Lockdown Fashion: A Love Letter To My UGG Boots As Sales Go Through The Roof

It's been nearly a year since we ditched our jeans for leggings, bras for... well, nothing, and 'nice tops' for baggy jumpers.

Covid has affected just about every aspect of our 'normal' lives - including fashion - and with the pandemic effect taking hold of our wardrobes, it made sense it would affect our footwear options, too. Which is why, like it or loathe it, UGG boots are having a comeback.

Hands up if you dug out your tall chestnuts in the last few months? *Raises hand*.

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It's not something to be ashamed of - and if you've found yourself reaching for your old UGGs because it *just feels right*, you're not alone. In fact, the noughties essential has skyrocketed in popularity recently. According to fashion search platform Lyst, searches for the slippers are up 242 per cent in 2020 compared to the pre-Covid era of 2019.

Lyst has even ranked the brand's classic ultra mini boot fifth in its top 10 hottest women's products in the world, with the likes of Kendall Jenner, Emily Ratajkowski, Gigi Hadid and Kaia Gerber all being spotted wearing UGGs in recent months.

So it's official - UGGs are cool again.

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Crucially, we can't remember when (and more importantly, why) they stopped being cool. At one point, probably around a decade ago, they were the shoe to be seen in.

I have fond memories of the £10 Shoe Zone knockoffs I wore so much I ended up walking on the sides of my feet (if you know, you know). Then, one Christmas, I finally got the upgrade my feet deserved. Real UGGs.

They were exactly how I'd imagined, if not better. Warm, lightweight, comfy, reliable - like a giant hug, really. Safe to say I wore them pretty much every day for around two years, until their fall from grace had me hiding them in the back of the wardrobe for 10 years.

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It makes sense that, in desperate and difficult times, we would once again reach for the comforting option. While the likes of flip flops and Crocs (yep, they've had a resurgence too) soared over the summer months, popping to the post office in the snow is a job reserved only for the UGG.

But is there more to it than just a comfy shoe? Maybe we're all just craving a different type of comfort - the kind that comes from embracing a simpler, happier time? A time when, for example, Nadine Coyle teamed her UGG boots with cable knit, knee length socks?

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When Jennifer Ellison proved pink UGGs could be pulled off? Or, when SJP swapped her Manolos for UGGs while filming the last episode of Sex and the City?!

Iconic.

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Or perhaps it's because the last 12 months has put so much into perspective. For many, lockdown has provided a time of reflection, time to mull over life decisions.

Maybe it wasn't UGGs, maybe it was us. Perhaps we've come to realise what we've been missing all these years. As one person wrote on Twitter: "THEY ARE THE BEST. I will never mock UGGs again."

While another added: "I found my old Uggs and I'm excited to wear them again."

"My mom got me UGGs for Christmas and I've worn them like every day I feel like I'm 14 again," added another.

A fourth tweeted: "I'm ready to own a pair of UGGs again. It's time." And one admitted: "I regret all the years I didn't want to wear mens UGGs because I love these mfs now."

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It might have taken a global pandemic for us to embrace our UGGs, but now they're back, we'll never let them go again.

Topics: Fashion, Style

Lucy Devine

Lucy is a journalist working for Tyla. After graduating with a master's degree in journalism, she has worked in both print and online and is particularly interested in fashion, food, health and women's issues. Northerner, coffee addict, says hun a lot. Get in touch at [email protected].

@lucedevine