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Boots...... again

pil

Veteran

I’m waiting for the lightening bolt to strike and make my boot decision easy. Since that isn’t likely to happen, hopefully you’ll humor me once again and offer opinions and observations that I’m just not connecting the dots to.

My wants are:
1. Fairly weather/water proof to withstand car to destination snow and sleet – not for snow shoveling.
2. Not too heavy or chunky
3. Leather
4. Heel 2" or less
5. Under $200. The Blondos at about $180 are much more than I've ever paid for a pair of boots or shoes.
6. For wear over or under pants.

The NAS Blondos were my original plan, though because they are a bit snug I’m still waffling on them even after my last post asking for opinions. Which leads me to believe that if I’m waffling, maybe they should go back, as much as I like them.

The Frye Veronicas were suggested by a couple of people, but they are chunkier than I want. I found the Frye Veras for $150 on 6pm and quite like them. Of course I couldn’t decide on a color and ended up ordering two pair – gray and red.

Then, just to make things extra confusing, I ordered a pair of taller heel booties from Lands End. These don’t fit any of the criteria aboe. They’re fun and the price was right to try a new silhouette. They come in a chocolate brown as well, but I thought the lighter color would be better with dresses. Though it now occurs to me that maybe the chocolate would be a better choice with an opaque hose. Hmmm.

So, in light of my current boot collection (photo #1), wants stated above, and what you may know of my ‘style’(?)……

Blondo or Frue? Or neither?
If Frye, which color - gray or red? Does one bookend my hair better? I think all of my coats would work with either color.
Does the height of the mid calf Fryes just look bad?
Does the Lands End bootie silhouette work for me with a dress or should they just go back?

Included for reference in my photo collages are comparable stylings with a taller boot.
Photo #2 is the Fryes with an added photo of the tall boot/skirt combination.
Photo #3 is both Fryes. The last pic in that collage is the Fryes under my straight/skinny jeans.
Photo #4 is Blondos and Fryes for height comparison.
Photo #5 is Lands End booties. The last pic in this collage is the dress with tall boots for comparison.

Sorry the lighting is so bad in the photos. I hope you can still get an idea of the colors. Thanks for helping me sort through this, I really appreciate it!

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Shopping

18 replies

Latest reply was from pil

kellygirl

Veteran

I'm starting with the last first--I love the LE booties. They bookend your hair and look great with the boot cuts. I think the shape is great with a dress too! The look like they fit well at the ankle and look so sleek. I imagine you can wear them with dresses in the fall with nude hosiery.

In terms of Blondos v. Frye, it's a toughy. I think the Blondos look incredibly sleek over the slim pants. The Fryes look great but they definitely have a more rugged vibe. Personally, I prefer the Fryes but I tend toward more tomboy looks. In terms of color, I much prefer the grey to the red for some reason. The grey look terrific with the skirt and Gap sweater and I like the little bit of contrast when worn with pants. I think the Fryes will be more versatile since you can wear them under pants too--I'm not so sure with the Blondos. Honestly, you really can't go wrong with any of these.

Anonymous

The only thing I caution with Fryes (will you be wearing them in wet/snow?) the leather soles are slippery if they don't have a rubber topy. I would think the salt/slush would ruin them quickly if you don't keep on top of oiling them and rinsing salt off.

pil

Veteran

@Kelly, your new Freys are what got me looking at the Veras. The Blondos can be worn under my bootcuts.
@Ceit, these do have a rubber sole with some texture and the snow/slush would be primarily walking from the car to the store, etc.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Okay, I love those Land's End booties on you. Can you keep those anyway, whatever you do? They bookend your hair really well and they just look good.

I can't help it -- I still like the Blondos on you. If they don't feel good, you should not keep them. But to me, the Fryes are too similar to your Anyi Lu boots from last year (at least in height) and a bit too rugged looking. Then again, you could be aiming for a style switch, in which case maybe they would be perfect.

pil

Veteran

Thanks, Suz. No style switch here - yet. Of course it would be helpful to for me to realize what I would be switching *from* You know, I completely spaced on the Anyi Lu boots having such similar details as the Fryes. I'm just a little wary of wearing them unless the streets are perfectly dry, despite treating the daylights out of them with suede protectant.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Yeah, I hear you on that. Suede is so tricky and you don't want to spoil them.

I think something like the Blondos would be more versatile for you. But who is to say if that something will appear. I certainly know the issues with fitting boots!

texstyle

(website)

Veteran

I agree that the Fryes might be too tomboy for your style. Those LE booties do look great on you both with the dress and pants and bookending. And of the two, I think I def. prefer the taller boot style with the skirt in photo #2. Those are the Blondos right? I'm not totally sure about them with pants though. All that tucking in of the pant leg makes me think of discomfort.

