cimorene

top: Clarks Originals Yarra Desert Boots in black and tan
bottom: Blowfish "Hanuku" in black and khaki "street denim" (whatever that means.)

You really couldn't miss the low-heeled desert boot trend this year and its corresponding ripples in the huge uptick in other leather and suede ankle boots, particularly heeled, but flat as well. The Clarks model on top seems to be a locus, having been featured to much comment in the J. Crew fall lookbook, but I think it's good that most of them are heels and not wedges, because, frankly, this wedge is really ugly, as well as really silly-looking. I know that Clarks' suede booties, of both the desert boot and Wallabee variety, get this critique a lot, but I find most of them inoffensive or even somewhat attractive, and even if you think they're ugly, you can usually argue that at least they're both practical/comfortable and unobtrusive; but neither can be said of the wedge-heeled version. About the only thing I will say for them is that they look less stupid than wedge-heeled sneakers.