Manolo says, here is the Manolo’s latest column for the Express of the Washington Post.

Dear Manolo,

I am 13 and I have a boot crisis. I want to wear boots to middle school, but I don’t have much money to spend, just $60 or $70. I like tall boots, preferably in a brown or hazel-ish color and with flat heels.

Sophie

Manolo says, the Manolo commends his young friend on her fashion sense and her desire to look stylish while she suffers the multifold emotional travails of middle school.

However, as always, the Manolo must note that it is exceedingly difficult to find decent boots for less than $150 of the American dollars.

Yes, there are many so-called boots available in the lowest price ranges, but these are dreadful things you would not wish upon your worst “frenemy” , seeing as they are most often fabricated from the toxic plastics recycled from the lead-filled toys recalled to China.

But, the Manolo understands what it is like to be poor, so poor that you must make your own boots out of buffalo hides you have softened by chewing, Comanche-style.

And so the Manolo would recommend the Gambit, the attractive tall suede boot from Penny Loves Kenny. Yes, it is $40 more than your budget, but trust the Manolo, you cannot find better for less.