At 67, I Stopped Choosing Between Boots That Hurt and Boots That Aged Me
A LETTER FROM A READER
AT 67, I STOPPED CHOOSING BETWEEN BOOTS THAT HURT AND BOOTS THAT AGED ME
Margaret PembertonBoston · August 6, 2026
I almost didn't write this, because they're only a pair of boots. But my daughter noticed them the moment I walked in, and then a woman at church asked, and I've said it enough times now that it felt easier to put it down properly.
For years my autumn boots gave me the same tired choice. There were the smart ones with a heel that looked lovely and left the balls of my feet aching by lunchtime. And there were the flat, sensible ones — wide, soft, faintly orthopedic — that told the whole room I'd stopped caring how I looked. I'd more or less decided that was the deal after sixty: look nice or feel nice, never both.
"I didn't want to hobble, and I didn't want to look like I'd given up. I wanted a proper boot I could actually walk in."
HOW IT HAPPENS
Nobody decides to give up on a good pair of boots. It goes one sore evening at a time. The pretty pair pinches, so you wear it less. The comfortable pair doesn't, so you wear it always. Before long the whole rack is flat and sensible and a little sad, and you tell yourself that's just what feet need at your age.
WHAT I HAD WRONG
I'd assumed elegant and comfortable couldn't live in the same boot at my age. The Corvianoir is the first pair in years that proved me wrong. They're from Bennett Boston, an American label that's been quietly looking after women our age for a good twenty years.
They're a proper ankle boot in a soft premium leather-look finish, with a cushioned insole that takes the ache out of a day on your feet and a sensible block heel that gives you a little height without the wobble. Best of all there's a side zip, so I can get them on and off without the sitting-down, tugging performance my old boots demanded. They come in black and a lovely warm brown, from a size 3 to an 11.
WHAT HAPPENED AT CHURCH
I wore them all through a long morning and stood chatting afterward without once thinking about my feet — which hasn't happened in years. A friend asked where they were from, and my sister, who has never complimented a thing I've worn in fifty years, admitted they looked smart. The next morning I had them on to walk my dog, Biscuit, and felt just as good. That's the whole thing at 67 — a boot for church or for the dog, and your feet forgive you either way.
THREE THINGS I'VE LEARNED SINCE
A cushioned insole is everything. The comfort is all underfoot where nobody sees it, so they look neat and feel kind.
A modest heel is a friend. Just enough to feel put-together and stand a little straighter, with none of the teetering.
A side zip changes your mornings. No wrestling, no hopping about — on, zip, out the door.
ABOUT THE PRICE
I'll be honest about why I'm writing this rather than just telling my sister. The Corvianoir is currently $89.95, down from $180 — half off for their summer sale — and when I checked this week the middle sizes were already going. They do them from a size 3 to an 11, in black and brown.
Corvianoir | Elegant Ankle Boots
- Cushioned insole for genuine all-day comfort
- Sensible block heel · easy side-zip closure
- Soft premium leather-look finish · black & brown
- Sizes 3 to 11 · free delivery via USPS
Due to high demand for our summer sale, the middle sizes are selling first.
I don't dread putting my boots on in the morning anymore.
Margaret Pemberton lives in Boston with her dog, Biscuit. Bennett Boston has over 20 years of experience delivering timeless fashion rooted in American heritage.
This page is a paid advertisement for Bennett Boston.