Real stories · The winter boot that's still a lady's boot

Every winter I choose between warm boots and elegant boots — these fur-trimmed ones refuse to choose

The winter boot that's still a lady's boot — that's what I've been calling these. I'm 67, and every winter my hallway tells the same story: the elegant boots that skid on the first frosty pavement, and the sensible pair that keeps me upright but makes every outfit look like I'm off to muck out a stable.

What I wanted was one boot that could do a frosty school run and still look right at a café table.

Then I found the Aurenisse from a British label called York Boutique — mid-heel ankle boots with a soft grey fur trim, and I chose the black, with a suede-look finish that goes with every coat I own.

They're elegant where you can see and practical where it counts. The grey fur collar sits like a proper detail rather than an apology, with little bows finished in neat metal tips and a low heel with a discreet metallic accent, which is why they read as a chosen, ladylike boot rather than winter kit. Underneath, the sole is non-slip — genuinely grippy on frosted pavement — the insole is cushioned for a full morning on your feet, and there's a side zip, so they go on and off without a wrestling match in the hallway.

The grey fur collar and the little bows make them unmistakably a lady's boot — while the cushioned insole, the side zip and the grippy sole quietly handle the actual winter.

They've since done a frosted loop of the park with Winnie, a school pickup and a long café morning, and the fur trim got its first compliment before the frost had melted. Malcolm's review: 'you didn't hold my arm once on the ice', which from him is poetry.

They were £29.95 in the sale — the usual price is £70, so that's a good 57% off — and I'd checked I could send them back if they rubbed, which you can, within a fortnight, and the delivery's free. They come in black and brown, in UK sizes 2.5 to 7, and they run true to size.

If your hallway also holds that same annual argument, do treat yourself to a look. The Aurenisse is rated 4.6 out of 5 by more than 240 women, it's £29.95 in the sale instead of £70, and the middle sizes always seem to go first.