UGG Cecile Review

This Top Pick for Style is versatile and adorable. Wear it all day while at work or while performing simple winter chores around town.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Cecile does not have many warmth features, earning a four out of ten in this category. With a simple UGG wool lining and a fairly thin sole, it's not meant for the coldest of days. In fact, we wore them out while hiking on a frozen lake during the Polar Vortex in Ontario this past winter where temperatures dipped to the negative tens.

While wearing a simple pair of wool socks and winter pants, the tootsies were frozen after just five minutes. We managed about fifteen minutes outside before we were forced to come inside. Manufactured as a duck boot, suitable for rainy walks in the city, this is not a super warm model. That said, it did just fine in temperatures that hovered around 30 degrees Fahrenheit (freezing). Wear them around town for most winter days, but leave them at home if you plan on being in super severe or cold weather.

While duck boot is warmer than the Keen Elsa, it's not as warm as the super cute faux-fur collared Sorel Tofino II. The Sorel features a thicker sole, longer shaft, and faux-fur collar that all work together to lock in warmth. The Sorel is a lot heavier than the UGG and has a completely different style. The Sorel is an excellent option if you want better warmth and better protection with a faux-fur, Eskimo-style look. That said, its one of the cutest boots in this review with its contrasting color schemes and feminine flair.

If you search for one of the warmest boots that still boasts a stylish flair, check out the Sorel Joan of Arctic, our Top Pick for Severe Weather. While it is much heavier than the UGG Cecile, it's far more protective and warm. A great option if you need a winter boot for standing or walking around town in temperatures that reach all the way down to the sub-zeros.

Weather Protection

The UGG Cecile did fine in our winter field days tests but failed in our more rigorous water tests. While the leather is waterproof, major water leakage occurred where the laces meet the body of the boot when we stood out in a reservoir. Our socks were immediately soaked, performing poor in comparison to other watertight contenders. We can't recommend it for super deep snow (as the height of the boot is low), nor can we recommend it for super wet days outside. While it did just fine walking around town, there are better boots that offer better weather protection. It scores a five out of ten in this category.

Even though the UGG Cecile doesn't have as bomber an outsole as the rubber outsole in the Keen Elsa, it performs better in this metric. The UGG's leather outsole is waterproof from rainfalls and puddles, while the Keen Elsa has a fabric upper that is water resistant at best that allowed water to flow freely during our puddle tests. Sadly, both of these lower profile boots did not perform as well as other Pac boots and winter hikers in our tests.

If you seek a super weatherproof boot that offers a cute style, check out either the Sorel Tofino II or Sorel Joan of Arctic. Both provide a faux-fur collar, with the Joan of Arctic providing better weather protection overall (more extended boot height, thicker outsole). The super lightweight Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat is also another excellent choice. It is surprisingly waterproof for its fabric construct and has a plush faux fur liner and collar.

Comfort & Fit

The lightweight and simple nature of this boot make it one of the most comfortable boots to wear all day! It is a favorite for wearing to work, commuting, and casual nights out with friends. The UGG liner isn't by any means plush, but thin and fairly cozy. The 7-inch height (from the bottom of the boot) makes it easy to wear over a pair of skinny jeans or underneath a boot-cut pant. The fit accommodates both narrow and wide-footed ladies. The heel cup provides a snug fit while the forefoot is fairly voluminous making wear of thick or thin wools socks easy. All our tester agreed this boot is true to size without the need to size up. The sole is fairly flat without much arch support and lacks cushioning underfoot; it will also take a couple of wears before fully breaking in. Overall, because of its versatile fit and overall lightweight comfort, it earned a solid nine out of ten as we commonly chose it for daily winter wear and travel. The highest score in this review.

While the Cecile boasts comfort unmatched by other contenders, we also enjoyed the lightweight design of the Keen Elsa. On a daily basis, this was another boot we chose to wear that received many style points on the street.

It has a wider fit with a bit of a taller shaft height. That said, this award winner is simple, thin, and not very cushioned. If you seek a super cozy boot, check out the lightest boot tested, the Columbia Heavenly Omni-Heat, weighing less than a pound per boot.

