<p>There was a Wall Street Journal article the other day that said UGGs’ popularity is fading… :|</p>
<p>I can’t think of any boys I know that would wear them, but they originated in the 70s as winter footwear instead of flip-flops for surfers, so I’m sure boys have worn them. :)</p>
<p>Okay, since we’ve settled the fact that Uggs are for Girls (like Trix for Kids), I thought I’d pass this tidbit on for any still thinking about Uggs for daughters or themselves. My D got her first of several pairs of Uggs about 3 years ago (sigh…after visiting my sister in Malibu, now her younger 13 yr old sister wears them too). </p>
<p>Now in her first year at Colgate and dealing with real snow and wet weather, she’s realized the merit of LL Bean boots (definitely the dependable classic for males and females) and for other times, instead of Uggs, opted for ones made by Minnetonka (cheaper too!):</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.minnetonkamoccasinshop.com/minnetonka_womens_boots.htm[/url]”>http://www.minnetonkamoccasinshop.com/minnetonka_womens_boots.htm</a>.</p>
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<p>Amen. Sorels are the ultimate keep your feet dry and warm no matter what boot. Step into a slush puddle? No problem.</p>
<p>They are probably a bit bulky and heavy for college kids. Waterproof hiking boots, ala LL Bean or Timberlane is probably more likely to be worn.</p>
<p>Not only are uggs for girls, but I saw them is Costco yesterday, which leads me to agree with juba2jive that they are heading down the trend curve the way of pet rocks, go-go boots, mood rings and those ■■■■■ things with the long orange hair (I am dating myself, I know). I agree with dmd77. The boots that are rubberized on the bottom, and lace up the top leather half are what my boys have worn at the slopes for years.</p>
<p>My D was lucky enough to get her pair 4 years ago from a boyfriend whose well-meaning grandma had purchased them for him a year earlier. My D wore them often and they finally died this fall. She would not wear them with a skirt but did wear them to school when the weather ruled out flip flops. I think she liked them so much since she has an aversion to real shoes and they provide no support.
The pair she just replaced them with don’t look nearly as sturdy as the old pair. I think they must be making them differently.
Here in my part of Ca they are still quite popular. But mainly with the females.
My younger D has the Costco version and they came unsewn at the seams. But for $39 dollars I won’t complain.
My D hasn’t realized yet that she will need to wear boots this winter.</p>
<p>LL Bean boots are best for wet slush and snow. You want the ones that are rubber on the foot part and have laced leather uppers with shearling interior. Those are what all the ski lift operators wear and they should know! </p>
<p>I love Uggs-- they are incredibly comfortable-- but they are made for drier climates at night, in winter, etc. They are basically no more weatherproof than fuzzy slippers.</p>
<p>Uggs make a low guys’ short boot/loafer that don’t look like girls’. Son says they are so comfortable (sheepskin lining and all) and you wouldn’t know they were Ugg. However, I think he wears his $30 Walmart waterproof hiking boot the most in the snow.</p>
<p>For all of you who are saying that Uggs are only for girls, have a look at their site. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.uggaustralia.com/Collections.asp?col=1[/url]”>http://www.uggaustralia.com/Collections.asp?col=1</a></p>
<p>They do, in fact, have a men’s collection. :)</p>
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<p>Yep, and anyway, what happened to the gender equality dealio? I know a married guy that wears leather skirts (though admittedly he doesn’t live here in kansas). </p>
<p>I would assume that UGGS do not hold up as well in slushy weather as many other boots, though my daughter who just returned from a visit to Boston said that people were wearing them all over the place there, unlike here where only the clones are popular. ~berurah</p>
<p>MY daughter loves her Ugg boots, as they do have salt stains from the snow. She plans on purchasing another pair so that she can have a nice pair to wear out. They also have uggs that are made from leather which hold up better than the suede ones. As a long time wearer and owner of many pairs of tims, the shoes are really too heavy for day to day walking especially if you do a lot of walking around campus. While the gortex ones do keep your feet dry, the shoes are hard and give very little (until you really break them down) and IMHO, tims really don’t keep your feet warm, especially not as warm as the Uggs. </p>
<p>She has also told me that when facing the brutal NH cold, that there is so such thing as being fashionable :eek: only being warm so a lot of girls at school own them</p>
<p>"Nother vote for LL Bean. Recently got S some relatively inexpensive “snow sneakers” which seem to be working well.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/search?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&startRec=1&numWanted=20&loggedIn=0&page_type=&hotBG=0&searchTerms=Snow+Sneakers[/url]”>http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/search?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&startRec=1&numWanted=20&loggedIn=0&page_type=&hotBG=0&searchTerms=Snow+Sneakers</a></p>
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<p>Yes, I’m sure the Ugg marketing department would be thrilled if boys/men started wearing their boots too - just as I’m sure the Skoal people would be happy if women started dipping snuff. But in both cases that’s not where the gender trends are going, at least not in my observation.</p>
<p>Now some of those boots in the men’s collection would do fine for a boy, but the traditional soft leather “Ugg” boot is something I’ve seen ONLY on girls.</p>
