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Frye worth the expense?

Gigi

Veteran

I've been eyeing these Frye lace-up booties. I ordinarily find Frye a little too chunky for my style, but these seem to be OK.

My concern is the price tag, which is a lot for one pair of shoes. Do those of you who own Frye shoes think they're worth the high price tag? I have one pair of Frye flats that are a few years old, and the uppers are in pretty good shape, except they are worn at the heel and the soles probably need replacing. I got them on sale, though, so I've gotten my money's worth out of them. Not sure whether it's worth it to buy these booties at full price, and I can't find anywhere that has them on sale (Anthro had 20% off the other day, but they don't carry my size).

Frye Gabby Ghillie Stud

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16 replies

Latest reply was from Gigi

Style Fan

Veteran

I bought a pair of Frye boots in the 1970s and another pair about 10 years ago. I loved both pairs. I still have the ones from 10 years ago and I still wear them. They hardly look like they have been worn. But I am not hard on my footwear or clothes.
I definitely think Frye is worth the money. I plan on buying another pair.

Frye 'Harness 12R' Boot

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jill58

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I have Frye boots that I bought fairly recently--they're very nice but I did buy them on substantial sale and probably wouldn't have paid first price for them. I like the booties but I would be hesitant to spend that much on something that wasn't a fairly classic style. These booties seem quite trendy so even though I like them, I don't think I would personally want to pay full price for them. I would probably watch for a mark-down or find another lace-up bootie that I liked. I would also look for a slightly lower heel since 3 3/4" would be too much for me. On the other hand, if you love them and feel like you will wear them for a long time you may not want to wait for a sale.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

I think Jill58 makes good points. Would you be satisfied with something similar, or do you really want exactly those? If you'll just wear them occasionally for a year or two, your price per wear will be high. These are much lower-priced; are any of them close enough that they could scratch that itch? Some have a thinner heel, but it doesn't sound like the stacked heel is your favorite feature anyway. The Tavernelle or Asoniele might be closest.

http://www.callitspring.com/us.....0495814-26

http://www.callitspring.com/us.....-up/c/7129

Btw, this is where we get my son's dress-up shoes, which he probably needs a 12-20 times a year. When he outgrows them in 1 or 2 years, they don't show any wear. They'd certainly hold up to more frequent wear, but I don't know how much.

Gigi

Veteran

Stylefan, I'm not that hard on my footwear either. So these would likely last a long time.

Jill58, you're right that these booties are trendy, and I have no idea whether I'll still be interested in wearing them after a couple of years. It would be a gamble.

fashiontern, thanks for the website ref. We actually have a Call It Spring store in the local mall. What I really like about the Fryes is (1) the block heel, (2) the studs, and (3) the color. So they hit quite a few checkboxes for me. But maybe I should just keep my eye out for something similar at a cheaper price point.

Jenni NZ

Veteran

Gigi I think it also depends on how many shoes you have and how easily you fall in love with shoes. For me as a shoe fanatic, I fall in love with so many. (I keep a "wish list" on my fave Aussie site Styletread which can get up to 25 pairs in it- that was the maximum). It's clearly stupid and unrealistic for me to even consider expanding from 50 to 75 pairs! Don't have the budget or the space. But say you have 15 pairs not 50, and you really really love these, then maybe over time you will get the wear? They look really high though. I couldn't walk in those.

Gigi

Veteran

Jenni NZ, I do like shoes, but due to space constraints I have only about 20 pairs for a four-season climate. The pairs that I do have get pretty good wear, aside from the few pairs that I have for special occasions. But you are right that if I buy the Fryes, the other shoes I have will not get as much wear. I'm still thinking about whether I want that to be the case.

The Fryes do have a high heel, but I routinely wear 3.5" heels, and the block heel makes these much more stable. I actually tried on a pair of the Fryes from Anthropologie, and I can walk in them fine. They are actually quite comfortable for the heel height. So I know that comfort will not be an issue with them.

Anonymous

I know high heels are not popular on this forum but I'm not giving up on them either!

To me, having softer-looking, butteryer, thicker leather and a leather insole is worth it on real shoes, but less worth it on sandals, as they have more distracting details and you don't need to have a great insole because they are inherently breathable.

So for Frye shoes and boots I'd pay more, but probably not for the sandals.

catherine

Veteran

I have a number of Frye boots. Some of I have had for more than a decade.
They are extremely durable and comfortable. They also polish nicely and remain sharp looking for a long time.
I have purchased less expensive boots that ended up being donated because they didn't have the same cool look or feel.
Well worth the money, in my opinion.

Stagiaire Fash

Veteran

Oh, you do like the chunky heel? Between that and not seeing the studs on my phone, I was way off! It still might be worth a swing through that store to see if you can get a similar look for less (assuming that these wouldn't be worn daily or for years & years).

Beth

Veteran

Smittie makes some good points. I have several pairs of Frye boots in classic styles and they're worth the price. Even after years of wear, they still look brand new. I'll probably have my cowgirl boots for decades.

I also have a pair of Frye sandals. I bought them on a very good sale, and probably wouldn't have purchased them at full price simply because there's just not enough of a shoe there to justify the difference between high quality leather and a lesser version.

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

My concern is the heel height. But I encourage the quality of the brand.

ETA: These are almost 4 inch heels. 2 inches is fine. 3 inches trickier, but not a train smash if you can manage. I would be weary of the 4 inch.

Susie

Veteran

I agree with Beth and smittie, that Frye boots are definitely worth the price, but it might be harder to justify a higher price for a sandal.

To get enough wear from them, you'd want to keep them for several years. So maybe a style that looks a bit more current- like a block heel rather than high heel- might provide better longevity.

Sal

Veteran

If you love them and can see them being worn for several years I think it is worth paying for quality. I have a pair of Josef Siebel sandals that I love and wear so often on summer. They are not highly fashionable but I keep on loving them!

Brooklyn

Veteran

I can also wear 2-3 inch heels no problem if they are a block heel. And, like Smittie, I don't plan to give up on them

I have a few pairs of Fryes (a few boots, a pair of mules and a pair of sandals). The boots and mules are really excellent quality and you can see it. The boots did take some wearing in because the leather is so thick. Disappointingly, the sandals wore out fast (I am hard on my shoes). I will probably get rid of them this summer. But mine are flat sandals with flimsy straps. Your sandals look more like boots to me. More substantial and more likely to last.

If you really love them, they fit well and are within budget, I vote yes.

Nomad

I *just* received my first pair of Frye boots today (actually two pairs, technically, because I wasn't sure if they'd run TTS or small based on the reviews). They seem absolutely rock-solid, but they will take some breaking in before they're really comfortable. I have no doubt they'll get there... even just wearing them around home for a little while, they already feel like they've started to soften up.

I agree with the points the other wise ladies have made... I'd be very willing to spend more than usual for a pair of Frye boots or real shoes, but I'd be hesitant to spend full price for their sandals or a trendy style. But nothing wrong if you did choose to bring these home, and I'm sure the quality is great.

Gigi

Veteran

Thanks for all the wise advice! I hadn't thought of differentiating between trendy shoes and classic, or between boots and sandals. It seems like the consensus is that something less "eye candy"-ish and practical might be worth spending big bucks on. My style changes a bit every year, so I don't know that I would wear these a lot. My climate actually would dictate a shorter window for them anyway. Lots to think about.