7972 Cowboy Boot by Laredo

Spaghetti Western Boots: Italian-exclusive label Laredo ropes us in.

We are big fans of taking things out of context, of unexpected juxtapositions. So it's not hard to fall for Laredo's cowboy boot. On first glance it's a bit like a screen door on a submarine or the proverbial fish on a bike. A head-scratcher: it's a boot, but it's precious; it's hip by way of left field. After all, one thinks, what self-respecting cowpoke is going to saddle up in satin boots with a cute suede toe? This cowboy is who, pardner.

"Function" silhouettes have been big for a while. If wartime and recession is a good time for anything, it's bringing functional, masculine shapes to the forefront – hence so many combat, cowboy and worker boots gracing the streets. We work out our worries by attacking the equipage. Nine years into a war and nine-plus-120 years since the O.K. Corral, the cowboy undergoes yet another transformation: it's time for some play. The Italians re-invented the Western for us; it is only fitting that they re-invent its boot as well.

This boot comes in Jeans, Grey and Terra. We're fixated on the blue suede boot. A sleeper color this season, blues in hues from topaz to cobalt have been cropping up across the lines we carry. We like it. At first glance the upper looks like a washed and stretched leather, but a touch reveals it to be a hot and haute satin topstitched with that perennial eagle wing-flame-spiky design that cattle folk seem to love. The bottom is a two-part brushed suede with scuffed and burned nap at the toe and heel. All this on a leather sole.

There's something about the way satin catches the light on this boot that elicits a smile. There is sheen where we expect matte, dressiness where we don't normally look for frills. Prettiness where we expect tough edge. We're OK with an effeminate, masculine boot because, hey, we're girls. We'll use the grit of the real thing to polish our boots into something apropos for the city – more West Side than Wild West.

The only fight this boot will start will be with the rest of your wardrobe. Laredo's made a boot for the spotlight, so let it shine. Jeans, prairie skirts, shorts, you name it, just keep it simple and pick up the satin's luxe qualities with fabric bracelets and bib necklaces and a fantastic bag. We also like it paired with a overall print, femmy, floral mid-thigh skirt like above to highlight the play and fun of this great spring take on a classic boot.