My Look: Michelle Pemberton’s Vintage Cowboy Boots

Longtime Indianapolis Star photographer–turned–multimedia reporter Michelle Pemberton has boots that blend form with function.

Are these a souvenir from some desert town?
I ordered them on eBay. Sixty bucks. To get that really good shape, you have to go either vintage or high-end. There’s a huge range for what you can get for a hundred bucks, but I don’t care for the shape. They tend to have more of a rounded toe. Then the next step up is, like, $400, and that’s just a big jump.

Why did you bid on them?
I think they’re Wranglers, handmade in the USA, and they have a phoenix logo on them. They’re 8.5B, from back when you could get widths.

Do you like to get dolled up?
I love to for work. I’ll be covering the local party scene now. I’m overcompensating for the last two years, when I looked like I was going camping every day because I was on breaking news and you have to be ready for the elements.

How would you describe your style?
Sci-fi meets girly chic.

Do you like to shop?
I recently upgraded my work wardrobe to Anthropologie. It has a great sale room. I also hit Nordstrom Rack and Lucky Jeans. I was recently at Queen Bee Vintage, in the Penn Arts Building on Pennsylvania Street, and it had some really great stuff.