Resale Realizes a Buttery Boot Dream

When I purchased my Etienne Aigner flat black boots a few months ago, I assumed they’d hold up well into the fall. Not so. That the soles of my most comfortable walking shoes are worn to the point of flip-flopping against the pavement has nothing to do with quality: It has to do with the fact that I’ve done a shitload of walking in them five days a week for the past two months. Seeing as I got them for $22.99 at Burlington Coat Factory, I don’t feel all that guilty about buying a new pair.

I hit Buffalo Exchange yesterday intending on purchasing a gently-worn replacement on the cheap. I tried on a pair of chocolate brown Cole Haans (flat, obvs – I don’t do cabs), priced at a very reasonable $45. Then I saw these:

The leather was so buttery, so soft, that I kind of wanted to rub it all over my face. I settled on petting it for a bit, checked the size, and tried one of the boots on. The quality was so stellar that the thing molded to my foot almost instantly. These puppies weren’t just made for walking – they were flat, OVER-THE-KNEE boots made for walking.

They were also the most expensive thing in the store. Granted, in the world of over-the-knee boots, $145 isn’t all that bad. But it’s not a number you see too often at a Buffalo Exchange either. I was unfamiliar with the brand of my find, so I asked an uber faahhbulous staffer after its retail price.

Me: These are effing amazing.
Buff Ex Staffer: They ARE amazing.
Me: I’m not questioning the pricetag – I know you guys are usually right on with that stuff. I’ve just never heard of Tashkent by Cheyenne.
Buff Ex Staffer: Yeah, I don’t think it’s that well-known, but I’m pretty sure these retailed for around $400.

I decided to put the boots on hold after I almost had a heart attack watching another girl try them on. Would buying them on the spot have been a no-brainer? Heck yeah. But, seeing as they cost more than I’d planned on spending, I figured waiting a day couldn’t hurt. I also wanted to know exactly how high-end Tashkent by Cheyenne was before I fully committed. Five minutes of Googling yielded the following results:

Who What Wear drooled over the line last August, calling it “unfussy, unostentatious, and thoroughly unique.” Tashkent by Cheyenne’s also been featured in every magazine from ELLE to WWD to Time Out New York. Why the eff hadn’t I heard of it?

When the gal at Buff Ex said my boots retailed for “around $400,” she was only partially accurate. Yes, a few Tashkent by Cheyenne flat sandals start at that amount. But the numbers attached to the boots are even more ludicrous: We’re talkin’ $600 a pair, people. No wonder the brand wasn’t on my radar.

I don’t just heart resale because it’s cheap: I heart resale because it gives me access to things I could otherwise never EVER afford. Even if I could – $600 for SHOES?! That’s nucking futs. Paying $145 for a pair of $600 shoes, however, is another story… one with a much happier ending.

I’m buying these today with ZERO reservations.

Viva la Buy-Sell-Trade.