According to Webster's a fetish is, amongst other things, "an object of irrational reverence or obsessive devotion"...and that does seem to sum up my feelings for (sorry, I'm going to say it twice in one day) stripes and...erm...rubber footwear. I blame a childhood spent squelching around Scotland (and least for the footwear part of the equation)...I don't care if the rest of me gets drenched...somehow having warm, dry feet makes everything alright. These particular boots...a sort of rubberized take on the Chelsea boot...are virtually indestructible and a carryover from a (very) short-lived bout of girlish enthusiasm for horse riding.