Bloomberg News (posted by NorthJersey.com)

By Cotten Timberlake

When Roseanne Morrison was scouting new street looks in Manhattan's Meatpacking District late last year, she spotted a young woman sporting brown lace-up boots, blue jeans and an attitude.

"It was kind of insouciant, 'I just rolled out of bed and threw my boots on,' " said Morrison, fashion director at New York retail consultant Doneger Group. "I knew this was something different and that it was going to drive a new look."

That freshness has pushed even luxury designers such as Christian Louboutin to market so-called combat boots, with peep-toe platform versions going for $1,495. Women are pairing them with shorts, miniskirts and floral dresses, helping to make boots the fastest-growing part of women's fashion footwear in spite of scorching weather in cities like New York and Miami.

Boot sales surged 37 percent in the year through April. Stars Miley Cyrus and Chloe Sevigny are wearing styles from military to motorcycle, prompting retailers Neiman Marcus Group and Barneys New York to stock Louboutin and Rag & Bone to appeal to upscale shoppers.

"It's a way of saying, 'I am a tough, cool and bad girl and don't mess with me,' and at the same time, women want to stay feminine," said Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York. "The only faux pas is not to have confidence. You have to look like you can kick some butt."

The chunky boot trend was popular during a previous economic slowdown in the '90s. Back then, so-called grunge music fans embraced the look, an evolution of what punk rockers wore in the '70s, Doonan said. The "mother ship," he said, is the thick-soled Dr. Martens that became popular during that era, which typically cost $100 to $200.

What's different now is that the look is "less rocker, more rugged," according to Morrison, who specializes in trend analysis at the Doneger Group. It's part of a return to a broader military trend in fashion, which includes trench coats and utility pants, and is no longer limited to black.

Fashion houses that have sent combat boots down the runways in recent years include Alexander Wang and Chloe. Limi Feu showed them in Paris for the spring/summer 2010 season, with voluminous short dresses. Balmain and Ann Demeulemeester have weighed in with their own interpretations.

Neiman Marcus sells the $1,495 Louboutin version, with six-inch heels and the designer's signature red sole. Barneys New York features the women's Rag & Bone combat boots, both in black and beige, with canvas, for $495. The British label AllSaints Spitalfields displayed five types of women's combat boots - including light-colored "chalk" and "stone" ones - when it opened a store in New York's SoHo district in May. They are priced $250 to $280.

The combat-boot trend "underscores how less-seasonal style is becoming," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for market research company the NPD Group. Women previously wore other boots after Memorial Day, pairing Deckers Outdoor Corp.'s Ugg Australia sheepskin styles with shorts. Fashionistas who can't stand the heat should look to shorter styles and open-toe versions - though comfort isn't what matters most, Morrison said.

"Stilettos, they aren't comfortable either, but they have been on trend for some time now," she said. "Fashion first."

When Roseanne Morrison was scouting new street looks in Manhattan's Meatpacking District late last year, she spotted a young woman sporting brown lace-up boots, blue jeans and an attitude.

Despite the scorching summer weather, women are pairing fashionable combat boots with shorts, miniskirts and floral dresses.

RAG & BONE

Despite the scorching summer weather, women are pairing fashionable combat boots with shorts, miniskirts and floral dresses.

"It was kind of insouciant, 'I just rolled out of bed and threw my boots on,' " said Morrison, fashion director at New York retail consultant Doneger Group. "I knew this was something different and that it was going to drive a new look."

That freshness has pushed even luxury designers such as Christian Louboutin to market so-called combat boots, with peep-toe platform versions going for $1,495. Women are pairing them with shorts, miniskirts and floral dresses, helping to make boots the fastest-growing part of women's fashion footwear in spite of scorching weather in cities like New York and Miami.

Boot sales surged 37 percent in the year through April. Stars Miley Cyrus and Chloe Sevigny are wearing styles from military to motorcycle, prompting retailers Neiman Marcus Group and Barneys New York to stock Louboutin and Rag & Bone to appeal to upscale shoppers.

"It's a way of saying, 'I am a tough, cool and bad girl and don't mess with me,' and at the same time, women want to stay feminine," said Simon Doonan, creative director of Barneys New York. "The only faux pas is not to have confidence. You have to look like you can kick some butt."

The chunky boot trend was popular during a previous economic slowdown in the '90s. Back then, so-called grunge music fans embraced the look, an evolution of what punk rockers wore in the '70s, Doonan said. The "mother ship," he said, is the thick-soled Dr. Martens that became popular during that era, which typically cost $100 to $200.

What's different now is that the look is "less rocker, more rugged," according to Morrison, who specializes in trend analysis at the Doneger Group. It's part of a return to a broader military trend in fashion, which includes trench coats and utility pants, and is no longer limited to black.

Fashion houses that have sent combat boots down the runways in recent years include Alexander Wang and Chloe. Limi Feu showed them in Paris for the spring/summer 2010 season, with voluminous short dresses. Balmain and Ann Demeulemeester have weighed in with their own interpretations.

Neiman Marcus sells the $1,495 Louboutin version, with six-inch heels and the designer's signature red sole. Barneys New York features the women's Rag & Bone combat boots, both in black and beige, with canvas, for $495. The British label AllSaints Spitalfields displayed five types of women's combat boots - including light-colored "chalk" and "stone" ones - when it opened a store in New York's SoHo district in May. They are priced $250 to $280.

The combat-boot trend "underscores how less-seasonal style is becoming," said Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst for market research company the NPD Group. Women previously wore other boots after Memorial Day, pairing Deckers Outdoor Corp.'s Ugg Australia sheepskin styles with shorts. Fashionistas who can't stand the heat should look to shorter styles and open-toe versions - though comfort isn't what matters most, Morrison said.

"Stilettos, they aren't comfortable either, but they have been on trend for some time now," she said. "Fashion first."