This weekend, we got a first taste of the crisp, breezy, short-lived bliss that is fall
in New York. For some of us, it’s known as cuffing season; for others, it’s
pumpkin-flavored-everything season; and then there’s the fashion equivalent:
boot season! And if we had to choose one boot to define autumn in New York, it
would invariably be the ankle boot. Most of us could write a book about our
search for the perfect pair: We need one that’s chic, comfortable, and flattering,
with the just-right combination of height and stability so we can wear it with jeans,
dresses, midi skirts, and everything else in our closet. Back in 2009, the holy grail
was Rag & Bone’s Newbury boot, which became so coveted by fashion editors
and models that the brand still produces it nine years on. The designer behind
the Newbury was Lauren Bucquet, who spent 10 years at Rag & Bone (she was
the brand’s third employee!) and is now lending her eye to a brand-new shoe line
of her own—and it’s anchored by not one, but five ankle boots.
Like most designers,
Bucquet set out to fill
what she perceived to
be a void in the market.
“I looked at the direct-
to-consumer space and
felt like there was a hole
in terms of designer.led
LABUCQ
THE
DESIGNER
BEHIND RAG
& BONE’S
CULT-
FAVORITE
BOOT IS
BRANCHING
OUT WITH
HER OWN
LINEDAZZLE
by
Emily
Farra
brands,” she tells
Vogue “There are a lot
of these Silicon Valley–
led brands that don’t
have a New York
fashion perspective or
even a single designer
[at the helm].” Her line
will compete
in that space in terms of accessibility and price point—without wholesale markups,
Labucq’s flat mules start at $195 and the knee-high boots top out the range at
$495—but it rejects that ultra-minimal, anti-fashion vibe that so many D2C brands
pride themselves on. Their messaging tends to follow the lines of “This is the only
shoe you need this fall” or “We’ve stripped away the bells and whistles!” Bucquet’s
shoes, on the other hand, are actually a fun purchase. They’re easy and intensely
wearable, but still feel interesting.
“I design with my friends in mind, and I wanted the boots to have some attitude,”
she says. “I want girls to put them on and just feel really cool. A shoe should make
you feel powerful and give you confidence—if it’s too quiet, you don’t [get that].”
There’s a slight ’90s feeling in her ankle boots, particularly the June, which comes
with a square toe and a buckled harness around the foot.
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