Transitional boots are the ones that stay on your feet when the temperature shifts between morning and evening. In the El Vaquero wardrobe, three different constructions handle that job, all handmade in Buggiano, Tuscany, where we have worked leather since 1975: the padded leather Juliette clog, the hidden wedge Bella Silverstone bootie and the over the knee western boot Federica. The shaft height changes. The way we build it does not.
September is hard on anyone who gets dressed once a day. You leave the house with a jacket over your arm and come home wearing it. Sandals stop working by eight in the evening, heavy boots stay impossible at noon. In between sits a six week stretch most closets cover badly.
What a transitional boot actually needs
Three things, in order. Leather that breathes, because in September your feet still run warm. A shaft soft enough to move with the weather instead of fighting it. A sole that holds wet pavement after the first storm without weighing down your stride. Our work starts there: tanned leathers, hand stitching done in the Buggiano workshop, no industrial shortcut that compresses the process.
Juliette: the clog you step into
Juliette began as a Padded Leather Slip-on, a clog with a padded upper and an open back. You step into it without sitting down, which makes it the first pick on mornings that start in a rush. The Silverstone Mou version works the warm tones of natural leather. The Leomarble Ecru brings a spotted print on a light ground for anyone who wants a piece people recognize.
The open back lets air move through, and in September that means keeping the same pair on from nine in the morning until dinner. Under a wide trouser or a long skirt, Juliette disappears and lets the rest of the outfit speak. With a cropped jean at the ankle, it becomes the detail people notice.
Bella Silverstone: the bootie that covers the whole day
Bella is a Wedge Leather Slip-on, a bootie built on the hidden wedge that defines our moccasin boots. The wedge sits inside the shoe: it lifts you without asking for the balance a heel demands, and it lets you walk for hours. The Silverstone wash gives the leather that lightly worn surface our customers recognize instantly.
It is the model with the most colorways in the collection: Mou, Corda, Rosa, Wasabi, Marine and Carbon. Corda and Mou carry you from summer light into the muted colors of fall without clashing with anything. Wasabi and Marine stay for anyone who refuses to give up color until November. Carbon is the pick for someone who works long days and wants one pair only.
Federica: the western boot that stretches the evening
Federica is our over the knee Western Leather Boot in the Calf Black version. Black calfskin, polished surface, a shaft that climbs past the knee. This is not a morning boot. It is what you put on when the day changes register and evening starts early.
It works over a short dress, with a trouser tucked in, under a long knit worn as a dress. It asks little of the rest of the outfit because it already takes up room on its own. Collectors of our pieces choose it for exactly that: a boot that looks like nothing else in the closet.
One pair that outlasts the season
A handmade pair costs more than a mass produced pair and lasts far longer. That is the only reason we have kept working this way since 1975: cutting, stitching and finishing one pair at a time in Tuscany, with people who have done the same craft for decades. The leather molds to your foot within a few weeks and stays yours, not a factory mold's.
Nobody chooses El Vaquero to buy a shoe for September. They buy a pair that by September has already been around for years and will keep going. The freedom to dress the way you actually are starts here, with objects that do not ask to be replaced every season.
Frequently asked questions
Which El Vaquero boots work best in transitional weather?
Juliette for days that still run warm, thanks to the open back that lets the foot breathe. Bella Silverstone for long days, because the hidden wedge holds up through hours on your feet. Federica when evenings shorten and you want a tall shaft. All three stay wearable from September through November.
Can you wear hidden wedge boots all day?
Yes. The Bella Silverstone wedge sits inside the shoe and spreads weight across the whole sole, unlike a heel that loads a single point. The fit stays stable even on uneven ground.
Where are El Vaquero boots made?
In Buggiano, in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany. It has been the same workshop since 1975, and every pair passes through the hands of artisans who cut, stitch and finish by hand.