Desert Boots and Dad

It's not just my mom to whom I can credit my fashion sensibility. More on that in another post, and in frequent mentions. My dad is a sharp dresser. I remember going shopping with him as a kid, and picking out smart socks and ties to go with his work outfits. He likes to look good, and I think that's an incredibly wonderful characteristic in a man. My dad also appreciates a good shoe. Here's a great photo of me as a little kid, still in Israel, wearing an understated outfit in order to highlight the pièce de résistance: a pair of my dad's boots (on the wrong feet). They're Frye's. High-five, Dad:

This past weekend my parents were in town and it was just a really great visit. We felt no push to do touristy things, and just played it all by ear - we cooked together, we feasted together, we walked a lot, we read in the same room, we chatted, and just generally enjoyed each other's company. On Saturday afternoon we wandered about in a nearby 'hood and poked around in a few stores. We popped into a shoe store and while my mom went over to the Ladies' department to pursue a pair of tall, dark red boots, I followed my dad over to Men's. While he pursued some sensible Keens, I pointed out a pair of casual-or-dressy shoe-boots I thought were fantastic, trying to encourage him to try them on.

"We used to call these 'Desert Boots' and they were all I wore for a time in the '70s."

Of course they were. Aren't they great? They're also still called desert boots, for the record. They're great for a man, but they're also great for a gal. They work casually with jeans or cords or cargos, but just as well with tights and a skirt or dress, no? Here are a few, and with contemporary upgrades, for the ladies:

(These are the "originals" - by Clarks, and available in a bunch of colors, and suede)

(Big Buddah on Endless - I'm really loving the wedges)

(Dolce Vita at Nordstrom)

(Fryes on SALE on Endless)

(Kelsi Dagger on Endless)

(Wanted - also Endless)

(Steve Madden at Nordstrom)

(a shoe-ier version in fun orange at Urban Outfitters)

(and a lace-less similar style, also at Urban Outfitters)

(Mia - DSW)

What do you think? Are you open to welcoming this style back in? Or do you want to kick it back to the desert, in the 70s? I love the "updates" - color, height, detailing. And I'm loving the tried and true flashback look, too... I would love to see Dave in the originals. But I'll have probably have to use reverse psychology... or a time machine.