Once upon a time (I'm going to guess Christmas shopping of 1999), my mom and I were headed out of our suburban Chicago mall toward the car when the shoe section in Marshall Field's stopped Mom dead in her tracks. It only took a minute to track her gaze ... she'd spotted a gorgeous pair of Western-style Frye Campus boots on display. Her comment was something along the lines of "I had a pair of those in COLLEGE!" to which I probably responded "YOU GOT RID OF THOSE!?" Soon enough I was down on the floor in my socks pulling those beautiful, soft, classic boots onto my feet. My mom bought them for me on the spot as an early Christmas present. And for the next five cold Illinois falls/winters? There was rarely a day when I didn't wear them. Only my move to sub-tropical Texas in 2004 bumped these out of regular rotation. The weather has been cool enough the last month here in Los Angeles to bring them out again and putting them on is like getting reacquainted with an old friend. In their lifetime they've been re-soled once and right now they need new heel cups, but my goodness these boots are still in fantastic shape ... TEN YEARS LATER.
They are most definitely one of my top-five Christmas gifts of all time. Thanks Mom!
And so I have to ask ... what Christmas gifts from over the years are still in your rotation?
I love my Frye campus boots with the fire of a thousand suns, and they were also a present from my mom! I am sensing we both have high priced tasted in footwear which we cannot afford to actually buy ourselves :)
Posted by: Elizabeth | December 29, 2009 at 01:17 PM
http://www.shoehunting.com/users/ShoeSmitten-6043-full.jpg
Here is my favorite gift! They are naughty monkey boots that are cool for school. You can buy them at Nordstroms!
Posted by: natalie | December 29, 2009 at 07:28 PM
I have those same boots too, in tan, and LOVE them. And also a mom present! I'm sensing a pattern...
Posted by: natalie | December 30, 2009 at 03:30 PM