Here’s a question for the radical-cum-practical chic amongst us: is there ever an excuse to wear full-on, puddle-sploshing Wellington boots in central London? It’s one I grapple with every time I see an overtly sensible offender in town.
My working list of acceptable answers goes as follows: ‘I was walking the dog in Hampstead Heath — totally waterlogged — when the dog pelted off towards Soho. I’m still looking for Poppy’; ‘You won’t believe it, I was just mugged — first they took the watch, then my lovely splash-proof leather boots. Oxfam only had these navy rubber wellies left in my size’; and, finally; ‘mate, look around, there’s five-inch flooding in every direction.'
So, wellies and the city — a troubled match. But this is not to say every good urbanite shouldn’t have a pair, or that one should feel constricted to feeding-the-chickens-Countryfile-style-boots. On catwalks and plush department store shelves, fashionable rubber booties continue to reign (and have become significantly more palatable on the Elizabeth Line). Bottega Veneta were an early adopter of the ‘chic’ welly, with their Minecraft-esque, block lime green puddle boots in 2020. The following years saw a knock-on influx of puddle-proof ankle boots from Balenciaga, JW Anderson and Stella McCartney.
After a pair? Here are the best for every eventuality...
For: the fashion pack
Brands: Burberry, Chloé, Holzweiler
The smartest pair of wellies during the autumn winter 2023 catwalks were, without doubt, Burberry’s. Their all-rubber minimalist stompers came canvas-effect around the foot and smooth up the boot in black, yellow, pond green and plum — a focal point of creative director Daniel Lee’s debut collection. They are not cheap (breathe, £650) but smart and versatile, paired with knit duck hats and heavily-feathered overcoats. For the confident, Chloé's heeled, rubber Betty Boots (on sale at Harrods for £378) are lovely, if solely for use on pavements, while Norwegian fashion brand Holzweiler, who have hit it big amongst the Gen-Z style-obsessed, have space age rubber stompers for £240.
Burberry
Rubber marsh high boots, £650, burberry.com
Chloé
Betty Boots 50, £378, harrods.com
Holzweiler
Sognsvann rubber boots, £240, holzweileroslo.com
For: the attention seeker
Core brands: Crocs, JW Anderson, Gucci
Not to rain on the gimmick-footwear-army’s parade, but most should be filed under ‘silly statements best avoided’. As ever, when it comes to sardonic shoes, Crocs pave the way. Their collaboration with Balenciaga — a bulky platform Croc with substantial shaft — are Dune-meets-Matrix style, and not terrible (but at £650, an investment and some). In stark contrast, Croc’s new cowboy boots, replete with spurs and holes (not ideal for wet weather, it transpires) are eye-sores. Thankfully, they went on sale on Monday and sold out almost immediately — hopefully all in the States. More witty is JW Anderson’s spin on his much-adored chain loafers (worn by Dua Lipa and Akshata Murty alike), who has put the bulky metal loops atop a series of garish, glitter rubber splash boots. This week, cult Instagram account @tkfashun also scouted a loud pair of Gucci snaffle buckle wellies in TK Maxx, for £279.99.
Crocs
Classic cowboy boots, $120, crocs.com
JW Anderson
Glittered chain-embellished rubber rain boots, £170, theoutnet.com
Green rubber snaffle wellies, £279.99, tkmaxx.com
For: the Sloane rangers
Core brands: Hunter, Barbour
Once cherished by the three-day-eventing set, Hunter and Barbour wellies have now been rehomed by the King’s Road brigade. Over the years, Hunter has benefitted from endorsements by Sloane style icon Princess Diana and, more recently, Kate Moss and Alexa Chung, but it faces ongoing questions about quality decline. The company went into administration in June, reporting debts of £100 million, before finding a buyer. They can still be bought online — the Chelsea dwellers veer away from classic green, in favour of blacks or reds — and collaborations with high fashion brands Kenzo and Noir Kei Ninomiya are available. In Hunter’s absence, Barbour took top spot as the wellington boot provider of choice at this year’s Glastonbury, flaunted by Gemma Chan, Billie Piper and Lily James. But it is their new collaboration with Ganni, outfitter of the Copenhagen It-girls, out November 3, which promises to keep them at the top of SW1 Christmas wish lists this winter.
Hunter
Women's original tall wellington boots, £135, hunterboots.co.uk
Kenzo x Hunter
Rubber knee-high boots, £230, selfridges.com
Barbour
Bede wellington boots, £74.95, barbour.com
For: the country set
Core brands: Le Chameau, Muck Boots, Dubarry of Ireland
The country crew is a tight bunch, so certain boot providers are shunned (nouveau!). Only those that can weather the muddiest of fields are welcomed into the clique. You will find the Le Chameau-clad masses — Catherine, Princess of Wales, included — around horse racing hotspots Newmarket and Lambourne. Muck Boots remain the perennial go-to for anything more farm-centric, and a must on freezing mornings, while no committed member of the ruralati have a ‘dogs and coat room’ without a few battered pairs of Dubarrys on the boot stand. Le Chameau
Women's Vierzonord neoprene lined boot, £200, lechameau.com
Muck Boots
Muck chore classic tall Wellington boots, £145, johnlewis.com
Galway country boot, £379, dubarry.com
For: the 1%
Brands: Dior, Loro Piana, Chanel
The leaders of uber-luxe wet-wear is Dior. There are the pared-back ‘Diorunion’ rain boots which come calf-high, in medleys of beige, navy and khaki with Dior’s oblique monogram linings (£990), and for men, the autumn/winter 2023 catwalk garden rain boots offer a more butch design, with monogram embossed exteriors (£810). Chanel’s version remains most collectable and coveted — not for sale anymore, but plenty are available on Vestiaire if you have upwards of £2,000 to burn. They boast front-facing, whopping-great CC logos. But quiet luxury die-hards should look no further than Succession-favourite Loro Piana, whose lakeside boots are £1,625. All these are so smart, one would likely cry on interaction with mud.
Dior
Diorunion rain boots, £990, dior.com
Loro Piana
Loro Piana, Lakeside leather knee boots, £1,625, net-a-porter.com
Black rubber 'CC' boots, £2,940.32,vestiairecollective.com
