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Well the dreaded ugly boots finally came to my attention. These are the Australian sheepskin boots that have been wildly popular for several years but have only hit my radar screen this year when they made my teenagers' Christmas list. I am not using their common name because there is a really nasty copyright lawsuit going on concerning the right to sell Australian sheepskin boots using their ugly name and who really wants anything to do with icky lawyers anyways. So we will just call them ugly and go on.

I have been wearing unattractive shoes for years but I thought it was because those were the only type of shoes I could wear without pain. I did not know I could spend at least a hundred dollars ( on sale around ninety) on unattractive boots and shoes and be on the cutting edge of fashion. I'm thrilled. I no longer need to shop garage sales for unattractive shoes that have been worn in by someone else to cover my feet from the elements. Now I can buy soft slipper like shoes and boots, I can even wear outside, at a real department store. I can even spend a lot of money on them. My super secret plot against shoe companies seems to be working even if I did nothing to further its' goals. Finally those of us that have worn unattractive shoes and clogs because our feet, back and knees could tolerate nothing else are having our revenge as young and old alike join the unattractive shoe craze. Teach those shoe companies to use hard leather and uncomfortable heels that cause lasting damage to a woman's feet and knees.

Well these ugly boots have been around in Australia for over two hundred years or since the early nineteen hundreds, depending on who you talk to. The identifying elements of this type of footwear is that they are made from Australian Merino Sheepskin with fleece lining. The boots are described as "sock like" in terms of comfort yet they have a sole that is durable enough to wear outdoors. The fleece lining insulates the foot against cold and cools in warm weather.

In the 1970's the surfer crowd on the west coast of Australia discovered these boots and adopted them as "must have" surfer apparel. The popularity of sheepskin boots moved through Australia's surfer communities and were eventually introduced to American surfers. The American surfer community also found these boots perfect for their lifestyle and began asking their Australian surf buddies to send them a pair. This low key import/ export of uglies continued until a young Australian surfer decided to make his fortune and tried to sell uglies in New York. Brian Smith of Australia tried to sell uglies in New York City and failed miserably. In a town that condemned women for wearing tennis shoes when walking blocks and blocks to work, ugly boots did not cut it.

Being a surfer, Brian went to California where he found a group of fellow surfers already wearing uglies. He had found his market and started his company, Ugg Australia, which he later sold to Deckers Outdoor Corporation. The ugly invasion had begun. In early 2000, several celebrities began being spotted wearing uglies. Several celebrities have been credited with causing the increased popularity of sheepskin boots in the U.S. Whether it was Pamela Anderson, Gwyneth Paltrow or Oprah Winfrey who made them fashionable, there is no debating Australian sheepskin boots began sweeping the American market. If Nordstrom's policy of refusing to hold any ugly product, and the difficulty of finding certain sizes, is any indication, the popularity of this product has not waned.

The product lines of several companies selling uglies,( which the Australian people claim is a generic term for sheepskin boots , not a term suitable for trademarks), have expanded to include slippers, shoes and a wider variety of boots. Deckers is aggressively protecting their right to use the term we will call uglies, so if you are interested in products made by other companies you need to search for sheepskin boots. The key for the authentic boot is to insure they are made from sheepskin and merino wool fleece. This particular type of wool is the material that creates the exceptional comfort and allows this product to " breath" thus making it comfortable year round.

If you want to find footwear still made in Australia, you need to search a little harder. The company Brian Smith founded and sold now produces most of their products in China, though New Zealand still is a source for some manufacturing. One company that still manufactures and sells sheepskin boots from Australia is Koolaburra. Their products are still grown and manufactured in Australia and can be found on line. Ozbootz also claims its' ugly boots are still made in Australia as does Aussiesheepskinboots.com. and Emu Australia.

Imitations of ugly boots and shoes abound in discount stores. Target, Payless and others all sell imitations of ugly footwear. The style can be easily imitated but the comfort and versatility of real sheepskin boots is not as easy to duplicate. If you are looking to imitate the style, by all means buy the discount imitations and enjoy. If you are looking for an all year boot, it may be worth the effort to buy an authentic sheepskin boot with merino fleece. It has been reported that the imitation footwear does not " breath" well and as long as you never remove the boots it should not be a problem. If this is just hype from the upscale sheepskin crowd, I would love to know. If not, consider whether these boots or shoes are to be an everyday item you will wear or a seasonal purchase. The more you wear them, the better shoe or boot you should buy.

So uglies are in and at least in this market, still hot. I am not sure if an unattractive footwear movement has really begun or if this is merely another long lasting trend. I do know I am going to check out sheepskin boots for myself and purchase if their comfort level is as advertised. They are a" must have" in the teen group in which my daughter runs. It may be only a matter of time before they are a" must have" in my world also. I am not sure if the celebrities are still wearing sheepskin boots and shoes, but normal people have finally discovered them and if they are as comfortable as advertised, healthy sales for sheepskin boots should occur for years to come. Oh, and buy the way, the Decker brand of sheepskin boots apparently got its' name as a shortening of ugly. So no matter what you call your sheepskin boots, they have been ugly for years.