The Perfect Fall Footwear: Ahnu Helena Boots {Review}

Although there are many aspects of summer that I have enjoyed the past few months, I have to admit that I'm loving that fall has officially arrived. School is underway, the temps have cooled (but, knock on wood, aren't too cold yet), the leaves have changed into all sorts of amazing colors... now if someone could just remove the looming threat of winter coming next, autumn would be just about perfect.

Another reason that I enjoy the changing of the seasons is the opportunity to go through our closets to have our wardrobes ready. For my daughters, that mainly means purging any outgrown pieces and packing away most of the shorts and tank tops.

For me, I attempt to remove any outdated clothing or items that have gone another year without leaving the hanger. And, my most favorite task, pulling out fall footwear! I love the ease and comfort of sandals but come on. Autumn means warm earth tones, rich leathers and getting to crunch in the leaves in anything from moccasins to loafers to my personal favorite, boots.

This year I'm even more excited about my own fall style because I've been introduced to a company that offers the most incredible footwear that I've seen in a long time. I'm in love with Ahnu!

Founded in the San Francisco Bay area in the spring of 2007, Ahnu offers the perfect blend of fashion and function. The founders combined their passion for the outdoors by engineering performance shoes with modern organic aesthetics, on-trend designs and sleek, vibrant colors.

Truly, Anhu is at the forefront of quality stylish footwear, so browsing their website can take an endless amount of time. How to make the decision or select a single favorite when there are so many that are classic yet trendy, artistic yet modern, and completely beautiful?

Knowing that a pair of Ahnu's amazing boots were exactly what I needed so that I wouldn't dread heading outdoors, I couldn't wait to see them in person. And, at the arrival of the women's Helena boots in Pewter, I was anything but disappointed.

My jaw literally dropped as I pulled the Helena out of the box and ran my hands over the gorgeous leather. Could these be any more amazing?

The waterproof leather upper is perfectly complemented by the medial zipper on the inside of each boot and the neoprene panel in the back is not only fashionable but provides just enough stretch for a perfect fit. Considering that I don't have the skinniest of calves, I adore that Ahnu added the back panel and eliminated my worry of not being able to zip these up.

Because do you know how devastated I would have been if these didn't fit? Everything from the beautiful, smooth leather to the added yellow accents and sole to the clean, even stitching really comes together to make these my dream pair of boots. They're just amazing!

Have I mentioned how much I love the look of these boots?

But that's not all. We've all had those pairs of shoes or boots that look great... but then pinch and rub and hurt when worn, leading to having to weigh just how much pain you'll put yourself through to wear them.

That's not the case with Ahnu's Helena boots. These feature a memory foam footbed (which is anti-microbial treated to minimize odor-causing bacteria) and an EVA midsole for lightweight cushioning and shock absorption. In simpler terms, these feel just as incredible as they look.

I typically have to slowly break in new pairs of shoes in an attempt to avoid blisters and aches throughout my feet, but with these I was able to slide them on and start wearing them immediately.

And wear them, I have.

Every single time I've put on these boots, I've not only felt fantastic in them but I've received multiple compliments. Ranging from Cute boots! to I like your boots. Those are GOOD boots! to everything in between, I'm clearly not alone in appreciating the style, design and construction of this footwear.

In fact, even my husband, who never has anything to say about my shoes other than mumbling about how I have too many pairs, commented on the high quality and how he thought that they were very nice. In my book, there isn't much higher praise!

No matter if they are matched with leggings, a skirt or a dress (if I had thinner calves I know that these would look dynamite with jeans as well), I have no doubt that these Ahnu Helena boots will last well through the fall, long into the winter and decades into the future. While the retail price ($200) is higher than some people might initially consider paying, I have zero doubt that there is no possibility of these ever needing to be replaced — the quality is unbeatable!

With multiple collections of footwear to choose from for women and men (as well as great fitness apparel and a yoga collection) there is sure to be a look to match everyone's personality and wardrobe at Ahnu. No matter if you choose to go bright and bold or more classic and traditional, your feet will thank you with your amazing choice!

Be sure to visit Ahnu.com to see all of the innovative, fashionable designs and to make a purchase of your own. You'll also want to connect with Ahnu on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram so that you don't miss anything new as this company continues to offer inspiration, photos, ideas and more surrounding their incredible footwear.

Other than the Helena boots that I was provided by Ahnu in order to facilitate my review, I was not compensated or enticed to do this post in any way. This review is solely my honest opinion of this product and my "artistic" angled photos are a side effect of having a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old as your photographers.