Customer Reviews Frye James Lace Up

Great boot, super versatile and looks great for out in the town (dressed up or down). And the pictures are accurate: the boot is a weathered dark brown, with the toes and heels a bit more polished. But they do take a while to break in (especially compared to my other Frye boots -- Jayden Moto Boots). So expect some sore feet the first week or so (thicker socks help).

These boots are fantastic. They look better than they do in the picture. You can wear them with anything and they are very well made. These are some of the most stylish, classy boots you will find anywhere. Can't recommend them enough.

I bought these for flat-foot dancing, knowing that a female shoe would be too tight in the toe, thinner on the bottom, and skimp somewhere, as the industry does most female clothing. They are a great wear, won't take long to wear them in, perfect fit. And they work well on a dance board. And, they got here the next day, what a surprise!

I bought these for my husband and he seems to love them and says they are very comfortable and they look good with jeans or slimmer casual pants. I would say that when you receive them, they may have a white waxy residue on them that will fade in time.

Great looking boot, probably Frye's plainest. When you're planning on keeping and wearing boots for a long time, plain is good. These were snug when I first put them on, but after half a dozen wearings, they're perfect. With full leather insoles and outsoles, the foot platform will mold perfectly to my feet over time. The leather is very thick and feels stiff on first wearing, but with repeated applications of mink oil, they'll loosen up.

Got these boots for Christmas after a ton of shopping around over about a year. I have been really happy with them. They are a little hard to break in and come with a white protective film on them, but I have been wearing them for about three weeks (almost every day) and both seem to have improved. They have a great look that allows you to wear them well with jeans or casual chinos. They seem to fit with just about any style.

I received these boots as a Christmas present in 2011. This was my first pair of Frye boots and I wore them nearly every day in 2012. My thoughts are as follows. Positive First, these are the most comfortable shoes that I have ever owned; it took a few weeks to break them in, but the leather shaped to my feet and I can spend 14 hours in them and they feel like an extension of my feet. Second, they boast a heel that will add about an inch to your height; I am 5'11", so the boots bring me up to 6'. This subtle effect has had a noticeably positive impact on my confidence level. Third, they work with so many different outfits. I have worn them to class, work, cocktail parties, formal events, and they always look good. Negative The upper part of the boot tongue shifted to the outside of my leg over time; this caused a great deal of annoyance, as the laces began to rub against my leg. My cobbler was able to stitch the inside part of the tongue to the inside of my boot. This fixed the problem and made me much happier with the boots. For optimal upkeep, I have learned a few lessons in the last year. First, replace the heel once the rubber part starts edging into the leather heel - this will save you a bunch of money at the cobbler. Second, if the boots cause you annoyance in any way, take them to your cobbler and see if they know of a solution. The fix will probably be cheap and you will be infinitely happier lacing them up every day. Third, if you live in a rainy, snowy, or wet area, invest in Frye's waterproofing cream. On that note, avoid things you might do in other shoes, like taking a shortcut through wet grass. Lastly, I recently purchased a horsehair brush on Amazon that I use to keep the boots clean. This has been a long review, but I hope it's helpful to prospective buyers and owners of these boots. My goal is to keep this pair in shape for at least a decade and continue to buy them for the rest of my life. I cannot recommend them enough!

I had been eyeing these boots for some time but the price discouraged me a little. Finally splurged on them and I am very happy with the quality of the workmanship and the leather! I ordered the brown leather boots but when I received them they had the "antique" coating on them. I just wiped it off as best as I could and I actually liked the look very much. They fit true to size in my opinion. They break in very nicely and I didn't have any problems, even on the first day of wear. They also have some nice cushioning in the footbed which you don't normally see in this type of boot. They can be a little slippery on some surfaces like carpet or polished concrete, but like other shoes I've owned with this type of sole, I think they will grip better the more the boot is used. All in all, a very nice boot which is worth the money!

These boots were everything I hoped they would be out of the box from the point of view of fit and quality. However, I did not much care for the antique effect, which looked like a perfectly good pair of boots had been washed in the sea and left in the sun to dry. There is a difference between looking worn and looking neglected. I do not favor the latter look and these had it. Some leather conditioner on a soft cloth, however, followed by a serious dose of brown shoe polish, had these boots looking like I wanted them to pretty quickly. I am very glad that I bought them. For those who complain that they are a bit slippery to begin with -- hello? They have leather heels and soles! Wear them for a while and the soles will break in just as the uppers will. Be patient as it is worth it.

Great looking boot. Go well with jeans and cords. I live in NYC and it makes for a cool weekend look when out at the bar or for dinner. Recommend!

The color was different than the description and pictures led me to believe. These are great boots, but please be aware that they are not a true black in color when they arrive. The leather is black, but it comes "aged" with a grayish tint to them. I was able to wipe some of it away with a hand towel. The rest I cleaned up with some black polish. I can't really see the gray any more. Just a heads-up.

Very good pair of boots. Comfortable and stylish. i did not like these boots the first couple of weeks I wore them but once the started to break in I absolutely love them. One thing I have noticed is these boots don't do well in wet environments due to the leather sole. That being said I am on my feet all day and put these boots through hell and they have lasted 2+ years which is unheard of for boots now a days. The only thing I really don't like is they are not made here in America.