And thank you for giving me one more place to try and find some ankle boots for this fall/winter (LE) as I had not thought of them before now and they have some on sale to check out!

pil

Veteran

Texstyle, the booties were on sale plus 30% off, so they cost about $60. The Blondos are in the pants pictures #4. The boots with the pink skirt are from last year and my first foray into knee high boots.

Mary Beth (formerly LBD)

(website)

Veteran

Okay, so you have a list, and ideally, the boots you keep will tick every box on that list....

I think where you are kind of stuck is, you have an unwritten list, of looks you want to be able to achieve with your boots - some of the looks are sleek and more refined, others are rugged and more tomboy.

I think where you need to make a decision, is... can you only choose one pair of boots, or can you pick two? (or more). If it is one pair, then you have to identify what 'look' you most want to have - more refined, or more rugged. You can be refined and shovel snow, and you can be more rugged, and still look beautiful and appropriate with a skirt, and hose, sitting down to dine at a restaurant.

I'm not really sure about your style (I need to go back and dig through previous posts ) But because my personal style is more Team Refined than Team Rugged, I personally love the Blondos. So they would be my first choice. If you are good with buying two pairs of boots, I like the red Fryes as well. I think both pairs look great on you.

I think you look really cute in the LE booties, but they don't pop out as anything special, or unique, or one-of-a-kind. If you love them, I say keep them, and if you're not sure, I say hold out for something that steals your heart.

Beth Ann

Veteran

Another vote for the Blondos and the LE booties! I'm not liking the midcalf boots as well with the dresses, although I'd think they'd work with pants.

I'm understand boot conundrums ---- it's tough to go PPP!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

I like the Fryes on you, and I kind of favor the "red" (which doesn't look all that red??) for bookending your hair, though the gray is a more seamless look with the pants you're showing here. However, the Fryes don't fit your criteria too well (I think they are a little chunky), and I do think they could be similar to the feel of the Anyi Lus (which are a more chic version of this moto-inspired style). I prefer the Fryes with pants and love the current look of them as you've styled them. They can also work with the skirts, though I like the LEs better with a skirt.

I like the Lands End booties a lot. They look great with your pants and skirts.

The Blondos look fab, and they're different than any of your other boots. They seem to fill your wardrobe hole and criteria best of all. But if they aren't comfy, you could pass them up and wait for the right pair. Meanwhile, the LEs could satisfy your desire for a new boot.

pil

Veteran

Thanks for the comments on the LE boots. I know they are very simple, but I thought they would be a good starter boot for a completely new look on me. The heel on my Pettys are lower and I feel they make my legs look stumpy with a skirt.
@LBD, I prefer to make only one *big* boot purchase this year. When you break it down to team refined and team rugged, I think I lean more toward traditional/refined.
@Beth Ann, I think I'm probably expecting too much from one pair of boots! Any luck with your boot search?
@Firecracker, your point about the Anyi Lus being a more chic version of the Fryes is a good one and not something I realized until it was pointed out! I was really only seeing the similarity in terms of shaft height. The footbed of the Blondos is terrific,they're just a smidge snug at the calf.

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Whoa--check out these new additions to the Nordstrom site:
Sam Edelman tall boot in a whiskey color and extended calf:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sa.....ersonalize

And another Sam Edelman tall boot in black, with stretchy side inserts:
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/sa.....038;contex

Maybe you've already considered these; if so, never mind.

P.S. Your dog is so cute!

pil

Veteran

Those are nice! At 16" the shafts are too high for me though. I may give these Aetrex boots a try http://www.6pm.com/aetrex-essence-heather-black

And my dog is an attention hog

Marley

Veteran

For myself, it is impossible to find boots that work with both pants and skirts. I think that the fit, height, style, etc. has to be completely different for pants as compared to skirts - so, with that in mind - I'd get the Blondos for skirts and the Fryes for pants - and I'd keep the LE just because they are fun and easy to style!

Firecracker (Sharan)

Veteran

Marley's nothing but trouble, is she? Ha ha!
The Aetrex look nice! A fun take on the riding boot, with the stretchy back half.

rae

(website)

Veteran

I LOVE the LE booties with both pants and the dress! Keep those for sure!

I am questioning whether any boots that require tucking are going to jive with the straight leg jeans. Both the Fryes and the Blondos seem to create a lot of bunching, whereas the jeans look great when worn with a booties and allowed to drape naturally. For skirts, I like all the options, but the Blondos seem to work best with these outfits in terms of matching the dressiness of the other pieces.

pil

Veteran

@Marley, you are quite the troublemaker
@Rae, another reason why I love this place! The $20 jeans as the fly in the ointment. Thanks for making that observation! Of course, now I'll have to start a new jeans thread.......