Finally, after hours of scouring the internet, I found it. The perfect pair of knee-high, black cowgirl boots with a heel that wasn’t too tall. I tried them on in my room and was instantly in love. They fit perfectly and I was so excited to try and style them with my dresses and skirts. 

To my surprise, I had an opportunity the very next day to wear my new idolized footwear out in the world. I was meeting my friend in Manhattan for dinner and what better place to try out a new fashion look than the city?! I whipped out my black mini-skirt and once the boots were on my feet, the outfit was complete in all it’s metropolitan-meets-country-girl-esque charm. I was ready to head out the door to catch my train into Manhattan when little thoughts of doubt trickled into my mind. I pictured myself at my small town’s train station in my loud boots and thought about what looks I would get. I thought how only fashion moguls and influencers could wear such a statement shoe but not ordinary people like me. And if “ordinary people” did wear cowgirl boots, it was only with a group of friends in Nashville or to a country concert surrounded by every other girl wearing the same pair of boots. So, I opted for white jeans and white sneakers instead. Not as fun, but safe nonetheless. 

As I stepped onto the train at my local station, I was relieved for a moment with my outfit choice. It was a Thursday around 6pm and adults were en-route home after a grueling day at the office, families were loading up duffels onto the shelf overhead, this commute was surely too routine for my bold boots back at home. 

Twenty minutes into the trip at one of the stops I can’t remember, a group of girls got on the train dripping in sparkles and glitter. Their hair was meticulously curled and braided into every which way and their various pastel eyeshadows gleamed in the unforgiving train lights. Wow, I thought. They look amazing. Damn, I wish I wore my cowgirl boots. Those girls probably had a special occasion they were all dressed up for, but even if they hadn’t, why not play dress-up?

It made me realize that from here on out, I’m wearing the clothes, shoes, accessories, the whole deal, the way I want to and the way I’m excited about. There doesn’t need to be a certain occasion to do so either. And besides, everyone is too busy anyways to even notice if you’re wearing something that’s considered “out of the ordinary” for you. Fashion is fun.

If I hadn’t let those fleeting moments of me walking from my car onto the train in my small town, I could’ve been flaunting my new boots down the streets of Manhattan. And the irony of it all is how I felt insecure about my “normal” outfit once I got into the city. Just wear what you truly are excited to wear and your surrounding settings will abide.