Frayed Jeans and Frye Boots

The style back in high school was to cut off the ends of your bell-bottom bluejeans and let the ends fray by tumbling them in a dryer until the horizontal threads came out and you had strings, or "frays" at the end of the jean's legs. Then pull on your Frye boots, which had a higher heel so the ends of your jeans wouldn't drag on the floor. Then casually stroll along, listening to the distinctive Frye boot clomp. There is nothing quite like that look or the boots.

I have a dozen pairs of original, or "vintage," Frye boots that I have owned since the early 70s when I bought my first pair. The company has an interesting history, which is documented in a tutorial that I wrote, here.

I know I am not the only one who has a nostalgic feeling about Frye Boots. Someone who found a vintage pair of Frye boots at a yard sale bought them, then contacted me for more details after she found the information that I had written on my website about my Frye boot collection. She wrote an interesting and heart-felt post on her blog about her find and her communication with me. I appreciated finding that. I'm glad that I contributed to her interest and passion for these boots.

Fryes age with a distinctive patina to the leather. Instead of getting dull, the boot color gets darker. To me, it just looks more interesting that way. I still wear my Fryes from time to time. I had these "oiled" Fryes on yesterday, and a guy stopped me in the store and said, "hey, I remember those boots! They're Fryes, aren't they?" ... and then we had a nice conversation, reminiscing about our respective high school days. He said that he doesn't have his Fryes any more, and regrets it. (Poor fella, he was wearing sneakers.)

Now-and-then, I'll become nostalgic for the Fryes of yesterday, and the style that goes with it.

Life is short: enjoy vintage Fryes!