIKING boots were also worn at Copenhagen Fashion Week this year, on the feet of the influential Scandi fashion set.
They styled them with floaty dresses, tanned legs and insouciant cool. Ganni, the cult Danish brand, has a hiking boot (£240, ganni.com) that’s sure to have a waiting list as long as the Pennine Way. Get them while you can.
Purists might argue that the Ganni boot is more of a hiking boot/trainer hybrid. But this, I would suggest, is a good thing. These boots take advantage of the technical innovations in modern, light, breathable sportswear materials, making them so much easier to wear than the clodhoppers of my youth.
Back in my hardcore rambling days, I had to practise wearing my hiking boots around the house for ten minutes a night or my skin would be rubbed red raw.
There are some wild and decorative trainer/hiking hybrids in the stores at every price point. Uterque’s fabulous Glossy: Holly Willoughby white version with sheepskin insert is irresistible (£120,
uterque.com) and just the right side of bling.
There are also plenty of more traditional-looking hiking options in cosy autumn colours, from a mushroomy suede Nanette pair at Grenson (£254, lewisyates.com), to conker brown leather at Penelope Chilvers (£329, penelopechilvers.com).
Or, for those of you who prefer your boots with a more rock ’n’ roll vibe, Russell & Bromley has a terrific style with a chunky strip of chainlink along the eyelets (£375, russellandbromley.co.uk).
Zara’s mountain boot (£89.99, zara.com) — parthiker, part-biker — will also give any autumn look that Empowered: Kate Moss requisite bit of stomp. But why are we so ready to embrace the born-again hiker now — and not just for country pursuits, but for every day? It’s not just the Holly effect.
With more of us wearing trainers every day, we have adjusted to the comfort of a sporty shoe. In many ways, the new hiker is just a more grown-up version of the ‘ugly trainer’ phenomenon.
So how do you wear your hiking boots without looking like John Noakes on a coastto-coast trek? Rule number one is to keep the rest of your look non-sporty — so no GoreTex or dog-walking fleeces.
The trick is to wear hikers just as you have been styling your ankle boots for the past few seasons — with skinny jeans and a Prince of Wales blazer, say, or a print mididress and super-sized knit.
Given utility, and all things khaki or safari-style, is the big trend for spring/summer 2019, you can justify your hiking boot as a smart buy to see you through the coming months.
n Sarah Bailey is executive brand editor for Porter.