K/R: offseason boot haul from Rack - YouLookFab Forum

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K/R: offseason boot haul from Rack

abc

Veteran

I'm in the US on business this week so I hit the nearest Rack (across the parking lot from my hotel, how convenient - insert devlish grin here).

Found several pairs of boots similar to those on my wardrobe holes slash wish list. I'm not concerned about buying them offseason as I live in a milder climate and will get use more months of the year.

Below are the pairs I found with the "lust list" equivalent.

Photo 1 / Rack Pair 1: Cole Haan Alix, reg $348, Rack price $87
Photo 2 / Lust List Pair 1: Frye Veronica Short Back Zip, $298-338

Photo 3 / Rack Pair 2: Paul Green Mason, reg $398, Rack price $149.97
Photo 4 / Lust List Pair 2: Frye Carmen Harness Short, $298

I also bought 2 pairs not on my wardrobe hole list but that I am confident I will get wear from:
Photo 5 / Rack Pair 3: Paul Green Naomi, reg $398, Rack price $99.50
Photo 6 / Rack Pair 4: worn and refinished Naturalizer with leather and suede, Rack price $29.98

Questions:
1. For pairs 1 and 2, am I doing the right thing by going with a cheaper alternative? Thought process is buy cheaper to confirm the wardrobe hole then upgrade if needed (doubtful as CH and PG are great quality). Am I settling because of price? Should I hold out and get the lust list items instead (but later due to $)? Sometimes I am easily lured by sales...trying to overcome this problem.

2. For pair 1, Style-wise I prefer the Veronica short back zip, and I already have a pair of Veronica shorties (no zip) in brown so I know they will fit. But...CH is great quality and it's a fraction of the price. Fit is not quite as great as my Fryes, though they seem pretty comfy and have Nike Air technology. The CH boots got good reviews online.

3. For pair 2, I don't loooove the cowboy stitching on top of the boot but I can live with it because the fit is so comfortable and they seem like a dressy boot which works with my style (not to mention it will mostly be covered by bootcut jeans). Not sure on Frye fit, have heard this pair can be stiff. The PGs are half the price of the Fryes. Convincing myself to keep the PGs and they got good reviews online and are super comfy on my feet. Do you agree with Keep on these?

Thank you for your honest feedback and advice!

abc

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Shopping

14 replies

Latest reply was from rae

Liz A.

Veteran

I see boots #1 as a good substitute. They do look quite similar. Boots #2 is the one I'm not sure about. The look to me is quite different. I know I can sometimes be an outlier. I would wear the ones pictured in 4 with skinny jeans, tights, or leggings, whereas the ones pictured in 3, I wouldn't... has to do with the style of the opening.

Rack boots #4 is a no brainer at that price. I also like Rack boots #3, but I guess the question is do you really need them for that price?

Hil

(website)

Veteran

I am not sure I can offer too much advice... just wanted to say that those boots in #2 are AMAZING!!!

abc

Veteran

Liz, you hit on a good point. The cowboy style PGs do seem to have a smaller leg opening than the Frye Carmen Harness Shorts which may limit use with skinny leg pants. But they were sooo comfy when I tried them on, I didn't want to take them off.

Same with the gray PGs, super comfy. I guess they are more of a splurge than the others but again when i tried them on they were so comfy out of the gate. I can style them with a couple of casual dresses I have as well as with leggings. Do I need them, probably not. Do I want to keep them, yes! Therein lies the issue...

The Naturalizers are no brainers as you said.

Thanks for the feedback, Liz.

abc

Veteran

Hil, do you mean photo 2?

shedev

Veteran

I've noticed that your lust boots have different shaft heights than the rack boots, is that important? Also do you need two pairs of each even if the price is good? I cant tell you what is a good substitute for you but I'd ask if the deal boots have the details that drew you to the more expensive ones.
I was looking for rate, strappy, knee high, black boots. Couldn't find the ones I wanted in my size, and ended up with my midcalf, rate, strappy, black Steve Maddens. My happy factor is so high that I cant even remember what the origonal boots I wanted were hope this helps.

abc

Veteran

I should clarify, I only plan on having one pair of each style. So the question is for pair 1, keep the CH from Rack or return and save to buy the Frye back zip boots. Same q for pair 2, return the PGs and save for the Fryes.

Thanks for the feedback thus far. You guys are giving me lots to think about. Sometimes I am lured by good deals. Pairing that with comfy shoes like the PGs just makes the decision harder!

