Slip into stylish mid-calf boots, if you can find them

Sigerson Morrison fall/winter 2000   Robert Clergerie fall/winter 2000   Jimmy Choo fall/winter 2000   Jimmy Choo fall/winter 2000   Sigerson Morrison fall/winter 2000

December 11, 2000
Web posted at: 11:40 a.m. EST (1640 GMT)

In this story: Long waiting list Larger sizes scarce RELATED STORIES, SITES

(Fashion Wire Daily) -- Admiring the designer boots of a stylish co-worker? Chances are, she has been through several months of calculated planning to acquire the latest fashion fetish: the mid-calf winter boot.

"Even in summer, when they are not thinking about winter clothes, women in the know set their mind to it and get their boots," said Sigerson Morrison PR Director Barbara Parisotto.

She described this year's must-have trend as "soft leather, with a pointed toe and medium, not stiletto, heel. The length is either mid-calf or slightly above the ankle."

Jimmy Choo and Robert Clergerie offer variations on the classic black, slightly dominatrix boot in beige, olive green, deep purple, and red. The problem is, anyone who has them probably started their shopping in July.

"I can tell you that we got the boots in on August 15th," Parisotto said, "then had to re-order on the 30th. By early September, they were completely sold out."

Jimmy Choo Creative Director Sandra Choi said that this year's customers have been very aggressive. "We have gotten loads of calls, and the waiting list is pages long," she said. "The tannery literally cannot produce the leather fast enough."

Choi added that in addition to basic black, they have also sold out of neutral shades and even wilder styles. "The toffee color is rich enough for winter without being too pale or dark - very versatile," Choi says. "And I think that the purple appeals to women who want to be a bit more daring since shoes are becoming more of a focal point."

Although Sigerson Morrison will call customers who leave their name at the store, like many design houses they do not believe in waiting lists: so it's strictly first-come, first served.

Undeterred by obstacles, many die-hard fashionistas are willing to go to extremes, like the "very famous pregnant magazine editor" whose name Parisotto would not mention. "She faxed all of these elaborate designs through with her measurements and wanted the boots made specially larger because of her swollen ankles," she said.

But Sigerson Morrison could not comply. "I mean, the president of our company was pregnant and she didn't even ask for something like this," Parisotto added. The staff talked the anxious editrix through the process of re-adjusting the zipper, and in the end she got her shoe.

Women who actually waited for the weather to turn cold still have options: Trips to Kenneth Cole and Otto Tootsie Plohound in lower-Manhattan found them fully stocked. But shoppers should be aware that they might face additional challenges since the large sizes (which many women need because of the wickedly pointy toes) are notoriously difficult to find.

"We sell out of the bigger sizes very quickly," admits a salesman at Otto Tootsie Plohound, "since we only get a few, and they are the first to go." Not to mention that in SoHo, apparently, "large size" means anything bigger than an 8.

Order bigger, boys and girls. Doesn't that make sense?

Copyright Fashion Wire Daily 2000

This feature may not be reproduced or distributed electronically, in print or otherwise without the written permission of Universal Press Syndicate.

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