A Letter From Michelle — The Boots
A Letter From Michelle
Your boots should fit your life today, not the legs you had twenty years ago
The six things I would check before picking a pair, which ones are leather, and why twenty-one pairs start at $74.95.
There is a pair of boots in your closet you have not worn in two years.
Nothing is actually wrong with them. The zipper fights you at the calf, or the heel is higher than you want all afternoon, or you never worked out what to wear them with.
So every October you put on the same brown ankle boots instead.
You were never wrong about boots. You were wrong about that one pair, and it has been standing in the dark telling you otherwise ever since.
Six things I would check before you pick the next one.
Start with how it gets onto your foot
A boot goes unworn when getting into it is a daily fight. A full side zip opens the shaft and you step in; a slip-on makes your heel and calf do the work. Five state a side zip outright. On the rest, write and ask before you order.
“I chose the taupe boots because of the side zippers. Much easier to put on than my old pull-on boots, and the low heel is exactly what I was looking for.”
Susan R., Columbus, OHA heel with a base underneath it
Height is not the problem; a narrow heel is. Two inches on a stacked block spreads your weight across the foot. The same two inches on a point puts it in one place, and you feel it by four.
“At 67, I prefer a lower heel these days. These boots give me a little height without looking too dressy. I’ve worn them with both jeans and longer skirts.”
Nancy W., Lexington, KYA shape you will still like in three years
Boots move slowly. A rounded toe, a shaft that holds its line, tonal stitching rather than contrast — right ten years ago, right in five. If one pair must cover several winters, buy the quiet one.
“I bought the lighter pair for everyday wear and went back for a darker brown style. I especially like the stitching and the classic shape. They look wonderful with my favorite jeans.”
Deborah F., Knoxville, TNWestern detail, without the costume
There is a difference between dressing too young and refusing to dress old. Perforation, tonal stitching, a shaped western shaft — all personality, so long as the color stays soft and the heel stays low. It is the loud version that ages you.
“I love the little perforated details on the beige boots. They look so pretty with jeans and have just the right amount of western style without being too much.”
Barbara M., Nashville, TNTwenty-one pairs, and you are not obliged to take the brown one
Ankle, mid-calf, knee-high, western and weather-ready. Brown, black and beige, but also red, purple, blue, dark green and one in denim. The red and the purple are the part October refuses to sell you.
“The color is what caught my eye. It’s a beautiful soft tan that goes with just about everything in my fall wardrobe. Very pleased with the look.”
Patricia H., Greenville, SCLeather, suede and vegan leather — which is which
The Daisy and the Bella are suede. Seven more say vegan leather or faux on their own pages. The other twelve do not state it at all, which I am fixing. If the material decides it for you, write and ask and I will tell you what a pair is made of.
“I ordered two pairs, the beige western boots and the brown ankle boots. Both are lovely, but I find myself reaching for the beige ones most often!”
Linda C., Asheville, NCThese boots, against what else $75 buys
| Most $75 boots | The twenty-one here | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting them on | A half zip that gives up at the calf | Five state a side zip outright. On the others we will check for you |
| The heel | Narrow, and taller than you want | A low stacked block that spreads your weight across the foot |
| The upper | Not named, so you find out when it arrives | Vegan leather on seven, suede on the Daisy, and we will tell you the rest |
| The choice | One shape in three colors | Twenty-one pairs — ankle, mid-calf, knee-high and western shapes |
| The price | $249.95 to $299.95 before anything comes off | $74.95 to $89.95, and every one of the twenty-one is marked down |
| Sizing | One scale, take it or leave it | US 5 through 11, and every size is the same price |
Why we are clearing them out now
Most of these were $249.95, and I am not going to tell you that is a small amount of money for a pair of boots. But the store turns twenty this year, and my daughters Julie and Amy are at the counter most days now, which is not something I let myself count on in 2006. We wanted to mark it by handing something back to the women who kept those doors open, so as a group they are going out at a little under a third of what they were. Every one of the twenty-one is reduced — twenty of them by seventy percent, and the Lily by sixty-four.
I will give you the honest reasoning too. Boots are the pair you put on knowing you will still be standing in them nine hours later, which makes them the thing that quietly decides how a day goes. If it turns out to be the one you reach past the others for, then the price was never the point.
★★★★★4.8 out of 5 — from 3,369+ reviews
$249.95 – $299.95From $74.95
20th Anniversary Sale — Save up to 70%
- Twenty-one pairs — ankle, mid-calf, knee-high and western
- Side zips stated on five of the twenty-one
- Vegan leather uppers on seven of the twenty-one
- Brown, black and beige, plus red, blue, green and denim
- Every one of the twenty-one is marked down
- US sizes 5 through 11
- Every size the same price within each pair
- Free UPS shipping · 30 days to send them back
Every size the same price · while sizes last
One more thing, and then I will let you go.
Go and find the pair you have not worn in two years.
Work out which of the six they failed on. Whatever it was, it was the boot.
It was never you.
Then check that same thing on whichever pair you choose, the day it arrives. If it fails, send it back inside thirty days.
Go and pick your pair.
With love and gratitude,
— Michelle · The Hayes Family Hamptons
PICK YOUR PAIR — FROM $74.95 →This is a personal letter from Michelle Hayes, co-founder of The Hayes Family Hamptons. Customer reviews are quoted as written. · Free UPS shipping · 30-day money-back guarantee.