WASHINGTON – There were boots of every style last night at the Texas State Society Black Tie and Boots Ball – the first major ball in honor of President Bush’s second inauguration. But for every gal in boots, there was another behind her in strappy sequined sandals and no stockings. Never mind the three to four inches of snow.

“I heard boots were optional for women,” said Krystie Bush (no relation of the president) who came to the inauguration from Denver, where she pointed out, “it’s 70 degrees.” Wearing a seafoam green long gown with a sparkled back panel under a huge fur coat, Ms. Bush didn’t seem to mind taking the subway to the party with her husband.

Also going strappy, but from Seattle, was Vicki Gillis. The former Miss Washington climbed the subway escalator with her best friend, Kathryn Stenger, who coordinated all of the inaugural events associated with Washington State. She, too, ignored the chilly temperature and wore sexy sandals and a fur.

Another woman who seemed to confuse Washington with Los Angeles – a pretty brunette in a cream ball gown – said she was proud of her stylish sandals. “I didn’t want to buy cream boots,” she said, before her boyfriend whisked her away.

The ball, which took place at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, encompassed about a half a dozen ballrooms and was expected to draw more than 10,000 revelers.

Some savvy women were clever enough to tramp through the snow in boots but switch into their rhinestone encrusted stilettos once they got inside. “I have my shoes in my bag,” said Carmen Nadolney, a native of Houston. In the lobby, a woman in a beautiful lace and taffeta ballgown made no shame of slipping off her black moon boots and trading them for something more refined.

But of all the boots, cowboy boots took the lead. They came in silver, black with rhinestone trim, alligator skin, and red, white and blue for Texas.

The best pair of boots in the ballroom belonged to Kathy Wills of Dallas, who came in a pair of black sequined boots. “I went to Italy in the fall and thought, ‘Those are perfect for Black Tie and Boots,'” she said.

Also traveling in her party was Sue Wills of Dallas, who wore a pair of black sneakers and said she was in the mood to party. “We worked hard,” said Ms. Wills, proudly noting that she helped in the president’s grassroots campaign and even got a license plate that says “4Mor4W.”

Some women had other fashion ideas.

Kim Buhl and her daughters, Megan, 9, and Melissa, 12, all wore white sneakers with colorful laces that peeked out under their bright tulle gowns. “I’ve been to an inauguration before,” Ms. Buhl said. “The smart thing to do is wear comfortable shoes.”

And that’s just what Candice Garry, of Minneapolis, did. She came to the ball defiantly in low black snow boots. “I’m from Minnesota,” she said in explanation. “I’m like a kid in a candy store.”