Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “April showers, May flowers,” or something like that? Well, April’s come early and we need some waterproof shoes, stat.
The PF Flyer Hi Press boot is chic enough footwear for city days but its heavy-duty rubber can handle serious wet and muck, too. The styling of this update comes from the 1930’s and PF’s heritage, when a small tire brand called BF Goodrich decided to diversify beyond tires and use their rubber to make the Posture Foundation insoles, and the rest is footwear history, with notable stops in basketball, lifestyle, and films like Sandlot along the way.
As someone who likes my shoes functional and great looking these weather ready boots are a win!
SNOW. SLEET. SLUSH. | Boots so good you might bust them out on sunny days.
When I opened the box on a particularly nasty day of New England “wintery mix,” I promptly fell in love with the balanced look of industrial elegance and decided to wear them to a business pitch meeting. Then, I took the pup for a mucky walk in the woods. See? Versatile.
The leather upper with the suede color pop on the heel balances out the serious rubber base, while the light wool inner lining adds a nice coziness. I love the simplicity of only 2 eyelets for the laces, allowing for a streamlined classic look to the shoe. (Full disclosure, I used to work at New Balance in Apparel R&D, parent company of PF Flyer.)
Another huge plus; the PF HiPress boots seem particularly comfortable especially since waterproof shoes can so often be so uncomfortable. (A caveat: they do seem to run a bit large, as a unisex shoe line, and as someone who is often between sizes, so I definitely recommend ordering at least ½ size down.)
I am thrilled to have a chic, comfortable and compact boot that works in the wet and dry weather. Yay for an all terrain, life-ready shoe! Five stars.
Julianne Gauron is an industrial designer living in Somerville, MA, working in Boston, NYC and across the US. She has lived as a designer in Europe and Asia, working on sporting goods, military and health care product research and development. She is an avid skier, yogi, runner, surfer and photographer.