The interior is 100% lined with fur, featuring a fur collar. If you prefer a more technical boot, the The North Face Chilkat III is one of the most comfortable winter hiking boots tested alongside the Keen Durand Polar, our Editors' Choice winner. However, neither of these hiking boots are particularly stylish.

Ease of Use

Once again scoring the highest in this category for a lace-up boot, the UGG Cecile is super easy to use. The lower shaft height makes lacing simple. Slide your foot in (without using your hands) and simply pull. Simply untie the laces and kick the boot off without much effort; since it's lightweight, it's easy to wear all day long. If you don't feel like lacing it up, you don't have to as the long laces will stay in its eyelets. It scores a nine out of ten in this category for its simple design and lightweight.

By comparison, the only boot to score just as high is the Kamik Momentum, our Best Buy award winner. This boot has a laceless design. Simply slip your foot in and kick it off at the door. The Keen Elsa is another lower boot option with just a few more eyelets. We thought it was relatively easy to pull on and wore it for all-day wear on a daily basis.

Traction

With a rubber outsole infused with a cork material and lugs that aren't particularly deep, this boot earns a measly four out of ten. While testing over hard packed, soft packed, and ice inlaid conditions, it grabbed and stuck to the surface, making travel around town safe and simple. That said, when we took it to the trails, serious performance differences were noted. Other hiking boots and Pac Boots with a deeper lug design obviously performed better, gripping slippery surfaces better than the UGG. As a result, we'd recommend this boot for casual wear or the occasional hike on less technical surfaces. But, we can't recommend it for severe weather, steep terrain, or snowshoeing.

If you seek the ultimate in traction, boots with big lugs are the way to go. The Keen Durand Polar and the Kamik Momentum have super large lugs that grab all sorts of steep and flat surfaces. Both boots perform better than the Cecile in our traction tests. That said, no contender did particularly well over snow.

The Keen Elsa features better traction utilizing deeper and more plentiful lugs. In our tests, this similarly designed low-profile boot did better in hiking tests and grabbed snowy surfaces particularly well. This is a great alternative for those seeking a more stylish low-profile winter boot with better traction.

Style

Earning a perfect ten in this metric, this Top Pick for Style is a favorite among our testers. Cast in a waterproof leather with a duckbill toe box and shaft height of 7-inches, this super cute contender was chosen for work and social events on several occasions. We wore it to work, out to dinner with friends, around town, and even out to the bar. Wear it with a cute winter dress or skirt or sport it under a pair of bootcut jeans. These boots did complete several ensembles throughout the winter seasons, with the most compliments of any boot tested.

If the short duckbill leather boot is not your thing, be sure to check out more 'wintry boot' options. Faux-fur provides that cute winter look that many ladies either love or hate. If a tall faux-fur boot that fits over top of tight jeans or leggings is your scene, the Sorel Tofino II is by far the cutest winter boot and our top recommendation for style. While it's not the warmest boot out there, it received a ton of compliments at work and on the street for its multicolored faux fur collar, water-resistant quilted shaft, and feminine outsole. The Sorel Joan of Arctic is also super cute, but it has a much bulkier look with a less feminine outsole. Our tests did love the taller shaft and the suede-upper that gives this a "Northern" look.

If you still like a lower boot profile, but you're not keen (pun intended) on the UGG Cecile, the Keen Elsa is another excellent choice. Our testers love the colorful upper that contrasts with the rubber outsole. This boot is sleek and straightforward in design, also earning a high score in this category.

Best Applications

This boot is our go-to for casual wear around town and to work. It's stylish enough to wear out to a casual dinner with friends and ready to take on slushy snow puddles. That said because it's not a tall boot, nor did it perform well for warmth or weather protection, we wouldn't recommend it for days where snowbanks are high or when the mercury plummets anywhere below freezing. Our favorite for around town use, it is capable of tackling super mellow trails but is not fit for winter hiking. It's a great option to wear during rainy weather in the Fall or Spring, which is an added bonus!

Value

If style is what you seek, the $170 may not seem too daunting. That said, there are winter boots that perform much better for a lower price, but aren't as stylish or cute. For example; the Kamik Momentum is only $90 and performs much better in the nasty. Though, it's not nearly as stylish. The Keen Elsa has similar performance with a bit of a different look and is only $130 retail.

Conclusion