Star Ankle Boot: How David Assil Turned a Heart Into a Star

A short western ankle boot David Assil designed for Madison Maison, with a star inlaid in the collar, a stacked wood cuban heel and a side zipper. David has made this model with the same maker for over twenty years. It started with a heart; David changed it to a star.

Four. Beige suede and navy with a round toe and a red star, black with a pointy toe and a silver star, and cognac with a pointy toe and a gold star.

In David's words, most of the time cowboy boots hurt because of the construction, but these have a great construction where it folds easily, and as you break it in they get much more comfortable.

Almost an almond-shaped round toe, David's preference in a boot, because when a toe gets too round it gets a little bit clunky. There is a rubber insert on the back, so it is made for travel.

The round toe runs a half size big; the pointy toe runs a half size small. Shaft 6.5 inches. Heel 2.25 inches on the round toe, 2.5 inches on the pointy toe, a stacked wood heel on a leather blend sole. See the size guide.

Handmade in Italy, in a second generation, family owned factory. In store at Madison Maison, 9630 Brighton Way, Beverly Hills, or online at madisonmaison.com. Sizes 36 to 41 in half sizes, $895.

So now I want to talk about another boot that's coming in for fall. It's a short star boot. This is something I've been working with Fauzian Jeunesse for over 20 years. We started this model. He had a heart. I changed it to a star. The shape is fantastic. The quality on the boot is unbelievable. The leather is super soft. And again, I always do it so that it fits nice on the leg and hits the leg in the right proportion. I don't like it when it's a little bit too low or a little bit too high. It makes the leg look too short or too long in an unattractive way. This, I think, hits the leg in a perfect sense. The silhouette shows itself off. The other color combination, which I really love, is this antique tan that I came up with them. I just love the way the color came out. It's kind of mottled. It looks vintage. Again, it's super soft, really soft. And they're comfortable. Most of the time, cowboy boots hurt because of the construction. But these have a great construction where it folds easily. And as you break it in, they get much more comfortable. I still have women from 20 years ago when they bought the first series from us still coming in and telling me how much they love this boot. Then we're doing the round toe in this kind of rough-out suede, which is a great color. I usually like to do leathers, but this suede is so beautiful. I love the way that he washes the heel for me. And I like the combination of the leather color and the red star, of course. It's a perfect round toe for me. I don't like it when it's too much of a round toe. It's almost like an almond-shaped round toe, which is what I always really prefer in a boot. Because when you get too round, it gets a little bit clunky. And again, you have the rubber insert on the back. So it's great for travel, whether you're going to New York or Europe and so on. To me, these are timeless. 20 years ago, women were buying this from us. So I'm really proud of this set as well. These are all handmade in Italy. The factory is second generation. And I just love working with the family-owned artisan factories. You don't get the large corporate talk, which I've come to detest, I have to be honest. It just doesn't resonate in me. I don't want them telling me I have to give them 500 pairs and certain qualifications for them to make my styles. This is what I love about the small family-owned factories. They know me. I've known them for 10, 20, 30 years. They know what we're capable of at Madison. So they've all jumped on the project. And they're all super happy right now. And it's just going to only grow in time. So thank you so much. We'll look forward to you coming on madisonmaison.com to visit and see our new collections or coming to the store in Beverly Hills on Brighton Way.