This year was the first time that I witnessed a short summer in Mumbai. Monsoon came early (or should I say came right on time), relieving us from the intense, grimy heat of the summer.
Mumbai is known for its long torrential rains and its unbeatable spirit, in which no matter what the situation - be it a terrorist attack or torrential downpour - the city goes on with its daily regular life. Thus, in these situations, a fashionista can't simply stay at home (besides what's the fun of monsoons, if you don't go out and enjoy. Right??!), she has to venture out in the rain and muck. So, what does a fashionista do to protect herself from the muck and water. Well, she adorns her feet with the extremely cute Wellies or Gummies or more popularly known as Gumboots. In fact, this monsoon, Wellies have become the must have accessory in every girl's list.
What are Wellies?
Well, Wellies or Wellington Boots, gets its name from the Duke of Wellington who had instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James's Street, London, to make by modifying the 18th-century Hessian boot. The new boots were made of soft calfskin leather that had the trim removed and was cut to fit more closely around the leg. The boot's heels had also been cut low, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimeters), and the boot stopped at mid-calf. It was rumoured that the Duke loved wearing these boots everywhere, even for evening outings.The boot was dubbed the Wellington and the name has stuck in British English language ever since. Little did the Duke know that his modified boot would become one of the hottest selling and must have fashion accessory in some fifty-sixty years time.
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| Duke of Wellington in his famous namesake tasseled boots - a 1815 portrait by James Lonsdale (pic courtesy Wikipedia) | |
While, the Wellies used to be available in the basic black and dark brown, however, a sudden bright idea of funky boots by a designer enabled the emergence of boots in bright colours and psychedelic designs. (Phew! who would want to wear boring black gumboots), making them a fun and colourful accessory for a dull, grey rainy day. Not only, are these boots fashionable, but also quite convenient as they protect our pretty little tootsies from the muck and dirty water.
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| Funky and Fun Wellies (pic courtesy Fashion Peach) |
The Wellies have been quite a rage in the UK over the past few years. It is known that each and every woman owns at least one pair of Wellies. Well, girlies we don't have to be upset, these adorable rain boots are now available here also.
Where are they available?
The beauty of these Wellies are that these boots are comfortable and one doesn't have to pay a bomb to buy them. Well, you can indeed pay bomb for the branded or designer boots, but if you are not looking for a branded one, then you would only need to shell out around Rs. 500 to 800 at the most. I have listed below all the places where you can get the Wellies in Mumbai.
Tresmode - all outlets
Price: Rs 1990 - Rs 2500
The boots are also available in pink.
Besos - Kemps Corner and Bandra
Price - Between Rs 1000 to 2000
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| You will get similar ones in Besos (pic courtesy Welly Warehouse) |
Alpha - Irla
Price - Between Rs 500 and Rs 1500
Belly Shoes - Hill Road, Bandra
Price - Between Rs 500 and Rs 800
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| Similar Wellies are available at Alpha and Belly Shoes |
Wellies are also available at Vero Moda and Kink in Bandra. In Vero Moda, the plain black ones are available at a price of Rs 1995.
Where to wear them?
Needless to say, Wellies go very well with casual and semi-casual outfits.
Wear them with jeans, capris or skirts and head out for a shopping trip with friends, or a movie with your guy or for grocery shopping at the hypermart. These boots go well with every thing and everywhere. Unless, you work at a place, where casual clothing is the norm, I wouldn't advise wearing these boots to work.
Tip - If you do want to wear these boots to work, I would suggest keeping a pair of good basic colour pumps that would go with all outfits at your workplace. This way you can wear your Wellies to work and change into the formal shoes while in office.
Thus, here ends the post on the ever famous Wellies. Hope you guys liked, would love to hear from you all about it. :)
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