Western & English Today
15
SPRING 2016
heights ranging from 8-inch shorties to over-the-knee.
In addition, Lane expands its boot-building exper-
tise into new territory this year, venturing outside
the traditional cowboy boot genre with the Buckle-
roo, Payge, Ridgefeld, and Westminster English har-
ness-style boots; the motorcycle-boot-inspired Wilde
Ride; the packer-style lace-up Annette; and the Julie, a
lieutenant-boot silhouette.
Shoe-type silhouettes—such as the slingback Camilla
with the Western boot vamp, the Bourbon, and the
Fringe Fries—make for perfect summer footwear for
gals who want that cowboy-boot look with jeans in the
sizzling summer heat or want to avoid the hassle of tak-
ing boots of in the airport security line.
LOOKING AHEAD
When asked what's next, Lane ofers an intriguing response.
"Well ... going forward, we're branding the company
simply as Lane instead of Lane Boots," he says. "We still
have a lot of room to develop in women's footwear."
Plenty of room, indeed. Although the boot will still
do well to stand for the brand—even Vogue magazine
is touting haute couture cowboy boots for city-bound
fashionistas on its website, leading some to dub 2016
"Te Year of the Cowboy Boot." But I'll bet the ranch
that my Lanes beat out such examples as the $905 Sar-
tore Western ankle boot and the $890 Isabel Marant
Étoile Rawson harness boot in comfort, quality, and all-
around cowgirl style.