Or sneak it in your boots, whatever makes you feel like a rockstar

The Palladium boots can wait! I seriously could not believe my luck when I spotted this pair of boots at a thrift shop in Harrison, Pasay. It’s in mint condition — it still looks and feels premium. Plus it’s just the right size for me. As if I couldn’t get any luckier, they were having a markdown of their items, so this pair only set me back P150 (from P450)! It felt like my stars aligned and the universe conspired <3

Initially I was hunting for leather, high-heeled booties. That or fold-over combat boots. But I’ve decided that my thrifted find is very utilitarian, considering. It can be used for different looks, say a rockstar or a rugged one. It can also be dressed up or down — to a rock event with matching leather jacket and denim pants or to a casual day out paired with a simple cropped top and shorts. Brownie points for versatility.

And apparently this gem of a find is “branded,” no less. The quality surprised me since the majority of footwear I often see sold in ukay-ukay stores are from dubious brands, like your typical tiangge kind of quality. This pair is not like those. At all. Far cry.

So I Googled and found out that Coolway is actually an international albeit young brand, with a presence in fifty-two countries (Philippines not included). It’s of Spanish origin — yeah, me gusta! — that targets young people with modern urban lifestyle. The product roster also includes accessories such as handbags, scarves, and jewelry among others. Price range is at par with Palladium.

You know what they say: the devil is in the details.

Even though I wasn’t really planning on buying a Palladium pair this year, of course I already browsed their designs and just kinda window-shopped online. This khaki Baggy Canvas is one of my favorite designs.

Yes! I know what you’re thinking. My Coolway booties look like its paternal twin, so that’s P150 versus P3,250, roughly. Goodness, this purchase makes my cheapskate self so proud lol.

I thought the white smudges on the sides of my boots was amag that somehow settled in the crevices. But the picture above that I found from an online shop shows the same white smudges. Weird.

I can already imagine myself living in these boots for quite a while. Gonna have to find ways to incorporate it in my everyday office attire. It shouldn’t be that hard since I’m a jeans and shirt kind of person. Which makes me realize I need more skinnies. But we’ll see.

Anyway! This most recent thrifted find wasn’t bought out of impulse. I needed it for our company’s Rec Event last October 27 at the SMX Convention Center, SM Aura. The theme was Rockstar. So yeah, I just had to have me some rockstar booties.