Customer Reviews Frye James Lace Up

This boot is one of the most comfortable boots I have ever worn. However, the pictures and description are a bit deceiving. The distress of the leather makes the upper more grey than black, and what looks like shine on the sole is actually splattered white coloring. I was extremely displeased with this when I first got them out of the box. But after a bit of black shoe polish and wearing them for a month, they look much better. Frye Boots have done nothing but impress me with their comfort and craftsmanship for years, and these boots have been no exception.

These boots looked cool in the photo. I purchased them in brown, but they arrived with a white powdery almost like spray paint covering 80% of the boot. Given how much there was on both boots, I don't think it was an accident. The picture on the site doesn't capture this additional (and undesirable from my perspective) style element. The added snowy spray paint is unfortunate because the boot's style is otherwise very attractive.

Very nice looking boots. They have a tough, casual, beefy look to them, rather than the more dressy-looking picture. They look much more distressed (just white wax I think) then in the picture. I really wanted to keep them but the right boot hurt my foot (left was okay). But I have very bony sensitive feet so it may just be me. Had to send them back, which Zappos makes very easy. Thanks, Zappos! I ended up with a dressier pair of Mark Nasons with a side zip. I actually liked the look of the Frye's better, though.

I have four pair of Frye boots and this is the first pair I can't recommend. They will not break in after repeated attempts of shoe cream and painful wearing to get the very stiff leather around the toe to soften. When I questioned Frye about the issue they had no answer other than to break them in. You think Frye?

I got these boots from Frye as a replacement for a defective pair. There is a misplaced button placed at ankle level between the two layers of leather. Since these have another defect, I am over them.

First of all buy these I love these boots. Now let me say this, also buy the Frye conditioner at the same time. When I first opened the box I saw that these boots are completely covered in a white wax that totally ruins the look of these awesome boots. I was on the verge of returning these and I decided to put the conditioner on them. Ot removed the white wax with ease and these became the best boots ever. I love these boots and on about the 3rd day of wear they become a leather mold of your foot. Buy these with the conditioner now and you will thank me later...

My wife got me these boots as a gift because she has a pair of Fryes and loves them. I wasn't really into the style or look of the finish on the boots at first (tan). They had a cheesy waxed look to them. So they actually sat in my closet for the first 6 months I had them, then the time came where I need a nice boot but still a bit casual. So I opened the closet lathered them up in saddle soap and broke them in for a few days. I wear them every day now, I almost never wear my regular shoes anymore. I love these boots. As a guy I'm not used to people asking about my shoes but I do get a lot of compliments on them and questions about where I got them. Yes, somewhat dangerous on tile, so be warned and use the rubber heel. I suppose touching on comfort is important also, very comfortable after they are broken in. Hope this helps your decision.

Stiff at first but once broken in, you won't want to take them off. Great boot.

I bought these for my husband. The boots required a little breaking in but were very comfortable after that. Seem to be really good quality too. Oh, he had to go half size down as these are a bit roomy.

The boot is great, if you can get all the wax off! I don't know what the designers at Frye were thinking with the wax effect on this boot. The boot is comfortable and if you can mange to wipe off a substantial amount of the wax or wait around for it to wear off, it will reveal a nice boot. However, given the price, the brand, and the multiple boots out there in this style, I didn't expect to be putting this much manual labor to get a finished product that I like. I think there are better boots out there in the same style. The image for the tan boot is a better representation than the brown or black boot images of what you will get when you open your box.

These are incredibly good looking shoes, look durable and just feel solid. They fit snug/true to me as a size 11 in most brands. They are a bit narrow but I am still breaking them in.

Love these boots. Well made, comfortable. I have a narrow foot and they fit perfectly.

I've had these almost two years now. Wow is all I can say. They feel so good and are dressy enough for a suit or casual enough for jeans. Very high quality and they have held up nicely. It's hard to find a nicer boot unless you go to hand made. They were a tad tight against my high arch but broke into Murphy foots shape after a few weeks. Now they are like a glove. Well worth the money for sure.

