Urban English Riding Boots: Redesigning The Savannah Hill

In Spring 2013, we asked for your help in choosing the final design and the name of Poppy Barley's Savannah Hill Boot. The result–a western-inspired riding boot silhouette with contemporary seams and a high-low topline–was one of our best styles yet. The Savannah Hill style joined our Spring 2013 Collection, and over the summer, we learnt a lot from our first Savannah Hill customers. We also put a lot of thought into how we could perfect the style.

In the end, we decided to make the following threechanges and to re-launch the boot in Fall 2013 (which we’ve now done) with these adjustments: 1. Moved the zipper from a half-size side zip to a full back zip. This makes the boot easier to put on, especially for women with high arches. It also removes the limitation we put on the calf size for this style (again, because it is easier to get on). Lastly, in the case of any alterations, it is much easier for cobblers to work on a boot with a full zip. 2. Changed the way the high-low topline fits the leg. This style has a V-shaped top, with the bottom of the V being 1.5 inches lower than the sides of the boot. Originally we applied your boot height measurement (which is one of 8 measurements we use to customize all Poppy Barley boots) to the top of the sides, like so: The redesign and new measurement system now applies the boot height measurement to the bottom of the V, making the sides higher up on the sides of your legs (while the lower V in the front and the back means you can still sit down without any knee-crease issues).

Interestingly, this really changes the look of the boot. Suddenly, the boots are much less western-inspired, and look much more like urban English riding boots. (Pictured below, actress Selma Blair wears an edgy, rustic version of more traditional English riding boots.) Finally, this new height pairs very well with tucked-in skinny jeans or trousers, and helps elongate the leg. 3. Added colour blocking to the top. This fun addition allows you to further customize the The Savannah Hill Boot to get the look you want. A black bottom with a brown top evokes classic field boots (or, English riding boots), while choosing one colour, or an unusual colour blocking option (e.g. black and grey) makes the boot more "city" and less "country".

Now – we’d love to know – what do you think of the changes? *A clarifying note – any Savannah Hill Boot orders placed before September 10^th will be made with the previous pattern (which is what was shown on the website at the time of order). All orders after the 10^th will be made with these changes. **2015 — The Savannah Hill Boot has been discontinued and replaced with La Hacienda Boot.