Country Classic Lucinda's Guide to The Rockingham Family

With life still not quite back to 'normal' and the show calendar empty, we thought we'd catch up with Country Classic Lucinda for her thoughts and style tips for our Rockingham boot family.

Grab a cuppa and get stuck in!

What is a country wardrobe, without some Cowboy boots?!

Inspired by Western style with a Fairfax & Favor twist, the Rockingham family has expanded from the original mid-calf boot, which launched a couple of years ago, to what is now a family of three, beautiful, versatile boots.
The family of Rockinghams cover all bases, and feature leather and suede options. Both practical and stylish, at least one boot from this family will be a must have for your country wardrobe.
I have a very clear love affair with this family of boots out of my whole Fairfax & Favor collection, and I wanted to shine the spotlight on them and share some of my thoughts with you.
On social media I have often been asked questions about ways to wear these boots, but also about their practicality, fit and my genuine thoughts. I always love to share my experiences with you, and let you know how I have got on, as well as how I like to style them. When it is products I am really excited about, I can’t contain my excitement in being able to share the details with you!
So let’s have a closer look at each boot from this collection! It may seem like I have done this in a strange order, however, I wanted to take you along with my journey of the Rockingham Family, so I am going to start with where it all began….

THE ROCKINGHAM MID-CALF BOOT

The first boot to be launched in the Rockingham Family – The Mid-Calf Boot. This boot launched as part of the S/S18 collection, aptly named after the Rockingham International Horse Trials, which Fairfax & Favor Sponsor.

With its modern take on the traditional cowboy boot, the Rockingham offers a stylish alternative, whilst still incorporating a classic western design. Sitting at mid-calf height, the Rockinghams feature a rounded toe with stitched detailing, two boot pull loops and an inner zip, making these extremely easy to get on and off. They also feature modest 6cm cuban heel, which is elegant, but practical.

These were my first purchase from the Rockingham family, purchased in 2018 when they launched. I completely fell in love with these boots, as the classic country western style sits so well with me. I love that traditional style, and these western inspired boots just had to be part of my wardrobe.

I have been so excited about these boots ever since, it took absolutely no persuading for me to want these boots or to purchase them. If you are deciding between the three, these would be perfect if you are wanting your inner cowgirl to surface.

They pair so well with so many outfits, so styling options are endless, and they have the ability to create such different looks. They are really comfortable and will take you season to season with no questions asked. I have the boots in Tan, but they are also available in the Chocolate suede as well. I protected these boots immediately with Liquiproof Suede Protector, and they have remained unmarked despite being well worn!

This product online states that these boots run true to size, however, I actually sized down by 1 size in this boot. I ordered the 4 and for some reason on me, they were like flippers, I couldn’t walk in them without tripping. I don’t normally need to do this with F&F footwear, and I am not sure what was different about this style of boot. This was just my personal experience, F&F do offer a size guide, so I would always advise following this initially.

Available in both Tan & Chocolate.

THE KNEE HIGH ROCKINGHAM TALL BOOT

Launching for A/W19, the Knee High Rockingham was a welcome addition to the Rockingham family. Originally available in Tan, but now also available in Chocolate as well, the Knee High Rockingham offers a sophisticated ‘older sister’ to the mid-calf boot.

I first saw the Knee High Rockingham at Burghley last year, and I just knew they were going to have to be part of my wardrobe. Just as when you lock eyes with that cute boy at the bar, my eyes were firmly locked on these, and probably a slightly safer obsession than the boy!

Adopting a sleek take on the traditional cowboy boot, the Knee High Rockingham is still unmistakably western, whilst delivering with elegance and style. Featuring a detailed hand stitched toe, the modest Cuban heel and attractive shaping to the top of the boot. These boots feature an inner zip and rear zip, meaning they are easy to take on and off.

The toe on these boots is a different shape to the other two Rockingham boots. This boot has a much more square and narrow toe.
I wore these boots straight away when they arrived and took them out to shoot content, they didn’t rub at all. They also came to Nashville with me, where I walked… and walked… and walked!!! They were comfortable the whole time and didn’t give me any problems. I kept true to size in this boot.

These are so easy to dress up or down, and they look SO elegant. Out of the family of Rockinghams, these would be the easiest to dress up in my opinion, so if you are really wanting more of a dressy boot, these would 100% be the ones I would recommend for you!

Available in Tan & Chocolate.

THE ROCKINGHAM ANKLE BOOT

Also launching in line with the A/W19 collection, the Rockingham family introduced an Ankle boot. Needless to say I fell in love with these too! I had been looking for a chelsea boot for quite a while, but nothing really drew my attention, until these. This ankle boot was much more to my style than a traditional chelsea boot.

These boots definitely still keep in line with the Western theme, with their detailed stitching to the toe, and their 6cm Cuban heel. There is a memory foam insole for comfort and elasticated side panels for ease of putting on and removal, this also features the signature shield logo.

I find the 6cm heel on the F&F boots so flattering, it isn’t enough of a heel to feel like you are going to stumble if you aren’t a fan of a heel, but it is enough to make you feel really elegant, and to elongate the boots, creating such a flattering, desired look.

The Rockingham Ankle Boot comes in the most colours out of the range of boots. There is a Tan, Chocolate, Tan, Mahogany-Leather and Khaki. The leather option would be another great choice for those of you who are wanting a boot to stand up to the Chelsea Boot lifestyle. There was also a limited edition navy colour which launched, so if you were lucky enough to get your hands on a pair of those then wow! I definitely do also have my eyes on the Khaki. It is so unique but just so pretty, and looks so summery.

I wanted these as a pair of ‘throw on’ boots, so I went for the Chocolate as I just thought these would possibly be slightly easier to maintain as an ankle boot. I find Chocolate ever so slightly harder to style, I think probably because I wear a lot of Navy, so tend to be drawn to Navy or Tan. They are actually incredibly easy to style though, and the colour is standing up to their lifestyle.

With these being a short boot, I wasn’t 100% sure if I would have endless ways to style them, especially going for the Chocolate option. I have the F&F Kensington Ankle Boots, and these see a LOT of wear in my wardrobe, I fell in love with these! My initial worry with the Chocolate was that they would appear very separate to the outfit if I was to wear a dress or skirt, but actually having played around with them now, I really like them with both.

This product online states that it runs true to side. I actually sized down by 1 size in this boot. I don’t normally need to do this with F&F footwear, however, as you know I had to do this with the mid-calf Rockingham boot, so I had wondered if I might need to size down in this boot too. I tried on the size 4 at HOYS last year, and unfortunately – it was too big, so I ordered the 3 when they came back into stock, which fit me perfectly. I would advise again using the F&F size guide online if you are unsure, as I don’t normally change my size with this brand.

The only thing I did find was that these boots rubbed a bit when I first wore them, which I didn’t find with the other two pairs. Admittedly, I did wear them on a walk through some woodland for about and hour and a half – so it probably wasn’t the wisest first outing for them, or footwear for the terrain for that matter! Since wearing them in a couple of times, I haven’t found them to rub again.

Available in Chocolate, Tan, Mahogany-Leather and Khaki.

I hope you’ve loved this blog and found it useful.

Lots of love, Lucinda xo

We'd like to thank Lucinda again for her love and support of Fairfax & Favor!