Distracting Attention From Colorful Cowboy Boots

Fridays are known where I work as "casual Friday." Most guys wear jeans, polo shirts, and sneakers. I take advantage of the unwritten rule that it is okay to wear jeans to work on Fridays, but along with the jeans, I decided to wear my Lucchese Classic "blue jeans" cowboy boots to work. I work in a professional office. Most other men wear drab, dull, dress shoes on most days, and sneakers on Fridays. Not me--always booted.

These boots, though, are noticeable because of their predominant blue color, with white inlays and black overlays. Not that I would care if anyone said anything, but I conducted an experiment.

I am known not to wear a necktie, except on rare occasions when I have a special meeting. But the day on which I wore those blue/white/black cowboy boots, I also wore a dress shirt and a blue leather tie with a pair of dark black jeans.

Yep, as I thought, most people noticed the tie and said something about it. Only one person -- a woman -- said, "those are snazzy-looking boots!" The men either noticed the boots and did not say anything, or were more focused on the tie business and did not say anything about the boots. I took a lot of good-natured ribbing about wearing a tie on "casual Friday." Remarks like, "are you briefing [the big cheese]?" or "important lunch date?" or "presenting again?" were more common. And the tie being made of leather and not silk? No one said a thing.

Moral of the story: if you are concerned about what people may say about a pair of boots you may wear, then throw them off from looking down to looking up -- wear a tie. Scare them (LOL! -- that's true in my case!)

Life is short: wear boots to work with dress clothes.