These are nice boots! Just what I was looking for. They are stylish but not flashy. I am a size 13. I ordered same and they fit perfectly right out of the box. Break in was fast. It was only a couple of days before they molded to my feet. They are high quality leather. The whitish waxy material is simply bloom, and rubs right off with a clean cloth.

I've had the Frye James lace up in black leather for a year now and I must say these are an excellent pair of boots. If I can summarize my review in three words I would say quality, comfort, and compliments! They fit great and are so comfortable that I don't feel much of that wear on my feet at the end of a typical day. They're made our of excellent, durable material and people can't help but ask about these boots! My only complaint came when I first got them. I had to wipe and buff off all that white stuff off the beautiful leather. As soon as it all came off though they were perfect!

I have owned these boots for about two months now and am very happy with them! The quality of the materials and workmanship is high; these are very comfortable boots that dress up or down. Given the quality, I fully expect them to last a long time. I recently purchased the same boots in a different color and am equally pleased. I will update this post in roughly one year...

These boots are awesome! The color is great and they go good with blue jeans, but look really good with black denim. Once you get them worn in, which takes about a week or so, you wont want to wear anything else. It's hard to see how you couldn't get compliments with these boots! Tip: get a horse hair brush to clean the boots and don't forget to protect them with water repellent!

I bought the black pair and the size was perfect. I didn't need a bigger or smaller size. They are very stiff at first but with some wear they soften up A LOT and become like a glove to your feet. The white protective stuff wipes right off and looks very cool because you can leave some one and wipe off however much you want for your personal like. These boots are THE BEST. I loved them so much that a week later I ordered the Tan ones now I'm thinking about getting the dark brown. HANDS DOWN BY BEST AND MOST COMFORTABLE BOOTS EVER!

These are really nice boots. Actually a little more dressy than I thought based on the pictures. The wax that came on them melted right in with using a manual shoe polish brush, making the leather very supple and a nice shine. The fit is exquisite out of the box. I tried several brands before settling on Frye, they have the best fit and great quality.

This boot is great. Decided on the 'dark brown smooth' model which is a few bucks more but a little nicer for both work and down time. Really well made. Looks fantastic. The fit couldn't be better. I have always wanted a pair of Frye's and I'm glad I finally pulled the trigger.

Deliciously handsome, and surprisingly comfy for my husband's wide feet. Will break in beautifully.

I love these boots! They're my first Frye purchase and I can't get over how comfortable they are. Top quality construction. When they arrived, the leather did need a little touch-up after the original distressing, but that was easy and they look amazing.

Amazing boot! I have been wearing almost daily for almost one month now and they are breaking in nicely. They were a little uncomfortable for the first few weeks, but have really become very comfortable. I sized down one and they fit great. For reference, I wear 13s in Vans and Athletic Shoes and I normally wear 12s in most boots (Red Wing Iron Rangers). I did notice the "white" distressed powder substance on the boot. I took a damp paper towel and wiped off most of it. It took about 5 minutes total. One thing to note, I have a pretty long and narrow foot, and these are a little tight at the toe. So just be careful if you have a wider foot as these may be tight. I hope to have these boots for years to come and I can't wait to see how they look after one year of wear! You won't be disappointed with this boot!

This is my second pair of Frye Boots. After receiving this pair, I realized I will only ever buy Frye again. Comfort, size, style.... everything is perfect. And the price? Well, yolo and you get what you pay for.

Frye boots may seem expensive, but you definitely get what you pay for. You can see and feel the quality from the moment you get them. I am a size 9D and they fit perfectly right out of the box. The leather is top notch and these boots are the most comfortable leather boots that I have worn. The footbed feels like there is thin bed of gel built into it. Very nice. They broke in quickly and I always look forward to wearing them. I get compliments almost every time I wear them, too. The only thing that I did not like was the white wax-like coating that was on the boots when they arrived. The picture on the website shows them without the coating but I was able to wipe it off to my liking. It adds a slight antiqued look, like you have had the boots a while, which I like!