The Film Festival Shoe Challenge - Ugg Australia

A continuation of my pieces on the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Film.com

I had originally come to the 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival to take an Ugg Challenge of sorts and see if the famously comfortable shoes could help me make it through 48 hours of being on my feet almost constantly, without sacrificing style. I was skeptical at first - we all have our misgivings and preconceptions about Ugg Boots ever since they were commandeered by mini skirt wearing Los Angeles teens in the early 2000s, but after checking out some of their new products, and digging the visual, I decided to give it to a go. Fittingly, since Ugg Australia is based in Santa Barbara, the city was perfectly suited to this challenge. I saw tons of SB residents rocking some of the new styles, which makes sense considering the overall laid back vibe.


Unfortunately, the boots didn't arrive in time, so I only had my "hurty boots" (but man are they cute) and my dress sandals. The result was pretty awful. I ended up in pretty constant pain in my pair of boots, and when I switched to my sandals at night for relief, my feet were then freezing. I, who was initially skeptical of Ugg boots, found myself dying for them to arrive. Upon receiving them back in LA, I made my own version of the Ugg Challenge, wearing them for just as much time, on my feet as much as possible. Did they past the test? WITH FLYING COMFY GAME OF THRONES WARRIOR ELF LORD OF THE RINGS COLORS. This was the pair I got and I am luckily OBSESSED. They can reach almost to my mid thigh, or be pushed all the way down to be scrunchy at the bottom. And they are beyond comfortable. I call them my nap boots. Or my elf boots. Or my elf nap boots. And I can't wait to wear them coming up at Wondercon. The only downside? They are so comfortable, I literally want to fall asleep while wearing them. The more I walk, the more I want to take a nap. It's an odd sensation. But an awesome one, and one I wish I could have felt while still in Santa Barbara!


This has kind of gotten me thinking about pursuing a Film Festival/Convention Shoe Challenge that covers all kinds of brands, perhaps each one local to the city in question. I'm honestly sick of ending up in so much pain after every Convention just because I don't own the right kind of shoes, and I can't imagine I'm the only fangirl in this position. Since we have been trying to incorporate relevant style items (like True Blood makeup!) more and more, maybe this is a challenge that will actually go somewhere and help some of us out. Stay tuned!