Enlist In The Fashionista Forces With Fall’s Punk-Flavored Combat Boots

Position yourself at fashion’s frontline this autumn with a striking pair of combat boots — one of the season’s most popular footwear styles. Sure, combat boots were originally to offer soldiers the stability, traction, grip, and mobility they needed while maneuvering along unsteady terrain — whether it was the loose gravel and rocky expanses on open fields, the wet grass and mud of marshland regions, or the asphalt roads and cement sidewalks of urban locales — but they’ve since been reinvented by British punk icons like The Clash and the Sex Pistols, and later by grunge pioneers like Courtney Love. Nowadays, mainstream celebs with a penchant for rebellious antics — among them Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Avril Lavigne, and Sky Ferreira — rock their lace-up boots with everything from cut-off shorts and flannel shirts to printed leggings and solid tanks,skinny jeans with rock band tees, flirty babydoll dresses paired with denim or leather jackets, and floral print maxi dresses.

For Fall 2014, combat boots will rival motorcycle boots as the season’s go-to footwear style. And, while both exude a spirited, rule-breaking attitude, the long history of combat boots as essential punk and grunge garb makes them feel all the more defiant and unruly. Embrace the chaotic, disorderly, and undeniably cool trend with a pair of combat boots that speaks to your style personality — whether it’s a classic pair of Doc Martens; a couture interpretation of the combat boot style replete with Swarovski crystal accents and pony hair accents; or a modernized design with lugged soles, buckled motifs, or adventurous prints.

Here are 15 combat boots worth fighting for!

Rene Caovilla Crystal Cuff Leather Combat Boot, $1675. Available at BergdorfGoodman.com

Talk about a sophisticated makeover! This Rene Caovilla boot features a more streamlined silhouette reminiscent of masculine dress-up shoes, an almond-shaped toe in lieu of the traditional round toe, and a 1/4″ flat stacked heel instead of a treaded sole, but what makes this reinvented combat boot truly remarkable is the double-buckled suede ankle cuff strapped to the top of the shaft and embellished with fine crystals for a dose of opulence.

Dr. Martens Pascal Boot, $130. Available at DrMartens.com

Though black Doc Martens are timeless and versatile, sometimes a girl needs a bit more color and texture for an extra pep in her step. This lace-up number features uppers with a scale-like texture in a metallic purple hue made all the more alluring thanks to its iridescent quality.

Alexander McQueen Combat Boot,$1230. Available at Nordstrom.com 

Juxtaposing hard and soft, tender and tough, this Alexander McQueen combat boot features an exaggerated lug sole on a chunky platform and oversize grommets that give the boot an industrial feel, but these elements are paired with wide velvet laces and a ruffled ankle cuff to create an interesting visual tension that’s as naughty as it is nice.

Jeffrey Campbell Clash Lug Sole Combat Boots, $225. Available at Shopbop.com

This new Jeffrey Campbell boot touches on several of the season’s most dominant footwear trends — among them aggressively lugged soles and borrowed-from-the-boys oxfords. Featuring a 1″-tall foam platform and lugged sole in stark white, this burgundy-toned leather boot features the brogue detailing and stitching associated with oxford shoes. The unexpected medley of aesthetic elements is as refreshingly original as it is timely and cheeky.

Topshop Admire Pony Lace Up Boots, $110. Available at US.Topshop.com

Leave it to British retailer Topshop to whip up some bad-to-the-bone combat boots at an ultra-affordable price. These 100% leather boots feature bordeaux-toned fibers that resemble pony hair.

Diane Von Furstenberg Ace Leopard-Print Calf Hair Combat Boot, $245. Available at NeimanMarcus.com

Forget bustier-style dresses and faux fur coats and, instead, let the world hear you roar in this pair of leopard print Diane Von Furtenberg combat boots. Featuring a side zipper, these lace-up boots are made of Brazilian calf hair dyed to mimic the wildcat’s distinctive spotted fur.

Dr. Martens Tattoo 8-Eye Boot, $160. Available at UrbanOutfitters.com

Your Doc Martens can have more tattoos than a drunken sailor! Just check out these whimsical leather-and-PVC boots, which feature a tattoo-inspired print with such popular motifs as skulls, rosebuds, and swallows, along with kitschier fair like dice, pitbulls,and brass knuckles.

Mia Perry Combat Boots, $69. Available at Macys.com

Grommets and studs in gothic gunmetal tone adorn the harness of the Mia Perry boots, giving them a bad-to-the-bone, ready-to-rock attitude.

T.U.K. Anarchic Combat Boots, $109.95. Available at Nordstrom.com

Soften the aggressive, truculent spirit of combat boots with a romantic floral print like the one adorning these T.U.K. boots. Featuring a 6 1/2″-tall shaft, these boots marry a lugged platform and heel with a moody but feminine peony print featuring violet and plum tones.

 

 

Dirty Laundry Roadie Plaid Rain Boot, $44.95. Available at DSW.com

Who said pull-on Wellington boots are the only alternative when facing rainy weather?  Featuring a plaid print, these waterproof boots feature a silhouette inspired by leather combat boots — down to their 1 1/4″-tall lugged heels.

 

Sam Edelman Floral Print Canvas Combat Boot, $160. Available at NeimanMarcus.com

Tap into both the combat boot craze and the moody floral frenzy with these Sam Edelman boots, which feature black canvas uppers with peach, khaki, indigo, and olive green pops of color that create a blossom motif reminiscent of upholstered furniture and decorative tapestries.  creates the perfect combination of feminine and edge with these Darwin floral print combat boots.

Brunello Cucinelli Monili Lace-Up Combat Boot, $2045. Available at BergdorfGoodman.com

These tough-as-nails, espresso brown, Italian leather combat boots feature the round tonal cap toe we’ve come to associate with the footwear style, rather than cord laces, these incorporate the flatter strings associated with athletic shoes. Most noticeably, their 7 1/4″-tall shafts are decorated with a double-buckled cuff embellished with intricate silver-toned beads that shimmer as you stomp.

ASOS Alive and Kicking Combat Boots, $81.26. Available at US.ASOS.com

Though they feature shorter shafts than their predecessors, these  combat boots incorporate all the essential design trappings: from the imposing silhouette to the round toe, lace-up front, and chunky lugged sole. To give the shoes a modern feel, however, a horizontal zipper adorns the tongue and buckled straps accentuate the sides.

Maison Martin Margiela Leather Combat Boots, $995. Available at Shopbop.com

As mysterious as they are modish, these Maison Martin Margiela combat boots feature such debonair and elegant touches as leather uppers with an intriguing marbled metallic finish, slim side flaps that conceal the traditional lace-up closure, and welted sidewalls trimming the thick rubber sole. At their core, however, they still possess the attention-grabbing, chaos-starting DNA of combat boots — just with a hint more polish.

Valentino Rockstud Big Stud Combat Boots, $1595. Available at BergdorfGoodman.com 

In the tradition of Valentino’s Rockstud accessories, these matte calfskin leather combat boots feature  a wide snap cuff adorned with a vertical row of three oversize pyramid studs.