New York Magazine - 19.08.2019 - 01.09.2019

ts: combat bo s

Four Combat

Boots

From the Fall

Runway

“If the leather is dry, as it often is when you buy

vintage, get a leather dressing calledPecard. It’s

an old American company, and it contains no

harsh chemicals. You just dip your hands into it,

massage it all over the boot, let it seep into the

skin for two days, then wipe it all off with a cloth. I deal with

vintage-shoe nerds, and all of those guys love this stuff.”

“I wear Docs constantly, and

the only thing you need

isBody Glide Foot Anti-

Blister Balm. You rub it on

your heels, and it forms a

barrier between your skin and the

leather.”—jessica strang, owner

of coco + peach jewelry

BOTTEGA VENETA

Platform Chelsea boots

wit nels

d e.

PRADA
Chunky lug-sole combat
boots with multiple
strap-on pockets.

DIOR

Calf-high hiking-style

boots.

MIU MIU

Heeled camo lace-ups.

DR. MARTENS

Jadon boot,

$180 at nordstrom.com.

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG

In Charge ankle boot,

$300 at net-a-porter.com.

RAG & BONE

Shiloh combat boot,

$595 at nordstrom.com.

The Leather Softener Vintage-Heads Love

Melissa Howard, the owner of Stock Vintage,

primarily sells boots from the 1920s to the 1970s.

How to Prevent

Combat-Boot Blisters

SHOP

EVIDENCE

Three to Buy

From classic

Docs to Rag & Bone

lace-ups.

How They Made

It to the U.S.

According toRay Goodman,

owner of Trash and Vaudeville.

“In 1974, I went to London for

an internship. I was a student at

F.I.T. and was blown away by

what was happening with fash-

ion there. When I opened the

shop, I started taking trips back

for inspiration. All the kids had

these amazing Mohawks and

wore Docs, so I decided to bring

some back with me to sell. Right

away, people were coming in for

them; they already had some

steam because of the Clash.

Within a year, we were bringing

in containers at a time. We were

the first to have them in the U.S.

and were selling so many pairs

that the brand offered us the

exclusive distributorship in the

States, which I turned down—

not my best business decision. In

the past year, the feverish

demand for them I saw in the

’80s and ’90s seems to be return-

ing. We just did a Trash and

Vaudeville collaboration with Dr.

Martens. They basically sold out.”

And Later,

Hip-Hop Royalty

According toMisa Hylton, who

styled artists like Jodeci,

Missy Elliott, and Mary J. Blige

“I was shopping in the village

with Puffy in the early ’90s, and

Doc Martens were everywhere.

But not in the stores I was shop-

ping at. They inspired me, but I

wanted something different. So I

went to this little shop on 8th

Street where vintage Army boots

were sold and bought a pair—

they were narrower than Docs,

with rugged soles. I began wear-

ing them all the time. In 1992, I

putMary J. Bligein combat boots

with a tennis skirt in a video for

her first album, and that set it off

for hip-hop culture; it became a

staple in streetwear. I put all of

theJodeci guysin combat boots

in their first music video. I never

stopped wearing them: I have a

pair from Chanel, knee-high

suede ones from a store called

Bdonnas. I wear them with

everything: shorts, skirts, long

dresses. Whenever the mood

strikes me.”

And Then Became the

Anti-Establishment

Footwear of Choice

According to fashion

stylistLori Goldstein,

who styled Madonna’s

“Take a Bow” music video.

“In the ’80s and ’90s, we were

all wearing combat boots con-

stantly: It was our rebellion

against the expectation that we’d

be that classic ’80s executive

woman who wore heels and an

Armani suit. We wanted to say

‘Fuck you’ to the Establish-

ment—we wouldn’t dress how

you told us to. What people don’t

talk about enough is that they

were also great to dance in.

Everyone—Madonna, Patti

Smith,Anna Sui—was wearing

them with kilts and going to Stu-

dio 54 or Danceteria or the

Mudd Club and staying out all

night. You could buy them every-

where. Trash and Vaudeville was

the go-to. The Army-Navy store

on Canal. Unique Boutique on

Broadway. I still wear combat

boots all the time. They’re just by

Jimmy Choo now.”

PHOTOGRAPHS: MICHAEL PUTLAND/GETTY IMAGES (THE CLASH); TRINITY MIRROR/MIRRORPIX/ALAMY (MADONNA); TIM MCCLEARY/NBC/NBCU PHOTO BANK VIA GETTY IMAGES (JODECI); COURTESY OF VENDORS (REMAINING)

HISTORY