Boots, boots, boots (what else is new?)

Hi, all! Today I want to do something a little different and talk about something I know almost nothing about: men's fashion. My husband has very specific taste and since we come from two quite differing backgrounds, I can't always understand what he's on about ("So what if your shoes haven't been shined lately?!"). But I do appreciate his eye and his aesthetic; also, he always has the most awesome shoes. So today, when he asked if we could go to a certain shoe-centric store in the area to look at cool boots, I jumped at the chance. And whaddaya know?

He bought his first pair of Fryes!

He's sorry he can't model them for y'all: he's busy cooking me dinner.

These Fryes (in black), to  be specific. Aren't they wonderful? I love that they have the rough-and-toughness of men's Frye boots, but a slightly narrowed foot, giving them a great shape. Also love the zipper. 

You have no idea how happy I am for my husband. I couldn't be more excited about his new pair of Fryes than if they were mine. 

Speaking of which (nice segue, eh?), at that store, I was able to try on the Fryes that I covet. The ones I want are red, but the only ones in the store were black, which - weirdly enough - is not a color I love in tall boots. They're pretty plain in person, and not at all scary OVER-THE-KNEE looking, y'know? I was pleased to see that the ankle looked trim and fitted and not, say, like my grey Fryes, which - while I adore them whole-heartedly - are a bulky boot. To my horror, though, my husband did not like them at the store: as you can imagine, I was freaked out, as I'm counting on his help for Christmas to buy these babies. However, I decided to try them on and see if he felt any differently. Although he didn't like the plain black color too much, he did concede that they were quite awesome on the leg and that red would probably be pretty kick-ass. Phew. That's how it works with him most of the time - I have countless stories of outfits/clothes/shoes he loathed before seeing them on. Anyway, I plan to show him a picture of the boots in red and see what he thinks.

Oh, I also wore boots today:

Yup, same boots as yesterday. And I realized something: I wasn't a big fan of the proportions of yesterday's outfit. While I liked all of the elements of the outfit separately, they didn't come together as well as I'd've liked. I think the issue is that my thighs are quite broad (and muscular, I hasten to add). So if we add that element to the fact that my shirt wasn't all that long and that my Madden boots are quite slim, I sort of felt that my outfit was all thigh, y'know? I think a wider boot would've made me feel a little less exposed. Note that in the picture above, I'm wearing the same boots and my winter shorts are quite short, but - since the widest part of my thighs are covered by the even wider shorts - my legs look slimmer and more proportionate. Look, I didn't feel hideous yesterday, but if I were to repeat the look, I'd definitely choose other boots or a longer top. See? Learning! 

Happy Saturday night, y'all!

Black top: H&M, remixed

Shorts: Gap, remixed

Patterned tights: Gap, remixed

Boots: Steve by Steve Madden, remixed