It’s not always sunny in California.
Lately the changing weather makes it seem like being bipolar is the new fashion trend for this season. Sunny mornings are paired with a cloudy overcast and topped off with some drenching showers. In the game where Mother Nature seems to always win, the students of UCLA are taking action to triumph in this round.
Their action involves creating a trend of their own: the rain boot. While rain boots were not invented recently because of the sudden rain in Los Angeles, they have been overshadowed as a fashion trend in the past. Since the UGG Boot has taken the spotlight over the last few years, the rain boot was cast off as merely a childhood necessity to maximize puddle-jumping.
Yet now as soon as the rolling clouds come out to play, the students of UCLA are breaking out their whimsical, brightly colored rubber boots. Once thought to be a thing of the past, rain boots are clearly the newest trend in footwear once the sun has stopped shining in California.
“Rain boots are a thing of fashion. We don’t really have seasons, so rain boots serve as a season signifier,” said Christopher Takemoto-Gentile, department manager of Nordstrom in Santa Monica Place.
Takemoto-Gentile’s take on the newest rain boot craze is that items in fashion can create the feeling of transition that the locals of Los Angeles so clearly lack when it comes to seasons.
Since it’s presumably always sunny in California, shoppers don’t get the same excitement of dressing practically for cold weather. Instead, we create our own excitement by buying things that make it feel like there is change in the air.
“Los Angeles is notorious for wearing things we don’t need, like UGGs. Even though it may only rain two weeks out of the entire year, we are expecting our stock of rain boots to sell out by December,” Takemoto-Gentile said.
The most popular line in Nordstrom is the brand Hunter from London, also dubbed the rain city of the world. The line from Hunter has unisex boots that come in different colors and may be purchased concurrently with flamboyant fleece Welly socks that are interchangeable with every boot.
Despite the fact that these are merely boots made out of rubber, each one runs over $100. The nicest rain boot carried by Nordstrom is a lace number by designer Valentino which runs for $295.
Aside from luxurious pieces that perhaps many students cannot afford, when it comes to picking out rainwear, there is also a need for practicality.
Yet, considering the fact that it hardly ever rains in Los Angeles, is it the smartest idea to invest in a pair of rain boots? Many students on campus have declared that rain boots are a necessity when the weather changes for the worse, despite the short time of discomfort they bear.
“The puddles here are really bad, and since we have to walk so much on campus they’re a good investment,” said Roxana Padilla, a second-year sociology student.
In agreement is Jillian Tuso, a third-year psychology student who owns a flashy pair of zebra-print rain boots.
“Once, I started coming to college without rain boots, the bottom of my pants got wet. I’m short, so my pants always drag. For all the short girls, rain boots are a necessity,” Tuso said.
Yet like any fashion trend, boots in department stores can get pricey. Luckily for Tuso, there was a great deal at Aldo Shoes for the price of $12. However, given the urgency of rain, you can’t put a price on practicality.
“I was definitely willing to spend more money because I needed them,” Tuso said.
Not only are rain boots a practical item to own, they also serve as a fashion statement. After all, when you put on a pair of rain boots, the world tends to stop and stare.
Rain boots can even serve as an extension of your personality, or at least reflect one portion of your ever-changing mood for that particular day.
“Certain boots can make a fashion statement. Mine are pink, and when it’s gloomy, I think they stand out and bring some color into the world,” Padilla said.
“Rain boots are something fun and different to wear. You’re wearing them for practicality, but you can play and change the boundaries. They make you stand out as (an) individual. It’s like an expression of yourself,” Takemoto-Gentile said.
Unlike previous winter shoe trends, rain boots are displaying so much more than just an item of fashion. As a mix of utility and personal expression, rain boots are making a big splash this season.