Review: Loeffler Randall Marit Boots.

OKAY. So,  I got the deal of the century on a pair of Loeffler Randall Marit boots I've been stalking since last fall. Seriously, when on earth do $700 boots get marked way down in a size 8? Almost neverrrr. But thanks to a great Barney's sale I just went for it and hoped for the best. I don't normally do "final sale" deals but this was worth the risk and I was pretty confident I could sell them for that much if they didn't work out. They arrived:

They are super pretty. Now, my experience with Loeffler Randall boots is the Matilde. I have a pair I bought second hand that were of the Made in Italy stock. I'd read that since LR moved manufacturing to Brazil the quality had gone down. It's...kind of true? Don't get me wrong, these are beautiful, nicely made boots, but if I'd paid retail I might not be happy. The leather isn't as buttery as my Matildes and the color has slight differences. Total quality if this was a $300 pair but $700? For that kind of money you should get magical perfection.  I do love how chic and simple they are:

Minimal heels and no seam on the front! This is a really hard detail to find:

The seam is on the back where it belongs:

They do need some wear, though. This style of boot doesn't look right until it's got some slouch. Here's the full picture:

A little gape-y at the top but some wear/slouch should fix that a bit. I bought them in my usual size and they fit, though they are also a bit narrow in the foot (as are my Matildes) and stiff as hell. They are going to require breaking in, but hopefully not much. In the 15 minutes I wore them for this shoot they had already started to soften up a bit. I think with some breaking in these are going to be great boots and more than worth the price I paid. 

This style has been discontinued by there are still a bunch on Amazon at varying prices and Barneys Warehouse still has them in black, though not with the extra % off right now. (Keep your eyes peeled - they'll definitely be discounted again.) If these aren't your jam but you really want cognac boots this fall, definitely check out the Frye Melissa Tab that's part of the Nordstrom sale! Those are freaking beautiful. The Frye Lindsay Plate boots on 6pm are also a pretty nice deal.