Wearing Rainboots: Inspiration Through the Seasons (And $100 Giveaway to Bogs!)

This post is an update to our original How To Wear Rainboots - For Moms article, originally published in March of 2009.  It was in dire need of an update.  Especially since it remains as one of our top-hitting posts.  Crazy.  

When I wrote it, rainboots were being worn everywhere by celebrities and just starting to be embraced by the general population.  But rainboots still seemed a bit out-of-place unless it was actually raining.

Since then, rainboots have come into their own and are now considered a valid boot-about-town.  And while I still think they look silly on a sunny day walking down a dry sidewalk, I've amended my original "rules" (which were totally annoying anyway).

When Moms Should Wear Rain Boots

1. When it is raining.
2. When it is wet -- meaning puddles are on the ground.
3. When you might be wading in a stream, mud bed, or pond.

Let's just summarize things into the following statement:  Wear rainboots whenever you feel like it.  I'm going to guess that most moms will probably feel like it when it's raining, snowing, generally wet, muddy, or on a cold, gray, day.  Or during a cool summer downpour.  

What Kind of Rain Boots Moms Can Wear [Again, from the original article]

1. Tall plain ones - hunter green, dark gray, bright yellows, red, etc.
2. Tall black patent leather ones -- the sheen of these boots will look a little more sophisticated.
3. Some patterns are OK for the brave -- but proceed with caution on this one.  Skip the Hello Kitty boots, skip the ladybugs, skip anything with rainbows or anything that you think an 8 year old would want to borrow.  If reading this makes you nervous, stick with plain.

I'm actually OK with this advice.  But I'd also add that rainboot styles have exploded in recent years.  If you aren't a fan of the typical wellie, there are now rainboot wedges, booties, rubber motorcycle boots and, one of my personal favs, duck boots.  Here are some super-cool, non-wellie rainboots:

Hunter Champery Wedge Rainboots |  Loeffler Randall Slip-On Rain Booties | Burberry Buckled Rainboot

Isle Jacobsen Lace-Up Rainboots |  Loeffler Randall Sliver-Wedge Rainboot | Bogs Charlot Rain Bootie

 

How To Wear Rain Boots?

Like our original article, I still think tall rainboots work best when worn over skinny jeans, leggings or thick tights.  Anything else tends to be bulky.  But the short rainboots?  Not only do they work with skinnies/leggings/tights, I also love them with rolled denim, making them a tad more versatile.

However, since many Mamas wear their rainboots almost year-round, rainboots can look just as fabulous paired with bare legs and dresses (or shorts) on a wet-but-warm Spring day as they do with jeans and puffer jackets in the Winter.    

Here's my rainboot / wellie inspiration board:

(photo credits, clockwise:  Momma's Gone City  | Modish Blog |  Atlantic-Pacific | Makesomething.ca | The Blond Salad)

 

Here's how I've been sportin' mine all through the seasons...

Wintertime sledding (this worked much better in Denver...Rainboots are NOT warm enough for Philly...)

(wearing: Land's End Puffer, Forever 21 non-maternity pants...yet they have something that looks suspeciously like a demi-panel, J. Crew hat and scarf, Hunter wellies, Target fleece wellie liners)

 

With a rain jacket and skinnies...ground-breaking, I know.  

(wearing: Lands End rain jacket, J.Crew scarf, Levi's denim leggings, Hunter wellies, Target fleece wellie liners, Echo Designs gloves, Salt sunnies)

 

Little rain booties and a cozy sweater for gray, Spring day...

(wearing: Levi denim leggings, Stylemint Perry sweater, Free People floral tank, Charlot Gum Boots c/o of Bogs)

 

And with a dress!  Throwing rainboots on with a dress and big sweater (or jacket) was my daily mom-i-form when we moved last May.  So. Much. Rain. In. Philly.  And yet...so warm?  But sometimes cold?  

 (wearing: Jason Wu for Target dress, Banana Republic cardigan, Hunter wellies, Target wellie liner socks)

 

Ready for the giveaway? 

(wearing: On S - Gap destroyed boyfriend jeans, St. James striped tee, Gucci scarf, Charlot Gum Boots c/o Bogs, On P - Target raincoat, Joe's jeans, Splasher's camo rainboots, On R - Target striped tee, Joe's jeans, Classic High Bogs, Target umbrella)

Bogs Footwear would like to offer one of our readers a $100 gift certificate!  You can choose a little something for yourself (I recommend the Charlot Gum boots - see pic above) or a little something for your kiddo (Raines has on Bogs rainboots as well).

Raines, incidentally, LOVES his Bogs.  We actually bought them this winter for sledding.  No joke.  While they are rainboots, they are comfort tested to -30 degrees (see the minus sign?  Yup.  That's MINUS 30 degrees), so they also work as winter boots.  Raines likes the fact that they are "super STRONG boots, wike..THIS STRONG" [stomp stomp stomp] for puddle-stomping.  But my fav part?  They have this easy-on handle thing...making them one of the few pairs of shoes Raines can put on/off without any help at all.  LOVE THAT.

You can enter to win the $100 gift card to Bogs Footwear by liking this post on the ANMJ FaceBook page and telling us what you're coveting at Bogsfootwear.com.

Enjoy the April showers!!

xo,

S 

ps.  I would like some props, please, on my cartwheel.  I may or may not have hurt my wrist doing it. But it should be noted, Mamas, that I CAN STILL DO A CARTWHEEL.   And Raines thought it was awesome.  WOOT.