When I was first invited to the luxe Gramercy Park Hotel terrace to preview the new Spring 2012 Ugg collection, I was skeptical. The association that I had with the salt stained sock boots of the college set with sweatpants or jeans awkwardly tucked into them was hard to shake off. Still I decided not to let what I thought I knew about the boot to shape my evening and I found myself pleasantly surprised.
When I entered the beautiful space I heard relaxing music playing as I approached a room with an impressive light bulb installation on the ceiling. Amidst the warm lighting and rustic wood fixtures I first saw the men's collection. Beautiful rich tones of leather were crafted into an assortment of shoes. Some classic mens shoes were displayed including boat shoes, bowling shoes and ones that even sort of look like Toms (unfortunately without the philanthropy). My favorites were the olive green bowling shoes and the high top incarnation. My boyfriend who came along for the ride said he would like a pair stat and pointed out a brilliant touch of shearling placed strategically in the back heel where most shoes tend to rub and become painful.
