What are some of the hot sellers and trends in the western boots market?
We asked Dave Somers, buyer of men’s and women’s boot at Drysdales for the past 10 years, what he’s spotting this spring. In short, he said:
- More women’s boots are being made with crosses and/or contrasting inlays.
- Men’s boots with colorful shafts are popular.
- In exotic western boots, the most popular are ostrich and caiman crocodile.
- More boots for men and women are being made with distressed leather that looks worn and broken-in.
- Broad square toes remain the most popular type of western boots for men.
- Women favor snip toes or pointed toes with western fashion boots.
- The majority of western boots are now built for comfort, with cushioned insoles and flexible outsoles.
Somers showed some examples at one of Drysdales’ stores of these boots. He said brands such as Corral and Old Gringo are good examples of women’s boots made with colorful inlays.
Here are a few Corral boots that show those vivid contrasts:
Somers said the inlays are found in the shaft as well as the vamp and foot because women will be wearing shorts or skirts, and want to show off the entire boot.
Here’s another example of fancy decorations on this Old Gringo women’s boot:
For an example of a women’s boot with a cross designs, here’s one by Ariat:
And here’s a Corral women’s boot with crosses and inlays:
These boots from Tony Lama serve as a good example of vivid color that men are favoring. Somers said the most popular hues are green, orange, blue and white:
With exotic leather boots, Somers said the ostrich remains popular. Here’s one by Justin:
And here’s a caiman crocodile leather boot made by Dan Post:
Distressed leather, with its old and worn look, remains a hot seller for both men and women. Here’s an Ariat Rambler boot that appeals to young men, Somers said:
And here’s a fancy but distressed-leather boot for women, made by Corral:
Boots made with a broad square toe remain the biggest seller for men. “It’s a look issue and a comfort issue,” Somers said. Here’s an example of a broad square toe:
And for women’s fashion boots, the snip or pointed toe points the way for strong sales:
Finally, Somers said many manufacturers to make boots with flexible outsoles and cushioned insoles, so the break-in time isn’t as long. Somers demonstrated the ease in which this Justin men’s boot outsole can be bent:
If you want to check out more of these fashionable and popular boots, you can surf our boot section at Drysdales.com, or shop our wide selection at our two retail stores in Tulsa.
