Monochromatic Moment

I don’t consider it an overstatement to credit my first pair of black boots with my entire style identity. Vintage and knee high, those boots were the most scandalous thing I had ever worn. And I was obsessed.

Starting in elementary school, as soon as school let out for the summer my mother and I would pack everything up and drive to Denver to live with my grandparents. It wasn’t my idea and, for at least part of every summer, I found the whole thing rather annoying. I couldn’t drive, I didn’t have any friends there, and there wasn’t a ton to do at their house. Yawn. To appease a bored and angsty middle schooler, my mother and grandmother started letting me dig through the house and find treasures to play with or wear.

The family had lived in the house since it was built, so there was a lot of material. Normally it was costume jewelry, much of which I still have and wear. Sometimes it was Barbies, which I was too old for at the time but I’d still style their vintage outfits before putting them back in the box. And once it was a pair of vintage black leather knee-high boots with stripes on the side and one-inch heels, wrapped in a grocery bag in the sewing room closet. No one knew where they’d come from, but they fit me so I got to keep them.

Suddenly, I knew what I liked about Denver: I could be someone different because I didn’t know anyone there. I could try new things and find weird clothes and figure it all out, then come home feeling better. And that’s what I did. Boots have been my go-to ever since. (And a smidge of scandal, but I think you already knew that.)

Currently wearing… Philipa Over-The-Knee Boots c/o JustFab [HERE] | Rechelle Statement Earrings [HERE], Uma Bracelet [HERE], and Tiana Pinch Bracelet Set [HERE] c/o Kendra Scott | Grey dress, Anthropologie | Moto jacket, Express

Those boots are long gone, although they did survive college if I remember correctly. The sole came apart from the boot and the lining got weird and I think the zipper eventually popped. Lucky for me, the internet came out sometime between my boot introduction and now, which means there’s a sea of shoes only a few clicks away. JustFab sent over this pair and I think I’m in love. Can you imagine how sassy tween Julia would feel in these bad boys?