Tag Archives: boots

Cute Rain Boots for a Spring Downpour

Spring is officially here and it’s time to prepare for those spring showers with some of the cutest rain boots on the market. Step forward this season with the most fashionable rain boots to keep your feet dry and looking stylish. Whether you’re grabbing coffee, taking your dog for a stroll, or planning a special shopping trip, these chic footwear options will keep you weather prepared all year round.

 

Classic Chelsea

A classic Chelsea style boot offers a matte, refined style that’s perfect for wearing with jeans and a biker jacket or with denim shorts and a cozy tee. The versatility of this low-cut boot makes them a contemporary choice that’ll be part of your ensemble for years to come.

sam edelman rain boots

Sam Edelman Tinsley Rainboot,

Available at Nordstrom

 

Floral

Embrace the spring season with a pair of floral rain boots. Florals are a huge trend for spring/summer and add a subtle statement to a casual outfit. Make them a must have in your camping travel bag or save them for your favorite summer festival.

floral boots

 

Brights

Add a pop of color to your outfit with a bright pair of rain boots. Wear with black jeans and a crisp, white shirt to make a bold statement or accessorize with a comfy hat to keep warm and dry.

bright boots

 

Prints

Make your rain boots command attention by showcasing an iconic print. Jungle and tropical prints will take you through the spring and summer months in rain and shine. Wear them on your weekend getaway, to your coffee break with your girlfriends or to the local park. You can take a fun print anywhere.

jungle boots

Jungle Print Rain Boots,

Available via Hunter Boots

 

Glossy

Finish your outfit with a pair of high shine rain boots. Pair with a vintage tea dress, skirt and sweater, leggings and cardigan or wear with basic layers to keep snug and dry in a spring downpour. If you want a timeless style with a modern twist, throw on a pair of glossy rain boots.

gloss boots

Stylish Boots for Every Occasion

Decreasing temperatures and limited sunlight can make it easy to slip into the winter blues. Brighten the mood by embracing some of the chicest trends in winter boots. These styles will keep you fashionably prepared for any outing this season, whether you’re grabbing a bite to eat with your girls or primping for a night out with your special someone.

 

Fringe

Packing for your family’s annual Christmas trip can be stressful as you do your best to pack smart. Obviously, a five-day trip calls for five outfits and five pairs of shoes, right? This year, lighten the load by simply bringing a pair of fringe booties. This versatile style can be dressed down with jeans or elevated to casual sophistication when paired with a sweater dress and tights.

target fringe boots
Mossimo Supply Co. Tatyana Moccasin Boots, available at Target

 

Floral

Put some spring in your step as you tread across freshly fallen snow in a pair of floral boots. There’s something to be said for the person who dares intermingle the fashions of two very different seasons.  Add some new life to an all-black outfit by donning a pair of foliage-covered combat boots.

steve madden floral boots

 

Animal Print

Zebra, cheetah, leopard, any animal is fair game this winter. We’ve seen animal print on purses and tops; now the trend is making a name for itself in footwear. These edgy prints make for great statement pieces and work well for a romantic night out.

ann-taylor

 

Pop Color

As the weather turns gray, think beyond basic black or brown boots, and embrace color like you never have before. Jewel tones are a must-have this season and there is no shortage of boots available to foot the bill. Grab a pair of deep purple or beautiful burgundy boots to step out in style as you check off the items on your Christmas shopping list.

purple boots

 

Velvet

Leather and suede have made their marks in the shoe world – now it’s time for velvet to have the limelight. This texture offers a subtle embellishment that’s worth noticing. Going to a holiday party? Throw on some velvet booties with your cocktail dress to complete your ensemble.

velvet booties
Report Allex Bootie, available at DSW

The Rise of the Flexitarian Diet

From Meatless Mondays to vegetarian dishes at your favorite restaurant, making or ordering a meal sans meat has never been easier or more acceptable. Once the stuff of vegetarians, vegans, and hippies,  more and more carnivore-loving Americans are enjoying not eating meat. At least some of the time.

