So I’m standing in the middle of ACL last year, right? It’s absolutely pouring because of course it is, and I look down to see literally hundreds of people wearing the exact same green Hunter boots. Including me. My friend Maya takes one look around and goes, “Bestie, we’re all NPCs right now,” and honestly? She wasn’t wrong. There I was, someone who spends half their life trying to find unique pieces for content, wearing the most basic rain boots known to humanity.
Don’t get me wrong – Hunters are solid boots. They’re waterproof, they’ve got that whole royal family endorsement thing going for them, and they’ll probably outlive us all. But when you’re trying to build a fashion account and literally everyone at the music festival is wearing identical footwear… it hits different, you know? Like wearing fast fashion to a thrift flip video. Just feels off-brand.
That night, scrolling through TikTok in my tent (which was slowly becoming a swimming pool because Texas weather is absolutely unhinged), I decided I needed to find rain boots that didn’t scream “I shop where everyone else shops.” Thus began what my roommates now call my “boot era,” which lasted about three months and resulted in our hallway looking like a Dick’s Sporting Goods exploded.
The thing about being a content creator is you start noticing what other fashion people are actually wearing versus what brands want you to think they’re wearing. And let me tell you, the girls with real style? They’re not all wearing Hunters. They’re wearing these French boots called Aigle that cost about the same but look completely different. The Parcours 2 style specifically – I got mine in this olive green that’s just different enough to make me feel superior, which honestly is half the point of fashion anyway.
These boots are handmade, which sounds fancy until you realize it just means some person in France sat there making rubber boots all day, but whatever. The point is they feel more substantial than regular rain boots. I can walk around Lady Bird Lake for hours without getting that weird foot fatigue that cheap boots give you. They’re like $150, which made me cry a little, but I’ve worn them through two Austin rainy seasons and they still look brand new.
Then there’s Le Chameau, which is basically what rich people wear when they want to look outdoorsy but not too obvious about it. I’ve seen influencers with millions of followers wearing these to “casual” coffee runs that are obviously staged. The Vierzonord style has this neoprene lining that actually keeps your feet warm, not just dry, which is clutch when you’re standing outside Starbucks at 6 AM trying to get that perfect golden hour shot.
They’re stupidly expensive though – like $180 or something ridiculous. I found mine on sale for $120 and literally did a happy dance in the store, which the sales associate pretended not to see. Worth it for the superior feeling I get every time someone asks about them and I can casually drop that they’re “handcrafted in France.” Very demure, very mindful.
But here’s where it gets interesting – among actual fashion people, there’s been this whole movement toward rain boots that don’t look like rain boots at all. Ganni started it with these rubber Chelsea boots that went viral on TikTok last year. Every fashion girlie was trying to get them. I waited in line for an hour at their pop-up in Dallas only to find out they were sold out in my size. Ended up panic-buying this floral pair that I’ve worn exactly twice because they’re honestly kind of ugly but I was caught up in the hype.
The most fashionable rain boots I’ve seen recently weren’t even marketed as rain boots. Arket did these chunky leather boots with rubber soles that every fashion assistant was wearing to NYFW. I had to physically stop myself from buying them because I already owned way too many rain boots and my credit card was giving me anxiety notifications.
If you want something that doesn’t scream “I’M WEARING RAIN BOOTS” but still actually works, Barbour makes these shorter wellington boots called the Bede that are surprisingly low-key. They’re only like $75, which is reasonable, and they don’t give you that weird sweaty leg situation that tall boots do. The navy ones with tartan lining have this prep school vibe that works with jeans without making you look like you’re cosplaying a horse girl.
Okay this is starting to sound like a shopping haul, sorry. Occupational hazard of being a content creator – everything becomes potential affiliate content in my brain.
But honestly, the fashion people I follow fall into pretty distinct rain boot categories. There are the heritage girls who wear classic Hunters but make it ironic somehow, usually by getting them in black instead of green and wearing them with expensive everything else. These are usually older influencers who’ve been around long enough that wearing Hunters becomes a statement about not caring about trends, which is its own kind of trend if you think about it.
Then there are the quiet luxury girls who wear Le Chameau or Aigle and will casually mention that their boots are handcrafted while side-eyeing your Targets. These are usually people who grew up with money or at least around people with money. They know the difference between “expensive” and “expensive and exclusive,” and they absolutely will educate you about it whether you asked or not.
And then there are the fashion-forward girlies wearing completely unhinged designer rain boots that cost more than my rent. I saw someone at a popup wearing these architectural rubber boots that looked like alien feet. Could barely walk in them but got photographed for like six street style accounts, so honestly who won that interaction?
There’s also a secret fourth category that nobody talks about – creators who just wear whatever’s cheap because the fashion industry pays us in exposure half the time. But we don’t post those boots on our feeds, obviously.
My friend Jessica, who styles for some pretty big influencers, swears by the most unfashionable boots you can imagine – those green Dunlop ones that construction workers wear. Costs like twenty dollars on Amazon. She wears them with Reformation dresses and vintage Chanel bags because according to her it “creates visual tension,” which is styling speak for “I like messing with people’s heads.” It works though – she gets featured on street style TikToks all the time.
You can also go the vintage route if you’re into that. I found these amazing red rain boots from the ’70s at a thrift store for eight dollars. No brand, just “Made in USA” stamped inside. They leak a little on the left foot so they’re basically useless as actual rain boots, but they look incredible in photos, which let’s be honest is half the battle when you’re trying to grow your following.
But want to know what I actually wear most rainy days? These completely basic black rubber boots my dad got me from a farm supply store as a joke. Twenty-five dollars. No brand name, no fashion credibility, just plain black boots that keep water out. Revolutionary concept, I know.
There’s something kind of freeing about wearing rain boots with zero fashion clout. It’s like a tiny rebellion against an industry built on people recognizing your outfit. I wore them to a brand event last month and when the PR girl asked about them (with that tone that means she couldn’t identify them and it was bothering her), I just said “oh these? Farm supply store,” and watched her brain glitch. Made my whole week honestly.
Here’s the real secret about rain boots that fashion people won’t admit – we all change into different shoes the minute we get inside anyway. Nobody’s walking around the office in rubber boots regardless of how premium they are. I’ve got a whole collection of backup shoes under my desk that would stress out a minimalism influencer.
The rain boots are just for survival – getting from your car to wherever you’re going without your feet getting destroyed. And in Austin, where it either doesn’t rain for months or floods the entire city in twenty minutes, you need boots that actually work when you need them.
So if you’re trying to break free from the Hunter army, my actual advice is just buy whatever keeps your feet dry and doesn’t make you hate your life. Fashion credibility means nothing when you’re standing in a puddle with soaked socks trying to get the perfect coffee shop exterior shot.
But if you absolutely must have rain boots with fashion girl approval, get the Aigle ones. Just don’t tell everyone I said that because I’m trying to keep them as my secret weapon. Austin gets enough rain that I need all the good boot options to myself.
Actually, you know what? Forget everything I just said. Hunters are totally fine. Nothing to see here, move along.
Brooklyn’s a 24-year-old content creator from Austin who lives where fashion meets TikTok. She covers Gen Z trends, viral styles, and the messy reality of making fashion content for a living. Expect energy, honesty, and unapologetic fun.