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<p>Yep, and I notice it includes a very nice men’s purse. Not giving that to my son either. Not that he couldn’t use something to carry all that crap in his pockets, but… </p>
<p>;)</p>
<p>I happened to be talking to my oldest D last night and mentioned this discussion because she was talking about needing a new pair of boots. She travelled in Australia and New Zealand extensively this past summer and she said that Uggs are very common among both boys and girls there. So, I guess Skoal better get on the ball, coureur. ;)</p>
<p>I looked at that, dmd, and it appears to be a passport holder and a traveller’s case to hold tickets, etc., not a purse. Those are pretty common for people who do a lot of travelling.</p>
<p>I guess it says something about the time of year that this thread continues to shuffle on through the slush. </p>
<p>When do the PSATs come out? the ED letters? College visit threads?</p>
<p>Berurah: I think the gender equality dealio thing has been well covered by the LL Bean leather upper, rubber bottom boots for many many years. They were already well known to my friends when I discovered them back in the 70s. If you happened to be someplace where people took their boots off when they came inside, there’d be no way to identify which were “mens” and which were “womyns”.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom: not to nitpick (and somewhat with tongue-in-cheek), but when exactly does a passport holder/traveller’s case cross the line and become a purse? I personally only carry a purse when I travel, and it holds my tickets, passport, etc., but I don’t call it a traveller’s case. I do realize that very few men carry “purses” but that doesn’t make a “traveller’s case” any less of a “purse” (IMHO).</p>
<p>I also know men who carry “briefcases” that look a lot like a “tote bag.” </p>
<p>A rose by any other name… might not be a rose?</p>
<p>dmd, I guess I judge what is and isn’t a purse by the ones that I use which happen to be huge! 
I’d venture a guess to say that most men who use these travel/passport holders don’t use them on a day to day basis like most women use a purse. We do a lot of travelling and I seem to be one of the few that I see who doesn’t have one of these little passport holders. I’m always digging in my huge purse searching for mine along with tickets, etc. If the ones on the Ugg site are anything like the ones which I’ve seen, they’re very small and wouldn’t hold anything other than tickets, boarding pass, and a passport, and maybe a pen. I think maybe it may depend where you (the general you) live, too. Here in Toronto, men carrying bags of various descriptions is commonplace. Ditto New York and Boston. Funny, but I don’t recall seeing it as often in London this summer. My husband has a little bag, which he actually bought in London at Harrod’s that he uses when he walks the dogs. It’s a combination of a small (probably 6x8) backpack but also converts so you can carry it like a tote over the shoulder or across the chest. He carries treats, plastic ‘scoop’ bags, and a collapsible dish for the dogs for the water that the proprietor of his usual stop for coffee, fills with water for the ‘girls’. I don’t imagine he thinks of it as a purse but it certainly serves as one for him! Fashion trends have always been interesting to me, although I’m not what anyone would consider a fashion hound. I embarrass my Ds on a regular basis with my lack of interest in my own fashion. It’s fun to see so many fashion trends suddenly appear all across the continent as if caused by alien invasion. </p>
<p>The briefcase issue is an interesting one because there are so many to choose from these days compared to even 10-15 years ago. I remember the first one my husband got when he graduated from law school and it truly was ugly. He has a much more stylish, as well as practical, one now and I can’t really remember one of his in recent history, which didn’t have a shoulder strap. I, personally, prefer simple tote bags and I love collecting them when I travel. My current favorite is a pretty canvas tote from the British Museum in London.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom, you and your H seem to be non-pocket people. I don’t carry much that won’t fit in my pockets (including dog treats, and I’ve taught the dog to drink out of a Starbucks cup) and my only “purse” is a men’s purse that I bought–which I only use when I travel and it spends most of its time in the backpack. I injured my shoulders years ago (swimming butterfly in college) and really can’t carry anything on my shoulder muscles (I use a backpack with a hip strap when we travel) without developing severe pain, so tote bags are out. </p>
<p>My remark about purses was primarily intended to reflect my son’s potential horror should I buy him a purse–even if it was called a travelling bag. I can see his face now: “take it back, mom!”</p>
<p>dmd, it’s true. I don’t often use my pockets for much of anything. Although, I do recall one time a few years ago, I was walking through Times Square with one of my Ds who was auditioning for NYU. We were headed to see a show, and I reached into the pocket of my nice leather jacket and found a couple of dog biscuits. </p>
<p>I sympathize with your painful shoulders. With me, it’s knees. Too many skating injuries in my youth.</p>
<p>trying to remember if Ds roomate wears a “manpurse”.
I know he often wears a kilt- kilts don’ thave pockets do they?
I use my pockets as much as I use a purse- but then I forget which pocket I put things
My younger D has UGGS- not any good in snow or wet- I think she wears them with socks too.
I like Goretec boots for rain and my northface for snow- they have a little dealio for the snowshoes and I don’t have to wear such heavy socks as with my hiking boots.
For really cold I like those chemical packs
D2 is still playing soccer- standing around outside for 2hours gets pretty cold- even if it isn’t raining, keeping head hands and feet warm makes it lots more comfortable</p>