After at least three years of staring at Gigi Hadid, Kendall Jenner, and your everyday LA cool-girl wearing the Ugg Ultra Mini Platform Boot, I finally pulled the trigger.
On December 9, I found a fresh pair of chestnut beauties in my size and determined that yes, I can justify the over £100 price tag because I will likely wear them every day to write articles like these in the coffee shop down the street from my own apartment.
I started running through outfits in my head, concluding they'd go perfectly with my wide-leg jeans, cream sweatsuit, and the basic black workout leggings and chunky sock combo I wear more than anything else in my wardrobe.
Plus, I had about £60 worth of store credit that I needed to spend…So what if the large platform soles were significantly heavier than I imagined and slip a bit in the back?
I felt great about my new Emu Australia Platform Micro boots (Uggs are perpetually sold out and, according to my research, Emu may have them beat on quality). Based on cost-per-wear, they're probably my best purchase of the year—and yes, I figured out how to walk in them.
So imagine my surprise when I scrolled through TikTok the other night and saw this:
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
“Tall Uggs are the next cool-girl Ugg,” declared Casey Lewis on TikTok—and she wasn't alone. Esther Povitsky, a comedian who built her TikTok platform as the “Jane Goodall of Hot Girls”—which sounds like a bit, but feels very accurate—said the same in an interview with Variety.
“Tall Uggs are a big thing that’s coming that people are not going to be ready for, for sure. Like, RIP Ultra-Mini Uggs," Povitsky said. "We’re shifting back to tall Uggs. I think if you want to get a hot girl a gift this season, an Ugg-related gift, the Tall Boot is really where you want to go. Everyone’s already cycled through the Slip-Ons and Ultra-Minis.”
Oh. Suddenly, I couldn't escape the tall Ugg predictions on my FYP—and was filled with internal rage that I hadn't kept my Bailey Button Uggs from, like, 2006. “Gen Z has found out about the Tall Ugg,” said TikTok user @fairybonessucks said, pointing out that this may lead to the great skinny jean resurgence. I mean, they are the easiest pant to fit into those things.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Is this true? Has Gen-Z really discovered the allure of warm calves? It appears so.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
TikTok content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Of course, tall Uggs also have the celebrity seal of approval. In September, Emily Ratajkowski kicked off Ugg season in the brand's chestnut Classic Dipper boots, which she paired with a cozy tomato red knit skirt and black layers up top.
Meanwhile, Gigi Hadid has been rocking the tall boots alongside her minis for multiple seasons. In 2023, she styled her favored chestnut pair with a sick yellow jumpsuit and cashmere beanie from her knitwear brand Guest in Residence.
Anyone wanna buy some ever-so-slightly worn mini platform Emus? I'm KIDDING. With trend cycles getting shorter and shorter in the influencer era of overconsumption, it's important to remember that just because something is trendy, doesn't mean it's counterpart is “out” or won't be back on top in a few years. In fact, Uggs are a perfect lesson, considering nearly every millennial reading this remembers the exact pair they'll be rummaging to find in the back of their childhood closet. Anyone else getting visions of those rose-patterned boots from the early aughts?
If your shoe could potentially puncture a football you're on the right track.
Anyway…for more tall Ugg inspiration, look no further than the comfort queen herself, Blake Lively.
As for me, I'll be sticking with my mini platforms for the foreseeable future. I live in LA, how much warmer do my legs need to be?
This feature originally appeared on Glamour US.
Believe it or not, the official start of winter is only just arriving.