Great quality boot. But it is one of those that you must sport its neck. So plan for shorter pants, or it will look bulky. The leather sole is on the thicker end, making boot very robust. It could be a litter thinner to be used with more sofisticated slacks.

These boots fit perfectly and are beautifully constructed. With that said, don't be fooled by the photo of the brown leather version. It shoes a clean brown finish but my pair came with a healthy coat of wax, presumably to give them a distressed look. However after 30 minutes of using a soft brush I was able to reduce the waxy coating and they now look amazing.

Pros: Really great looking boot. Fairly comfy once broken in. Sturdy and well constructed. Cons: Sole is very slippery. Sole is really loud walking outside. Break-in period is very long, 3-4 weeks. Top 2 rows of eyelets are kind of annoying. I went through a couple of pairs of these to get the sizing right. I noticed that not all of the boots had the same amount of the grey "gunk" on them that some of the reviewers have complained about. I actually preferred the look of ones that had more of it on them, but unfortunately the ones that ended up fitting me didn't really have any of it on them. But that's okay, they still look great. The sole on these boots is a little weird; maybe I'm just not used to leather soles, but they are super slippery, and when you walk outside in them if there is dirt or salt on the ground the soles are really loud. These are definitely not an outdoor winter boot. One other minor annoyance with this boot is the eyelets used in the top 2 rows. The design of them doesn't allow you to lace the boots loosely; if you do the laces will slip off of the eyelets and you'll have to re-tie them. If you have skinny ankles like me, you might not like this. But overall I'm really liking these boots; they look great, they're comfortable, and they'll probably last forever.

These boots are great. I felt like they ran half a size too big but it fit fine. They do come with what's called "bloom" however. A milky white residue that the leather excretes over time. So you will need to clean it. The pictures here make it look nicer than it is when it arrives. But after a quick polish and cleaning, they look and feel great.

Love the style. Put them on, 16 daughter loved them and 19 year old son who doesn't notice ANYTHING, also thought they were great. They were initially tight, the leather is stiff but loved them enough to walk around for 20 minutes and they are loosening up already and will be fine. Looking forward to them!

Super nice boots. I get tons of positive comments from folks who love the coloring. I will say they seem to run a tad tighter than other boots I've owned, including my other Fryes.

I've reviewed these before but after going through a few pairs I thought I'd provide an update. First off, I love the style in black. That is, AFTER the antiquing schmutz wears off. BUT the heel and sole wear out way too fast. Maybe I walk to hard but I literally have to buy a new pair every 5 - 6 months. I don't work in them, I just wear them normally. Once the bottom wears out and the leather breaks in, they lose their crispness and, as a consequence, turn from a nice boot to a schlubby one. That being said, I'll be ordering another pair to replace my old ones - the ones I bought only a few months ago. Oh, and don't wear them when the sidewalk is wet. They might possibly be the slickest shoe I've ever owned. I literally fell flat on my back on some tile on a rainy day. Frye makes a version with a rubber sole. I might try a pair of those. Praise be to Zappos for their 365-day return policy.

I was excited to get my second pair of Frye boots and ordered these in Tan. However, the Tan color advertised is not like the Tan color in the picture. It is darker and has a white powder baked into it that makes it look lighter, but simply not Tan. I had to return because they looked like my other ones.

This shoe comes with a lot of white "chalk" on the boot. It is meant to look industrial and pre-worn. The picture does not show the white residue all over this boot.

I really tried to like this boot. I think they look fantastic. I wore them in my house for a day to try to break them in, but they still just felt too stiff for comfort. It seems other people had better luck, but I had to return these.

I'm sorry to be Debbie Downer here given the many good reviews, but these boots are the most expensive footwear I have ever bought and they are not holding up under moderate wear. I bought these boots two years ago as a total splurge. I know two years sounds like a long time to have a pair of boots but I live in a fairly warm climate and have only worn these boots periodically during the winters, which is to say not a whole lot (maybe 80 or 100 times total). The soles are only lightly worn. I pulled them out today and realized that the sole is separating from the upper -- to be clear, the upper near the ball of my right foot is splitting away from where it is sewn to the sole; the leather is tearing (kind of where the foot flexes right at the edge of the ball of my foot between the toes and main part of the foot). I may get another winter out of these boots before the rip is too obvious (probably 3/4 inch now) , but I've had much cheaper boots last a lot longer. I love these boots -- super good looking and super comfortable (the weird waxy grey stuff did go away after a few wearings) -- and I assumed I would have them for many years given the limited wear they receive. They were stored in my clothes closet which is air conditioned and have never been put away wet or mistreated. I may buy another pair because they are so awesome when they are not falling apart, but I wanted to report that Frye boots may have issues with quality. Zappos has tons of options and I'll look into other options next time before buying these.

Boots look great however they didn't fit right. I wear size 9 and they feel big. Felt fine when I tried them on but once I starting walking in them by end of day I couldn't wait to take them off as they were killing my feet. Can't return them now and stuck with an expensive pair of boots I won't wear again.