[1] I don't have many items in my wardrobe whereby I react to it with a 'What the hell was I thinking?'.  That's not to say my style hasn't changed but I usually find SOME way of wearing things that are very crusty and old, and in fact, it gives me pleasure digging out old things, feeling like I've hit some sort of thrift store jackpot seeing as I forget these things existed.   

Not these boots though.

[2] [3]

Seriously, what the crap was I thinking?  They're Topshop c. 2002-3 and they came around the time when pirate flat boots were just about the only thing women were wearing.  There was some sort of flat suede pirate boot plague going on and not wanting to go for the suede multi-strapped variety that were abound, I went for these short, flat, leather ones with a stitched toe.  I wore them everywhere, with everything ranging from prom dresses to pencil skirts.  I got about 60 wears out of them and then banished them forevermore around final year of uni.  Once in a while, I'll look at them and think 'Oh how cute I thought I was prancing around in them and miniskirts and going on 'dates', a concept that is pretty much lost on me now...' and then chuckle to myself in an insane manner and banish them again to the back of the wardrobe. 

In a Good Friday cleanout (yes, everything today is related to this wonderful Friday that we love.....) though, I looked at these sad, ugly boots again and just decided to give them a go.  Why the hell not?  There's a lot of time, it's pissing down with rain/hail outside and Great British Menu on BBC iPlayer is keeping me company as a good background sound.   

Excuse the very silly labels tacked onto the outfits but it is the most simple way of defining the ways I could possibly wear these out again...

[4]

[5]

Somehow, the same initial feeling I had when I first bought them and wore them with so much gusto is no longer there (namely because Givenchy has bestowed upon the land with open toe multi-leather strapped ankle boots, thus negating all other boots in my head....) but I'm still not chucking these away yet....