AMC’s Golden-Globe-winning TV show Mad Men isn’t just quality entertainment. It’s also a great lesson in timeless style as best demonstrated by one of its characters Betty Draper (played by the striking January Jones). Her finest fashion moments, in my opinion, aren’t when she’s in perfect 1960s daywear but rather when she’s in equestrian-inspired attire. While I love the whole look from head to toe, I just can’t get enough of those riding boots.
Originally designed for sport (horseback riding, fox hunting, polo matches), the equestrian riding boot eventually made its way from rural pastures to urban pavement. With the help of high-brow designers, like Hermes, Ralph Lauren, and Ferragamo, and trend-setting movie stars, like Grace Kelly, these low-heeled, knee-high boots became a symbol of classic country elegance and sophistication for decades.
Nowadays, many fashion footwear companies—from Steve Madden to Tory Burch—have created their own versions of the riding boot. Most recently, France’s First Lady Carla Bruni appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair wearing a shiny leather pair. While I don’t own a horse nor do I live in the countryside, I do own a pair of riding boots that are ready to hit the road (or dirt or snow) on a moment’s notice.
[Photography courtesy of AMCtv.com (left) and a staff photographer (right)]
Published on January 21, 2010
While there are many sites today dedicated to the pursuit of fashion and style, here at MRK Style we approach these subjects through a collector’s lens. Through exploring how people relate to Art, Family, Fashion, Food, Film and Travel—essentially life’s various, everyday obsessions—we reflect on how we all live with the things we love. 
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