Like the perfect pair of jeans or a white tee that fits just right, finding an everyday pair of boots can take years. At least, it took me years. I polled friends, I hemmed and hawed over which heel height would be best to go from day to night, and whether I was a black or brown leather type of woman, as well as how high I needed the ankle shaft to be.
I wanted to find a pair that would last. I hate waste, and I don’t invest without putting a lot of thought into my purchases, because I plan to keep things around for years, repairing rather than replacing. Ultimately, it took just a few magic words, repeated by two friends, to get me to pull the trigger on a pair of the Frye Melissa Chelsea boots (black leather, one-inch heel height, mid-ankle shaft, for those wondering): “They’re great for travel.”
Fast forward three-and-a-half years, and those words have rung true. I’ve pulled on these lightweight, Italian leather boots and clocked miles and miles on San Francisco’s hilly streets, pounded the pavement in Brooklyn, and even gone from Buenos Aires' cobblestoned and very stylish Palermo neighborhood to a polo class in the Argentine countryside—all without changing shoes. (They did need a scrub after a few hours in the stables, but I think we can chalk that up to user negligence.)
The reason I can hoof it through new cities for hours—and days—on end in these boots, ultimately, is because they’re so comfortable. They were a bit stiff and slightly narrow at first, but after a short breaking-in period (as you can expect with any leather boot), they have become like a second skin; when I have these on, I might as well be wearing sneakers. Given that my style of travel involves a lot of walking, but my style of clothing leans staunchly away from athleisure, it’s important to me that my shoes feel good without looking orthopedic. In fact, I need my entire travel wardrobe to balance comfort and style, which determines what makes the cut in my carry-on trip after trip, as these have.
I tell everyone that Frye's Chelsea boots pack well, but I really mean two things by that. Because I can wear them with wide leg jeans as easily as a long floral dress, they do the work of multiple pairs of shoes. But they also literally pack down: The shaft of the boot is fairly thin, and the leather is structured yet soft, so the boots flatten down easily between my other shoes and weigh no more than a hardcover book. Compared to my other winter boots, including a chunkier pair of Frye shoes, they take up the least space of any cold weather shoes I own.
By now, I’ve resoled them twice. I’ve taken them to several continents, and I've stomped through all kinds of weather and terrain in them. But every time I throw these boots on, years after making my considered purchase, I feel good. And I know that no matter what shoes my fellow travelers might be moaning about, these boots will never hold me back from walking for hours on end in a new city.
Buy now: $298, bloomingdales.com or zappos.com
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