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For Karin Sloan, the biggest pain in winter is the huge bag she has to lug to work every day. That's because she hasn't found a stylish boot that can stand up to snow and ice. So the 31-year-old chief executive of a New York wedding-gift company says she clomps to business meetings in giant furry boots, then changes into pumps in the lobby and stuffs the boots in her bag: ''People make fun of me.''
It's no laughing matter. With women across the country battling the elements, boot makers say they have the solution: in-between styles that merge fashion and function. At the high end, Stuart Weitzman is selling six styles of Gore-Tex boots, up from four last year. And sporty makers Merrell and Timberland have each dipped a toe into the fashion market with their most streamlined styles to date, some with rubber wedge heels and water-resistant uppers.
Even Ugg Australia, known for a frumpy casual look, now has a ''Metropolitan Collection'' featuring a zipper on the sides for a more calf-conforming fit.
To determine whether these boots would keep our feet warm and dry and not make us look like Nanook of the North, we tested five new in-betweeners. We strolled on the ice at Lasker Rink in New York's Central Park to test for warmth and slipperiness, and to see if they would keep us dry, we dipped them in a bucket of homemade slush. Our final step: Parading them around the office to judge how they look with suits.
We discovered that there isn't necessarily an inverse relationship between fashion and function.
The new styles are part of a larger trend of upping the fashion quotient on sportswear to give people the option of wearing clothes in different contexts. Boots also have been a bright spot in women's apparel. Sales are up 5.5 percent this year, compared with a 1.5 percent increase for sales of all women's apparel, according to NPD Group, which tracks retail sales. And while sales of dressy boots have declined this year, sales of hiking boots have risen 20 percent - suggesting that performance is striking a chord with women.
Designer Donald J. Pliner says he started adding rubber soles to his boots several years ago and they have sold so well that 70 percent of this year's line come with it. The rubber - ranging from flat treads to chunky tractor bottoms - makes the boots more durable in harsh weather, but also helps justify recent price hikes: Because they are made in Europe, currency fluctuations make them more costly to produce.
Merrell, a Rockford, Mich., company known for comfortable casual shoes, says its strategy is to produce more high-fashion, slimmed-down boots. Typically, boots were ''either very tailored or a little on the clunky side,'' says Jacques Lavertue, president of Wolverine World Wide's Outdoor Group, which includes Merrell.
This season, Merrell has 15 new boot styles. All have the same cushioned soles as its walking shoes, but they disguise the sporty look somewhat by pulling the leather exterior closer to the sole.
In our test, Timberland's Bezel boots, made of what the company calls ''waterproof leather,'' performed the worst in slush. Keith Denny, Timberland's global vice president of boots, says the boots are water-resistant, not waterproof because the seams aren't sealed, but ''have enough waterproof protection for everyday use.''
Aerosoles makes no claims about water, but its faux-leather Lasticity boots passed our slush test with flying colors and even looked great with a pantsuit. The synthetic material, however, made our feet sweat indoors.
Of course, most women don't walk to work on an ice rink. But experts say cold seeps up through the bottom of a boot, rather than pouring in through the top, making the thickness of the sole the most important factor in keeping you warm.
For our slush test, we added a cup of de-icing salt to a bucket of water and chopped ice and partially submerged each pair for 10 minutes, then used a piece of blotting paper to see if any water seeped through. They passed the test and Timberland says it does a similar test for boots it advertises as waterproof.
But some experts say many of the new styles don't cut it for the office. ''It's so controversial,'' says Anna Wildermuth, a Chicago image consultant who shops for executives. She advises clients confused by the new options to pick styles with at least a 1.5-inch heel, a modified pointy toe and rubber grips on the sole.
Style and functionality
La Canadienne Jilian, $199.95
These nice-looking boots kept us warm and dry in real snow and didn't slip on ice. They were the best all-around boot in our test.
Merrell ''Blazing Star'' $139.95
These water-resistant moccasin-style boots were slippery on ice. The company says they were tested on a wet surface and have ''enough traction to handle most situations.''
Donald J. Pliner ''Leola,'' $320
The company says rubber on the sole prevents slips, but we couldn't walk on ice and our feet went numb because the sole is so thin. While the boot stayed dry in our slush test and the style was a hit with our fashion panel, we would wear them in a spring rain, not a Nor'easter.
Aerosoles ''Lasticity, $69
Made of stretchy faux leather, these boots stayed dry as a bone in our slush test and didn't slip on ice. And they looked surprisingly sharp with a pantsuit, but made our feet sweat indoors.
Timberland ''Bezel,'' $130
These were warm and had good traction, but the lace-up style didn't look good with skirts and pants - and they were hot indoors. The company says the ankle-high version might look better with a suit and wouldn't be as warm indoors.