Remember how you used to pore over the Spiegel catalog, drooling over the autumnal settings and the cashmere sweaters paired with jodhpurs and riding boots? Well, we're not sure what happened to the Spiegel catalog, and jodhpurs have once again been relegated to the riding stables, but we can continue to drool over cashmere and boots at our favorite online shopping sites. 

Let's see what each has to offer in the way of a basic, flat, black boot.  You can wear those with almost anything.

Shopbop - You're not supposed to play favorites with your children, but Shopbop is my favorite. I am loathe to share it, as I struggle with sharing all tasty desserts. The site is almost too user-friendly, with a comforting color palette of deep burgundy and slate gray, with a splash of orange in the header to say "Welcome to a fun shopping experience!"

They offer a range of styles and prices, but I always seem to gravitate toward the option that costs more than my rent.

Golden Goose Charlye Pull-On Boot - $1050

RevolveClothing - with similar content to Shopbop, this is another great shopping resource. The look of the site just isn't as pretty. It's very black and edgy, and while that is somewhat artistic, it doesn't really encourage me to buy things. Unless they're 70% off...

They had a good basic pair of Frye's for less than my rent:

Frye Paige Tall Riding Boot - $341

Vivre - A gorgeous, upscale site with a bent toward the finer things in life. Although I have issues with their $25 standard shipping, which takes like 2 weeks. 2 weeks? Are they sending the purchases on a steamliner across the Atlantic?  In 1917?

Wellington Calf Boots - $1490

Net-A-Porter - It's like the runway on your computer screen. If you're looking for high-end designer luxury goods, in a straightforward, product-focused site, Net-A-Porter is perfect.  Plus, they show you the item on a mannequin as part of a complete outfit, so you can see how it looks.

Sigerson Morrison Studded Leather Boots - $990

Intermix - it has a similar appearance and vibe to Vivre, with a more limited selection of boots.  So much more limited that I could only find flat, black short boots.

Frye Veronica Short Buckle Boots - $268

Amazon - yes Amazon. There are screaming deals on shoes, if you pay attention and pace yourself.  Try sorting by price, high to low, and then page through to your heart's content.

These were somewhere in the middle as far as price goes, and somewhere at the top of the SO CUTE list as far as looks go:

Now, take your time, and don't try to shop all these sites at once.  Unless your computer can support having six browsers open at once.