Dial 1-800-BUTTERLOVER, Bloody Osiris Has the Answers

The holidays can be stressful for the obvious reasons (travel delays, overweight luggage fees, end-of-year deadlines) and the less obvious (finding the right gifts, fielding questions about your job for the umpteenth time, ignoring your aunt’s unsolicited commentary on your love life). But chances are if you’re the fashion-forward family member who’s spent the year roaming New York and avoiding Judi Jupiter’s lens, you’ve got another responsibility: showing up in a fit that proves you know your style, and finding gifts that prove you know a thing or two about theirs, too. Luckily, there’s one New York staple that checks both boxes.

Some shoes are synonymous with cities. Flip-flops: Miami. Clogs: Copenhagen, probably. Rain boots: got to be London, innit. And Timbs: that’s all New York, baby. Specifically, the classic 6-inch boot, affectionately known around these parts as “butters” because of that soft, smooth, buttery texture of the nubuck leather and that rich, golden hue. 

Funny thing is, the boot wasn't even designed with the city in mind. When Timberland introduced its original waterproof boot in 1973 from its New England headquarters, the goal was to simply keep outdoor workers' feet dry. But by the late '80s and early '90s, the boot had found a second home in New York, where hip-hop helped transform workwear into a cornerstone of New York style. From the Bronx to Brooklyn, Timbs became shorthand for a certain kind of East Coast swag, eventually traveling well beyond the five boroughs. Today, that legacy lives on in the Stone Street Platform Boot’s chunky silhouette and the Field Boot’s Beef & Broccoli colorway, bringing a city staple into the next gen.

For Harlem-born and raised stylist and renaissance man, Bloody Osiris, Timbs are practically second nature. Osiris remembers seeing Tupac's character Bishop in Juice wearing Timberland's 40 Below silhouette, a look that still informs his style today. “I think I came out [of] the womb with a pair of butters on,” says Osiris. (Considering Timbs make a regular appearance in his weekly rotation, he might be deadass.) A forefather of fly, Osiris employs a simple formula for staying ahead: “Never stop learning, be a sponge, keep the youngins near, trade knowledge, don’t fear trying something new.” And sometimes old — in this case, butters.

New York native Britt Thurston, better known as “Thickney,” has never been one to follow the crowd. The content creator grew up watching her mom wear Beef & Broccolis before getting her own pair as a kid. “I remember getting black timbs in high school cause I wanted to be different,” says Thurston. “I hate wearing what everyone else has on.” That ethos carries into her "tomboy cunt trade" style, typically underscored by baggy jeans, plenty of jewelry, and classic 6-inch Timbs — laces undone. “Anyone who wears Timbs laced up is insane and should be watched closely!” Noted for the next holiday dinner.

They say you can take the man out of New York, but you can’t take the New York out of the man, and if there’s one globetrotting New Yorker who proves it, it’s Jay Guapo. Between going viral for his signature blue-cardigan dance, modeling in global campaigns, and collaborating with the Kardashians, Guapo stays booked and busy, but never misses a chance to rep his hometown through his style. “You gotta wear baggy pants or long jean shorts with Timbs,” says Guapo. 

It’s a rule rooted in his native Bronx, where he grew up seeing green bombers and Timberlands on the regular as the uniform of the late aughts. The Beef & Broccoli Field Boot brings that hometown nostalgia full circle, even as his career takes him around the world. Guapo’s come-up has been swift, but he’s in no rush to force what comes next. “If you feel lost right now, God’s timing is perfect.” Fitting, seeing his ideal holiday isn’t about what’s under the tree, but who’s around it. “I want to get a big [Airbnb] for my family and spend at least a weekend together. Something we’ve never done but I’ve always thought about.”

Holidays already come with their own built-in stressors, so do yourself a favor and make your gift list easy. Step one: don’t overthink the classics. You can never go wrong with a little New York history wrapped in wheat nubuck.