Page 47 - Louisiana Loop (manuscript Edition)

The answers really do vary depending on who you ask. It has nothing to do with Labor Day or any of those other
nonsensical fashion rules that are in place to make women buy more clothes.

There are many who suggest the white color is cooler in the warm weather months. Around here that's known as those
two weeks in January when you might need a jacket.
Another reason given is the white boots don't leave scuff marks on the boat deck. After all, a shrimp boat deck must be
pristinely clean at all time. Except when people are working on the boat or the boat is in the dock or if the boat is above
water. We keep the boat clean enough okay? You're not our mother so be quiet.
Another fact is that unless your name is Biff or Navin or Geoff, pronounced "goff" like golf without the "L" you're going
to wear boat shoes. Here in South Louisiana we like to keep our man card intact and leave the fancy boat shoes for you
plaid short wearing pretty boys. If I offended you just go have a latte and have a seat on the shut up stool.
The white boots also have a wider mouth than their darker cousins. The shaft that the foot goes into at the top of the boot
is also a little shorter.That makes slipping them on and off and tucking pants legs into them a lot easier.
By the way, that's a safety feature of the boots. Should one find oneself on the outside of the boat, aka the water. The
ability to kick off those boots and swim to safety is a very nice feature.

Speaking of safety white boots are easier to spot on the open ocean or bodies of water. Also if you hunt at night being
able to distinguish where your foot ends is paramount to keeping all of your toes out of the blast area of the gun.

However, besides being cooler the one response we got more than most is the white boots just look darn good. They are
a true fashion statement. That's why you see "wanna be types" wearing them at outdoor events and shopping malls.
Fashionable, functional, and a solid safety requirement. That's why your Delcambre Reeboks are white.

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The Wellington boot is a type of boot based upon leather Hessian boots. They were worn and popularized by Arthur
Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. This novel "Wellington" boot became a staple of hunting and outdoor wear for the
British aristocracy in the early 19th century. They are no longer associated with a particular class and are common in
contemporary society among farmers, hunters, outdoors enthusiasts and others.

Wellington boots are waterproof and are most often made from rubber or polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a halogenated
polymer. They are usually worn when walking on wet or muddy ground, or to protect the wearer from heavy showers
and puddles. They are generally just below knee-high although shorter boots are available.

The "Wellington" in contemporary society is a common and necessary safety or hygiene shoe in diverse industrial
settings: for heavy industry with an integrated reinforced toe; protection from mud and grime in mines, from chemical
spills in chemical plants and from water, dirt, and mud in horticultural and agricultural work; and serving the high
standard of hygiene required in food processing plants, operating theatres, and dust-free clean rooms for electronics
manufacture.
The Duke of Wellington instructed his shoemaker, Hoby of St. James's Street, London, to modify the 18th-century
Hessian boot. The resulting new boot was fabricated in soft calfskin leather, had the trim removed and was cut to fit
more closely around the leg. The heels were low cut, stacked around an inch (2.5 centimeters), and the boot stopped at
mid-calf. It was suitably hard-wearing for riding, yet smart enough for informal evening wear. The boot was dubbed the
Wellington and the name has stuck in English ever since. In the 1815 portrait by James Lonsdale, the Duke can be seen
wearing the more formal Hessian style boots, which are tasseled.
In his biography, it is reported that Wellington noted that many cavalry soldiers sustained crippling wounds by having
been shot in the knee – a very vulnerable and exposed part of the body when one is mounted on a horse. He proposed a
change in the design of the typical boot by having it cut so as to extend the front upward to cover the knee. This
modification afforded some measure of protection in battle.