My Winter Must Have

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." - Robert Byrne

Seriously!! Winter is upon us and I am not ready.  Come to think of it... I am never ready for cold weather.  In the midst of looking forward to the holidays I seem to completely forget that cold, dreary, frigid weather is what follows.  Especially when you live in Chicago!  

However I quickly found out how the women of the Windy City cope with the bitter, snowy temps while still looking fabulous.  HUNTER BOOTS AND WELLIE SOCKS!

I love my Hunter Wellies!

I must have been living under a fashion void rock because I had never really noticed Hunter boots before I moved to Chicago.  While freezing my butt off waiting for the EL Blue Line Train I couldn't help but notice that many gals were stomping around in these cute rubber galoshes with flashy knit socks all sporting the name HUNTER.  Little did I know this fashion trend is more than 100 years old!  Seriously... these boots have history!!

A pair of original Wellington boots (via Wikipedia)

According to the company's website the "Wellington Boot" made its first appearance in Scotland in 1856 when an American entrepreneur named Henry Lee Norris landed in Edinburgh.  Then World War I hit and the War Office dubbed the boot maker with the task of creating durable footwear the soldiers could wear in the trenches.  

In total, the Hunter factory kicked out 1,185,036 pairs for WWI alone... and countless more for WWII... holy moly!!  Since then the rubber soles have been awarded Royal Warrants from the Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen herself.  Not bad for a boot!!

Women in Wellies (via Pinterest)

Obviously the slushy streets of Chicago/NYC/London are no comparison to the trenches of the two world wars... however the fashion and function are amazing and totally fit the winter weather bill!  

Ashley Olson in Hunter Boots (via Just Lolo)

Joe got me a pair last winter and I don't think I could live without them.  I went with the original black but they come in a slew of crazy colors to fit everyone's fancy!

I love the yellow ones! (via The Telegraph)

Of course you CANNOT forget the plethora of WELLIE SOCKS!! These are essential if you want to transform your boots into the ultimate winter footwear.  They come in so many colors, knits and patterns it is seriously hard to choose!

Endless possibilities (via Nordstrom)

Wellie socks as stockings.  Too cute! (via Homes & Property)

I was lucky this year and East Coast Santa (aka my momma) got me some sweet striped wellie socks for Christmas!! 

Love the stripes!!!

Do you have a favorite winter must-have that you can't live without??