What should you wear on your feet?

Shoes can make or break an outfit. With so many options out there it can be hard to decide between which one you would rather have (or if you’re like me you might have both in your closet).

There are different varieties of shoes that can be used for same the purpose and can give you the same effect – it’s all about what your specific style and comfort level is.

Rain Boots v. Duck Boots (or Bean Boots)

Some sort of rain gear is definitely important on this campus. Question is, are you more of a rain boot person or a duck boot person? Personally, I’m more of a rain boot person (I mean, I say this because I don’t own duck boots so I’m really quite biased). Rain boots are great because for one they’re made completely of plastic for the full jumping-into-puddles-without-getting-your-feet-wet experience. They can also be fairly cheap if you’re okay with off-brand boots (basically not Hunters because although cute, they are pricey).

Duck boots are also really common on campus. In fact, I would say that they’re the most common types of water resistant shoe because both guys and girls seem to have an affinity for them where as mostly girls wear rain boots. Although I do not own duck boots I definitely see the appeal in them. For one they look pretty warm, so it would be great to have them to wear during the winter months. They’re also pretty cute, in my opinion. I mean they’re kinda strange looking (and I admit I thought they were pretty ugly when I first started seeing them around) but they’re cute in the way hairless cats look kinda cute after you get over how strange they look.

Toms v. Sperry’s

Toms and Sperry’s are also pretty popular on campus. Toms are super comfortable, and great if you’re looking for a shoe that’s super easy to pair with anything. They’re great for casual or slightly fancier looks. They’re also a great shoe because you can get them in a ton of different colors and styles. I bought a pair  of Toms last summer and I wore them pretty religiously the entire summer long. The only negative I have against them is if you wear them often they definitely won’t last longer than a couple of months. Mine have started to fall apart so I don’t really use them for fancier things anymore but they’re still good for when I’m too lazy to put on anything else.

Sperry’s are a lot more popular on campus. I haven’t owned a pair for a couple of years but from what I remember, they were extremely hard to break in. I remember not wearing my Sperry’s for a couple of months because they hurt so badly when I wore them.  My roommate recently got Sperry’s and she tells me they’re still terrible to break in even after all these years. Although they are pretty uncomfortable to break in for the first couple of days they’re really comfy afterwards. They’re also super versatile and go with almost anything you want to wear.

UGGs v. Riding Boots

UGGs and riding boots are probably the two shoes I use the most as soon as it gets cold. UGGs are great because they’re warm and comfy, but they’re not the cutest boots ever. I mean they’re kind of shapeless but honestly they make up for it in how comfortable they are. They’re also really nice to wear because all you need to do is slip them on and go. The UGGS I have are made out of suede so you’re not really mean to take them out in the snow or rain and I don’t take them out in the rain normally but sometimes I wear them as my snow boots because I don’t own any. Of course, I almost always regret taking them out into the snow after I get back inside because my feet are always freezing and wet and it takes forever for UGGs to dry even when you stick them next to the heating vent. UGGs are also pretty expensive but they last for a couple of years before they really start falling apart so honestly if you can afford them they’re worth it.

Although I love UGGs I usually don’t pair them with fancier outfits. If I want to be a bit fancier I usually pair my outfits with riding boots because they’re comfortable and they just add a little bit of class (at least over UGGs). I’ve had my riding boots for about a year and they’re starting to wear out but they’re still one of my favorite pairs of shoes and I’ll probably continue to wear them until they completely wear out (and then maybe I’ll buy a new pair).

Gladiators v. Berkinstocks

With good weather becoming more prevalent as we enter the warmer months, sandals are coming back. I’ve owned a pair of gladiators for a pretty long time and I like them a lot, however they’re not the comfiest shoes. They don’t have much arch support and after a long day of walking your feet do start to hurt. They can be really cute though and if you go with a neutral color like brown they can go with any outfit.

I don’t own Berks but they do seem significantly more comfy than gladiators. They seem to have some arch support plus you can wear them with socks which is always a plus. Berks are definitely a more casual shoe whereas gladiators can be adapted to more outfits. For that reason alone I think if I had to choose between the two, I would probably choose gladiators because they don’t get uncomfortable until a couple of hours wearing them and you can pair them with many more things.

With so much variety it’s hard to choose which one you’d rather wear and that’s perfectly OK. It’s possible to find shoes that aren’t brand name but look like Berks or UGGs that do the same things at a way cheaper price so you can always buy multiple pairs of different cheap shoes that are in your budget so you can have lots of options. The most important thing is that the shoes you do choose are both comfortable and reflect your personal style.