these boots were made for walkin'

i decided to wear my mom's chocolate brown suede Frye boots to work today.

they are circa 1970 cowboy boots, and are, in my opinion, classically and wonderfully mysteriously chic. in a boho revival sort of way.

we were cleaning out mom's closet in the fall, and i came across these beautiful boots. i was afraid i could never really wear them, since they would be too big, but i was determined to adopt them into my shoe family and love them and care for them. they are easily older than i am, and have fewer wrinkles.

as i walked to the train this morning, my small square feet explored the well-worn undulations of these sturdy leather footbeds. mom's young feet made these shapes. they are surprisingly comfortable. the extraordinary genius of a classic shoe.

when was my mom this cool? this fashionable? i can't imagine Frye boots were a dime a dozen 35 years ago, considering a suede Frye tall boot could set you back a few hundred dollars these days. did she save up for these? did she peal with delight the first time she wore them? were her friends jealous? did she feel the same thrill that i feel when i buy a deliciously perfect new pair of shoes? it seems very foreign to me. the idea of my mom splurging on herself for anything. clearly this shoe treat happened before she had kids. they may have been the most expensive item in her whole closet. tucked away in the back, in near-perfect condition.

my new mission is to find photos of my mom wearing these boots. there must be some. i know we have pictures of her and my dad on a vacation where she is wearing a DIFFERENT pair of sandy colored Frye boots. which my sister took, since they fit her.

my mom was into tall boots. well-made, classic, not-cheap tall boots.

i have a much loved pair of brown leather tall boots that i bought with my very first real pay check in the very first month i lived in chicago. i was channeling lorelai gilmore from the "gilmore girls" at the time. they are, by far, the most expensive thing in my closet. i doubt they will last 35 years, but i love them every single time i put them on my feet.

so, if ever i feel compelled to plunk down an ridiculous sum for a replacement pair of brown leather tall boots some day, i can justify the urge to do so as something that was passed down from my mother. thanks mom.