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Some years ago, I had a boyfriend who boasted towards the start of our relationship that he shot 40 days a year. Young and impressionable, I duly intuited that I would need a new weekend wardrobe and nipped to Farlows to stock up on shooting socks, and to Oliver Brown, for a hat. But it was the question of wellington boots that troubled me most.
Because they’re a signifier, wellington boots. A tell. Are you proper country, or are you a townie masquerading as country? Back then, I had a perfectly decent pair of green Hunters. But Hunters, I suspected, would be too Glastonbury for a shooting weekend in Leicestershire. A bit Kate Moss in denim cut-offs. So, what should I wear instead?
The two major players for such weekends are, really, Dubarry and Le Chameau. Dubarry, an Irish brand, are known for their brown knee-high boots with leather bands around them, and laces that swing jauntily as you stride across a field. Le Chameau make the green ones favoured by HRH The Princess of Wales — either lined with leather or neoprene. I plumped for a pair of the latter, a neoprene pair of Le Chameau (pronounced le shamow, fyi), because they slightly eclipse Dubarrys in terms of grandeur. Also because I’ve grown up with a mother who loved her Le Chameaus above all other boots and would wear her beloved leather versions for decades until there were, literally, holes in them.
I’ve since had a pair of Dubarrys and they’re jolly smart. But they’re bigger and clumpier, and I felt I could be off to a Tudor hostelry in them. More old-fashioned. My Le Chameaus, which I wear now, are slicker, immensely comfortable, and very warm. Although getting them off again is a bore, so you need a boot jack.
But wear a pair of either and they’ll help you blend in, even if you don’t know one end of a pheasant from the other.
Otherwise, an old pair of Hunters would be acceptable. Just make sure they look battered. Not pristine. If you’ve been invited on an oligarch’s shoot, you could always go for a pair of Holland-Coopers. The brand launched by Jade Holland-Cooper in 2008 has since designed a range of boots that are monogrammed with a gold logo, and have faintly Jimmy Choo-esque straps around the ankle. Fleece-lined, too, so your toes won’t go numb while you stand on the peg murmuring: ‘You nearly got that one, darling.’ (Or you can get Dunlop wellies for £14.99 from Mole Valley if you don’t want to spend a fortune.)
Alternatively, there are the frog wellies. You know the ones — bright green Wellipets, with frogs’ eyes on the toes. As a child I longed for some, but they were deemed common by my mother and forbidden. More recently, I learned they now come in adult sizes. Alas, it was too late to buy a pair for those shooting weekends with that particular boyfriend, but I would have enjoyed climbing on the gun bus and raising eyebrows in them. Go on, I dare you.
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