Hello Megan,

I hope you don't mind me posting this here because I know many of us are perplexed over the issue Angie had with the Frye Rory boots, and I think this sheds some light on the mystery.

So Megan ordered the Rorys in sand, the same color that I have, and had them sent to me to see if they are the same quality. Well, honestly, I'm a little baffled. Visually, they are nearly identical. Megan's boots are maybe a touch darker & slightly more textured than mine, but that's it. (My boots are wrinkled because I've been wearing them all day, whereas Megan's have been neatly stuffed and stacked in a box.)

However, to the touch there is a vast difference. The leather on my boots really felt soft right out of the box - like the softest, most buttery leather jackets I have touched - while the pair that Megan ordered is really no different than the leather on my (much beloved) cognac Rockport boots. Not rough, but not buttery soft and slightly "pebbly" since you can feel the outer texture of the boots. The leather on Megan's pair is *slightly* thicker, too.
My guess is that these are either seconds, or a different leather/dye lot than the pair that I got. Interesting, because they are both from 6 PM, and mine were purchased just weeks earlier.

At the top of one of Megan's boots, there is also a small flaw on the leather - I'm not sure whether it is something that would wipe off with leather cleaner or water, because I didn't want to take liberties with someone else's footwear. I highly doubt it would be visible when you wear it because it's very small, but Megan, I still wanted to let you know about it.

Below are some photos for comparison. (Apologies for the lighting - at this time of year, I miss our limited daylight hours entirely while I'm at work.)

#1-2 Megan's boots
#3 My boots at left, Megan's boots at right
#4-5 close up: My boot at left, Megan's boot at right
#6 close up: Megan's
#7 close up: Mine

So Megan, what do you think? Please let me know if you have any questions you'd like me to answer before you make a decision. I don't mean to bias you against them, because they are still *beautiful* boots, but they may not soften up or slouch as much.