Diana

Veteran

Hmm, so at first glance the 4 pairs that you bought all look quite similar to me. Obviously they are different colors, but they have a similar silhouette, shaft height, and heel height. In particular the third and fourth pairs look really similar if you don't consider color. So, my question would be: is this a style/silhouette that you love and wear all the time? Can you justify having four pairs? (The answer may be yes, in which case it would be fine to keep all of them.) The two lust list Fryes look different to me, which suggests to me that maybe you are after more variety in style... In general, I'd say the Fryes both seem more rugged and heavy, which is not a vibe I get from the ones you've purchased.

Anonymous

Oooooh! I am soooo looking forward to visiting the Rack in June!

I am not much help, but I don't know that the Naturalizers should be a no brainer. I know they were cheap, but I have been warned off many times from naturalizers due to poor quality.

The boots I bought this year are crappy quality - should have listened and put those dollars to a great quality pair.

#2 looks like a lower heel compared to what you bought. I would need the lower heel but that might not concern you.

#3 I think the cowboy stitching makes the boots a lot different looking than what you wanted. However, I have a similar pair with the stitching and love them for my very casual life.

Eliza

Veteran

Agree that if comfortable, number one will work the same way as the pair you originally coveted. I see more difference in the 2 'number 2 boots", but they both have a bit of Western reference to my eye, so you can decide if they work. If you are happy with number 6 and see yourself wearing them, go for it. However, if they are not right in any way, let them go so that you are not "locked in" to the wrong decision. I like to find things that truly work at a good price point and have literally paid 00.01 cent for a pair of shoes at the Rack that were regularly $150, but still don't want stuff that doesn't get used in the closet at any price. Have fun.

Sara L.

Veteran

I think #1 is a decent substitute for #2, however, I don't particularly think #3 is a good sub for #4. Those two boots look pretty different to me. I'll admit to somewhat of a poison eye to cowboy boots (comes from living in the Southwest where there are actual cowboys wearing cowboy boots). I've had good luck with my Naturalizer boots.

Deborah

Veteran

Not considering prices but just the look of the boots:

Between 1 and 2 - I would choose #2... such a cool looking boot.

Hard to choose between 3 and 4 as I don't know your style so well and I don't quite relate to this look of boot, but if I had to it would be 3.

5 and 6, I love them both. Fab boots, super stylish.

Sarah A

Veteran

I think 3 and 5 are keepers. I would return 1 (the heel seems very heavy bordering on clunky compared to 2) and 6 to save for #2. Looks like lots of fun shopping

abc

Veteran

I have had a day or so to think about it (I leave on Friday so I need to return by then if I'm returning anything).

Here are my updated thoughts thanks to the lovely feedback of YLF:

Pair 1: I am trying to convince myself that I like them, because they are a great brand (Cole Haan), a good price ($87) but they are not as cool /edgy or streamlined as the Fryes I have my heart set on and the leather seems stiff and pebbled which I am not a big fan of. Like SarahA said, the heel is a bit chunky and I don't like that either. I was trying to overlook it but I need to practice PPP even when good deals are involved! I am pretty sure I will return these.

Pair 2: To Liz's point, the leg opening and to Diana's point, the shaft height are different between the Rack pair (Paul Green Mason) and my lust pair (Frye Carmen Harness Short). However, I am having a harder time deciding on this one. I have NO idea why but I like the cowboy boot aspect of these and think I can work them into my wardrobe. Plus, the are incredibly comfortable from the moment I put them on. I've always wanted a pair of Paul Green shoes since learning about them on YLF. Jury's still out on these.

Pair 3: Do I need these, to Liz's point again? Probably not, but I had a pair of gray suede booties on my list ages ago when I saw lots of you fab ladies rocking them. I dismissed them for a while but now that these popped up I jumped on them. Probably will get less use out of them but the design and craftsmanship is superb, as well as fit - super comfy from the moment I put them on my feet. Still undecided on these, too. Need to think of how I would style them, not just wanting them because they are beautiful. Going to search YLF archives for inspiration pics. I remain firmly undecided

Pair 4: Unlike mtgirl, I have always had good luck with Naturalizer. I find their quality doesn't stack up to Clark's or other higher-end / more expensive brands, but the pairs I've had from them in the past fit me well and have always been comfortable. For $29.98 I don't think I can force myself to return these. They will replace a worn out pair of black dressy boots I use for work, but I can see me wearing these on weekends some, too.

Thanks again for the feedback, any additional thoughts, comments or advice are always welcome!

rae

(website)

Veteran

These are all SUPER fab boots! Arg, now I want to go to the Rack, but I'm out of town. Ok, back to you. I think the best thing to decide is how they look on your body/calves and with your outfits. The proportions say a lot. They are all wonderful deals in and of themselves.