cowboy boots

Boots are special by dint of numerical minority: most people don't wear them, so we tend to notice them. As well, they present a larger palette for expression and are often expressive far beyond mere size. Yet the statements most boots make concern their wearers: the bella donna in an intoxicating pair of thigh-high Cavallis will probably have you wondering what other influences she might be able to exert on you.

But there is no archetypical wearer, no marble goddess eternally posing in an ur-Cavalli-thigh-high to which all subsequent thigh highs can pray for inspiration. (And yes, we do think that is a shame...)

Cowboy boots, on the other hand, speak to origins and a certain history in a way that few other boots do. Wellington wearers aren't trying to channel Napoleon's nemesis, nor are those in postilions likely to be anywhere near a coach – whereas the very point of a cowboy boot is to recall the men of the prairie. They are the Grecian urns of the American West, but instead of wine, their 10-inch, stitched and inlaid and tanned leather tops are portage for the overflowing, canteen-stained aura of "selfless, honest, independent, and self-reliant" loners.

And when you put them on, those are the waters in which you choose to dip your feet.

The problem, as with most cult relics, is that they are poorly understood. So Luxist spoke to custom boot maker Lisa Sorrell of Sorrell's Custom Boots – whose average boot runs $6,000 – to learn more about how the West was worn. One of the first things she told us: "I tell my customers that cowboy boots are a way for men to wear high heels and bright colors."

Poorly understood, indeed...

Lucchese Boot Company is celebrating its 125th anniversary in style with a special offer: its limited edition 125th anniversary boots.

Only 125 pairs of this exquisite boot will made. Created from American Belly Alligator and manufactured in Lucchese's matador construction, the boots will have covered sideseams and a fully hand-tooled and hand-painted quarters. Hand-tooled scrolls, Lucchese logos and stars will adorn the tops of each boot. The scallops will be hand-laced. The torero pullstraps will be overlaid in alligator, and the company's premier grimini linings will be used on the inside of each pair.

Each pair will be hand-signed, numbered, and accompanied by an embossed, raised seal on a numbered certificate and logged by written record in a dedicated 125th Anniversary Edition Log Book. Each pair comes in a matching, numbered 125th Anniversary Edition hand-tooled leather boot box.; $12,500 per pair.

This link will take you to a list of authorized retailers.

Cowboy boots are great footware. They are comfortable, easy to wear and can be flashy or understated in style. As Forbes magazine points out, they also make noise when you walk in them, which is a nice bonus. Because cowboy boots are typically made of leather - whether suede, alligator or ostrich - a pair will last for a long time, making them worth a sizable investment. The question that the Forbes list of the most expensive cowboy boots attempts to answer is just how sizable that investment can get.

The most expensive boots are never going to be sitting on a shelf at a store or in the back room of a fashion designer. They are going to be custom measured and made, with materials and patterns hand-selected by the boot wearer, at the hands of someone who has been in the business for a lifetime. In some cases, the boot making business will stretch back over multiple generations in one family. The most expensive pair, according to the magazine, was a Tres Outlaws pair, sold for $75,000 - though most of the companies below start their custom lines at below the $1,000 mark.

The Forbes list included Custom Boots by Michael Anthony, Sorrel Custom Boots, Wheeler Boots, Little's Boots, Tex Robin Boots, Rocket Buster, Tres Outlaws, Stallion Boot and Belt Company, Paul Bond Boots, T.O. Stanley Boots. The boots can take more than a year to complete, since makers will track down the perfect materials for every pair. The Wheeler's custom Super Bowl boots, pictured, cost $17,000.

Juicy Couture has a new shoe line that seem to be geared up to pair perfectly with the madly-popular-several-years-ago Juicy velours. The shoes are mainly casual and include several thong sandals (including some in pink terrycloth). There are also a couple of pairs of cowboy boots and these cork platforms. They are charming in a summery way but $295 seems a bit much for these beachside babies.