Thanks all!
On the combat boots, this is a summary of the conversation I had with my mum on the weekend about my outfit:
My mum: “What are those boots?”
Me: “Combat boots.”
My mum: “They look very heavy. Should you be wearing those with such a pretty skirt?”
Me: “It’s a fashion thing. It’s called juxtaposition. You wear masculine with feminine, casual with dressy. It’s about unexpected combinations.”
My mum: Pauses. Purses lips. “Well, the colours go together.”
She will take some convincing yet!