Meet the flexitarians. It’s a mouthful but fairly simple in practice. Flexitarians are simply those who consciously eat less animal products such as red meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, and eggs, while still occasionally having a big, juicy, beef patty with all the fixings.

vegetarian versus meat

“It’s a pretty flexible diet,” said nutrition expert and owner of The Flexible Dietitian LLC Mckenzie Flinchum, RD, LD/N, CPT. “You’re getting the health benefits of a vegetarian with a diet rich in nuts, seeds, legumes, beans, fruits, and vegetables but the occasional consumption of meat, especially meat low in fat such as fish with benefits for a healthy heart.”

Flexitarianism is not a new concept but it has exploded in popularity during the past few years. Food personalities including former New York Times columnist and author of VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00, Mark Bittman, author Michael Pollan, and registered dietitian and author of The Flexitarian Diet, Dawn Jackson Blatner have helped to make the term mainstream. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added flexitarianism to the book in 2012. This year it was identified as one of the key trends in restaurant marketing, and according to The Washington Post, as many as 22.8 million Americans now identify themselves as flexitarians. That’s compared to just 7.3 million American vegetarians.

Behind this latest lifestyle trend are millennials.

“The emergence of ‘flexitarianism,’ or adherence to a primarily plant-based diet, has been driven largely by millennials,” said Holley Reeves, the Director of Research, Insights and Sustainability at Butin Integrated Communications.  “We’re finding that millennials – and especially millennial mothers – increasingly are incorporating vegetables as a key component, if not the centerpiece, of their everyday diets.  These consumers are motivated both by the health benefits of the flexitarian diet and by the desire to decrease the high environmental impact of livestock production.”

Farmers Market
Anna Levan / Shutterstock.com

Thanks to Bill Clinton and any vegetarian or vegan friends you have, you probably know some of the health benefits of not eating meat or any animal products. Recent studies, however, are showing that simply eating less meat and animal products while not completely abstaining from it also has significant health benefits. According to U.S. News and Reports flexitarians weigh 15 percent less than regular meat eating Americans and research suggests that a flexitarian diet can lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels and therefore heart disease, as well as the risk of diabetes and cancer.

But while the diet offers a range of health benefits, Reeves’ firm Butin Integrated Communications, which monitors and conducts research on trends being shared by online influencers, advocacy groups, and mainstream media, believes much of the rise of the lifestyle is driven by environmental concerns.

sustainability cattle

It’s not a secret that eating meat isn’t exactly good for the planet. The livestock industry is the third largest generator of greenhouse gases. Industrial meat, which includes the majority of supermarket chicken, beef, and pork, is likely a contributor to the increase in antibiotic-resistant illnesses, not to mention the  inhumane animal conditions that we see pop up on insider videos at industrial farms and processing plants every so often. At one time or another those things have probably made you consider giving up meat. But remember that burger? Not eating any meat isn’t likely for a majority of Americans, but eating less of it still poses environmental benefits. If every American replaced one serving of chicken per week with a plant based protein it would be similar to if 500,000 cars were no longer on the road in terms of released carbon dioxide. A 20 percent decrease in meat consumption throughout the U.S. would be similar to every car in the U.S. turning into a Prius.

beet burger vegetarian

Tempted to try it? Well as Flinchum said, the diet is flexible and while this sometimes makes vegetarians criticize flexitarians for having no real rules, it makes it easy to at least try the lifestyle out.  Those who have gone flexitarian recommend beginning small, such as with Meatless Mondays.  Being a flexitarian is all about being creative, reinventing familiar dishes by centering the protein around plants instead of animals, and letting yourself have meat when you want it.  Some flexitarians will only eat animal products once a day, others will only eat animal products one or two days a week, and others will commit to a certain number of meatless or animal product free meals a week. It’s all about slowly figuring out what works for you.

Whether or not flexitarianism goes the way of other passing fades or is here to stay, however, is something we’ll have to wait to see.