Boot-y call: La Canadienne

In a country where winter can easily last five months, we do boots especially well. It's not just the snow, it's the slush. Your boots can cause either clammy, sodden misery or a rule-winter insouciance.

La Canadienne, the Montreal-based company, is on my hit list when I'm there next week. (I might break my no shopping before Paris vow, but Montreal is a French-speaking city, so it's practically the same, non?)

The price point is mid, the shoes, boots and bags excellent quality, with touches like all-leather linings and waterproofing- but what I love most is that they address micro-niches:
footwear you just can't find.

For example: Here's a fall shoe called
Gabriella, (top left) a spectator pump in an extremely hard to find combo: navy/taupe or brown/taupe suede. With a 73mm (2.8 inch) heel that looks eminently wearable, these could get me back into heels, a minor miracle.

Ever try to find a
flat boot that doesn't look mannish and boring? Notice the sleek Gia's refined vamp and deep cuff (top, near left).

What about a
boot that's fun, a jaunty cherry red? Here's the waterproof, chisel-toed Blanche, in crinkle (also in grey or black), so you won't look like a little kid, just a happy adult. A removable padded footbed adds extra warmth. like a zip-in liner in a coat.

And it's hard to find a
really tall, flat-heeled boot that retains sophistication. Voila! The (waterproof, natch) Secret, with its convertible high cuff.

Finally, there are times (at least here) when you need a sturdy lace-up boot: visiting a friends' cabin, spending a weekend a country lodge or just helping your kid, who's moving yet again.

The Trista, available in raspberry (shown), olive, brown, coffee or charcoal suede, is a sport boot with attitude. I love it's retro 1940's Winter Olympics look.


Online dealers include
Zappos, Nordstrom's and Ron White (who ships internationally). (Note: these fall models are not on all online retailers sites yet.)
The La Canadienne web site lists a directory of retailers in Canada and the US.

Comments

I got a pair of La Canadienne snow boots( black suede ankle boots with a wedge heel) and I wore them to death---they were my go to boots for bad weather in Chicago and I loved them. You cannot go wrong with their boots. Oh, and I got mine at Neiman Marcus.
Duchesse said…
Belette: Great to hear from you! I also liked the bags on their site and am eager to get to the mothership in Mtl.
materfamilias said…
Funny how boots can seem like something to look forward to by the middle of summer, although we'll surely be keen to kick them off by March. I've been admiring La Canadienne's line for the last few years but haven't bought any yet. You should, and I endorse your logic -- Montreal, being French-speaking, should escape your buying embargo.

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