Once Again, Sorry, Uggs—New Yorkers Prefer This Unexpectedly Cool Winter Boot Trend Instead

I do not let the winter stop me from making ridiculous outfit decisions. The most common one I make is deciding that tall boots are basically just pants if you have the right attitude. Sure, stockings might do little else than cover your skin, but I’m slightly delusional, and I think that pairing them with tall boots will do just fine against a wind chill. And honestly, sometimes it does (even if most of the time it doesn’t).

That being said, tall boots are my favorite style of boots, and I wear them every season, sometimes in favor of pants and other times styled with them. My absolute favorite pair of all time are Maryam Nassir Zadeh‘s studded Kiki boots—and I’m starting to see their influence everywhere.

The Maraym Nassir Zadeh Kiki boot is a knee-high boot with studs, a small block heel, and a square toe. It’s been a signature style of the beloved downtown New York brand for some time. Although, it’s also impossible to find. Kiki boots sell out. I would know because when I was trying to score my first pair, it took me months until I finally found one in patent white leather on an obscure deep corner of the internet—it was the last one in my size.

Whenever I wear these white Kiki boots, I get an endless stream of compliments. The people who recognize where they’re from often lament about how they’ve wanted a pair forever but just haven’t been able to grab one while in stock. Those who don’t state that they remind them of go-go boots and are the most fabulous shoes they’ve seen in some time. I always nod because they’re right.

I just scored my second pair of Kiki boots in brown from Ssense earlier this month. I have worn my white ones into the ground and wanted a darker shade so I could further incorporate the boot into my outfit rotation. While searching for them online, I realized that studded boots in general seem to be everywhere. Some are covered in shiny silver balls; others are sprinkled with grommets. Regardless, boots that come adorned with silver studs in some way, shape, or form feel ever present.
On the streets of New York is where I see studded boots most often. I wouldn’t be surprised if this boot trend wave was in part because of the popularity and scarcity of the Maryam Nassir Zadeh Kiki boot. And while Ugg boots are still everywhere, I wouldn’t be surprised if you start to see more and more cool girls leaning into this style as they grow tired of dressing strictly for cozy comfort in the dead of winter.

Shop the boots—and the studded-boot trend—below.