A Letter From Vivian: The Dahlia
A letter from the founder
Every woman I know owns a pair of boots she loves and cannot walk in. They live at the back of the closet.
On the six things that made me choose the Dahlia, why these are the pair you can start wearing this month rather than in October, and why they are $69.95 for our twentieth year.
I am Vivian, and I opened this boutique twenty years ago with one idea: that a woman should not have to choose between comfortable and beautiful.
Nowhere has that idea been ignored more thoroughly than in a pair of boots.
Go and look at the back of your closet. There is a pair down there you fell in love with in a shop and have worn perhaps three times, because on the second wearing you found out that you could not stay standing in them past two in the afternoon. That is the first kind — beautiful, and quietly punishing.
The second kind is the pair you actually walk in. Sensible. Flat. Perfectly fine. And not something you would put on to go and meet anybody.
There is a timing problem sitting underneath all of that, too. A western boot is a fall purchase, and most women buy theirs in October, having already spent six warm weeks in the same sandals wishing for something else.
I never accepted that a woman had to choose.
The Dahlia is my answer, and the reason it is in front of you at the end of August is that it is the one western boot you can start wearing while it is still warm out. There were six things I would not do without.
A block heel, not a narrow one
This is the difference between a boot you wear and a boot you own. A stacked block heel at a comfortable mid height puts the whole width of your foot over the ground, so there is lift without a moment of wobble on a brick sidewalk or a bit of grass. A narrow heel gives you the same inch and asks you to balance on it for six hours, which is precisely why the beautiful pair is at the back of the closet.
“The block heel gives me enough height to feel dressed up, but I still feel steady walking in them for a few hours.”
Shirley M., TucsonAn inner side zip, so you are not fighting the shaft
Traditional western boots have no fastening at all, which means every time you put them on you are hauling at two pull tabs and hoping. It is undignified at any age and it gets worse. The Dahlia has a smooth zip up the inside of the leg, so they go on and come off in a second, sitting down, without a performance. I would not stock a mid-calf boot without one.
“The side zipper makes these much easier to get on than my older western boots. No pulling or fighting with the shaft.”
Denise R., Santa FePerforated panels, which is why you can wear them now
Here is the thing that decided it for me. Suede through the shaft with small cut-outs punched through it, so air actually moves. Every other western boot is a sealed tube of leather that you cannot put on before the middle of October without regretting it by lunchtime. These breathe, so they work on a warm September afternoon and they carry straight on through the fall. That is two extra months of a boot you have already paid for.
“The perforated upper makes a noticeable difference on warmer afternoons. My feet never felt as closed in as they do in most boots.”
Lucille B., NashvilleAn almond toe rather than a point
A pointed western boot looks wonderful in a photograph and squeezes every toe you have into the last inch of it. The almond toe keeps the shape of the boot — it still reads as western from across a room — and it gives the front of your foot somewhere to be. A great many women have decided over the years that they simply cannot wear western boots. Most of them have only ever tried the pointed kind.
“The almond toe gives me a little more room than the pointed boots I usually avoid. Much easier on my toes.”
Carmen S., PhoenixAll of it adds up to a whole day
None of the four things above is remarkable on its own. Put them together and you get the only thing that actually matters in a boot, which is that you forget about your feet. The heel holds you steady, the toe leaves room, the shaft breathes, and the zip means you never dread putting them on. Lunch, an afternoon of errands, and the walk back to wherever you left the car.
“These are the first cowboy boots I’ve owned that I can actually keep on through lunch, shopping, and the walk back to the car.”
Marlene C., Fort WorthFour colors, and every half size from 5 to 11
Beige, Camel, White and Black — and I would tell you across the counter that Beige is the one that does the most work, because it goes with denim and with cream and with a summer dress you are not finished with yet. But the part I am proudest of is duller and matters more: every size from a 5 to an 11, and every half size in between. A boot is the one purchase where half a size is the whole difference, and most shops make a woman round up and live with it.
“I bought the beige because I wanted something softer than black. It looks beautiful with denim, cream pants, and casual dresses.”
Rita H., Scottsdale“I wore them with straight-leg jeans and they completely changed the outfit. They have personality without feeling too costume-like.”
Pamela T., AustinThe Dahlia, against the pair at the back of the closet
| The usual western boot | The Dahlia | |
|---|---|---|
| Heel | Narrow, and you balance on it | Stacked block, steady mid height |
| Getting them on | Two pull tabs and a struggle | A smooth inner side zip |
| Warm days | A sealed tube — wait until October | Perforated panels that breathe |
| Toe | Pointed, and your toes know it | Almond, with room at the front |
| Sizes | Whole sizes — round up and cope | 5 to 11, every half size |
| Colors | Brown, or a darker brown | Beige, Camel, White and Black |
I refuse to sell a woman a boot she has to sit down in. That is the whole reason the Dahlia is in the shop.
Why we’re clearing them now
The Dahlia came in at $149.95, which is what a suede boot costs when the heel is stacked properly and there is a real zip in the side of it. But the shop turns twenty this year, and my daughter Pearl is beside me at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept our door open, so they are going out at under half of what they were.
And I would rather do it in August than in November. A boot bought now is a boot worn for the whole of the fall. A boot bought in November is one you get eight weeks out of before you are into proper winter shoes, and then it sits in a box until next year. You are not buying earlier than you need to. You are buying in time to get the use out of it.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,524+ reviews
$149.95$69.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save 53%
- Soft suede with breathable perforated panels
- A stacked block heel at a comfortable mid height
- A smooth inner side zip
- An almond toe, with room at the front
- Beige, Camel, White and Black
- US 5 to 11 · every half size included · one price
- Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee
Every color and size the same price · while sizes last
There is a moment I have watched a thousand times in this shop. A woman puts a boot on, stands up, and takes four steps toward the mirror. She is not looking at the mirror. She is looking down at the floor, feeling what her foot is doing.
If she gets to the mirror still thinking about her feet, the answer is no, and it was always going to be no. If she arrives and has forgotten them, she has already bought them.
Go and find your size.
— Vivian · Vivian & Pearl Newport
SEE THE DAHLIA — $69.95 →This is a personal letter from the founder of Vivian & Pearl Newport. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · US family brand since 2006 · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.