The Budget Babe | Affordable Fashion & Style Blog

Ask BB: Frye "Carmen" Tall Harness Boot Look for Less

Do you know of any cheaper options to the Frye "Carmen" tall harness boot? Love the style, hate the price! —Tweet from @vanessarenae



I get your dilemma as I, too, am a huge Frye fan but $398 is a lot to drop on one pair of boots, in one shot. Sure, they'll last a lifetime but if you don't have the cash in the bank, you just don't have the cash.

If you want to spend less than the Fryes but still buy an investment piece, head to Vintage Shoe Company, where they've been handcrafting fine leather footwear in the United States since 1883. That's right, they produce all of their shoes out of a factory in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. If money weren't a thing, I'd get these in a heartbeat. Works of art, they are. ($295)



The poor man's version (which I owned) is the Target "Katherine" boot, available in black or brown leather for $59.99 (looks like they went up $10 since last season). Warning: These boots take a really long time to break in. I mean, months. But they look pretty darn good.



If you can invest a little bit more, you can find great alternatives from Antonio Melani, Miz Mooz and Bandolino online or at stores like DSW.



Which would you buy? Have you seen another look for less that I missed?
Comments
I have the Target version in brown and they look waaaay more expensive than they actually are. Unfortunately, I am still breaking mine in.
#1 Sara (Homepage) on 2011-10-08 01:06 (Reply)
Love these boots! But I don't know if my feet can stand the breaking in.
#2 Sohoaccessories (Homepage) on 2011-10-08 07:01 (Reply)
I have nothing but compliments on my Miz Mooz, and they're -so- comfortable!
#3 Alys on 2011-10-08 20:33 (Reply)
I kind of like the Vintage Shoe Company ones more!
#4 Kristin S (Homepage) on 2011-10-10 13:35 (Reply)
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