Theyre Dynamite Options

[BlackCelicaGT94]

Oh yeah - Napoleon started a trend - MOON BOOTS are back baby

'70s-style moon boots are finding a comfortable fit with a new generation

By SUZANNE S. BROWN
THE DENVER POST

Uglier than Uggs, guaranteed to make your legs look as chunky as fireplugs, and irresistible to the young and lithe, comes the next big footwear revival -- moon boots.

Yes, those Space Age shoes popular in the 1970s are making a comeback. Bearing such designer labels as Marc Jacobs and Emilio Pucci and available in bright colors and swirling prints, the nylon boots have fashion's stomp of approval.

Consumers who loved the sheepskin-saturated warmth and comfort of Uggs are finding similar appeal in moon boots. The clunky clodhoppers also have a reverse chic, being the antithesis of the spiky stiletto boots that have been a fashionista favorite for several winters.

And it doesn't hurt that a toned-down version of moon boots were worn by the geeky protagonist in the 2004 movie "Napoleon Dynamite." Listings on eBay reference "dynamite" vintage moon boots.

Long a resort staple with cat-suited snow bunnies, moon boots are finding a new audience among younger women. Their resemblance to snowboard boots is no coincidence, either. Teens and twentysomethings who grew up riding rather than skiing the slopes find it easy to slip into warm, chunky boots whether they're testing the ski trails or braving urban streets.

While fashion designers are coming out with their own versions, the iconic brand is made by Tecnica, the Italian ski boot company that created the Moon Boot in 1971 and trademarked it in 1978.

"The Moon Boot sees peaks of fashion popularity," says Kevin Dixon, Tecnica's Vermont-based product-management director. Such retailers as Neiman-Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue ordered styles this year, but Dixon says his main dealers are in resort areas.

"Our loyalists are people who wear the boots for apres-ski, but you'll see broader fashion appeal from time to time," he says.

The most recent cycle started about two years ago, when designer Anna Sui asked Tecnica for Moon Boots to use in her fall fashion show. Spreads in Teen Vogue and Elle Girl followed, as have requests by such actresses as Patricia Arquette. But the company hasn't pursued celebrities in hopes of beefing up sales, because "we're about authenticity," Dixon says. "That's our core market."



At the company's Web site, Tecnica.com, there are a variety of styles starting at about $99 for junior's versions, as well as new designs with rainbow patterns and in such colors as silver or blue denim.

Nordstrom is selling the silver boots online for $135. Even REI, the Seattle-based retailer of practical outdoor gear and clothing, has jumped on the trend.

"We're not the place you'd normally think of to go to for this kind of boot, but we thought we better try it," says Denise Friend, women's footwear product manager for REI.

"They look cool and are really comfortable," says Friend, noting REI offered the nylon boots in pink, white and black.

Friend says the moon boot's comeback is another swing of fashion's pendulum. "They're not new, and neither were Uggs, but for women who were used to wearing heels, they were really appealing," she says.

And they continue to be popular: "The fashion world might be saying that the Uggs trend is over, but it isn't for customers," Friend says






im thinkin i may buy the coach ones i saw in the newspaper or these