FRYE Women's Carson Lug Riding Boot

My second order of Frye Carson Lugs arrived on Friday and the leather is beautiful, soft, and smells wonderful. Due to the distressed finish (I purchased the dark brown stone antique which are sort of a reddish brown) they look like the boots you have had and loved a lifetime and will keep forever.Very typically for Fryes, they were next to impossible to get on the first time I put them on.Years ago a Frye salesperson suggested I use sandwich bags (or those very thin grocery bags) over my feet for the first few times I tried Fryes - it was a brilliant, and frequently used, tip. So I put on my sandwich bags and tried to get my foot past the boot shaft and into the boot. It took a while (I did it while watching TV). After about 15 minutes, and quite a bit of effort, my foot was in the boot. The shaft was another problem so I ended up putting a plastic bag over my ankle and calf and eventually that worked and the boots slid on. I left them on for about half an hour and they felt amazing. I was thrilled.The next day I put the boots on and my foot slipped right in, however the shaft felt like a compression sock. I stuck my fingers in around the top of the boot shaft to loosen that up and wore them around for about half an hour. Next I wore them with tights. Yesterday I tried them with jeans and stretched the shaft a little more. Today I’ve had them on for about several hours and they feel utterly amazing. So three days and lots of patience and these boots are fitted to my foot and leg like a custom boot. Happiness!I’m at the point where I’m wearing them with my PJs, my jeans, my work out clothes, everything except to bed! It must be love! I thought i’d throw in my measurements in case you’re wondering if the boot will fit your foot/leg.I wear a size 8 shoe (quite literally in every single brand on this planet... except Frye)I purchased the Frye Carson Lug in 7.5 (there is a solid half inch between my longest toe and the end of the boot).Foot length: 9 3/4 inchesFoot Width: 4 inchesCalf at widest point: 15 inches (15 1/2 with jeans on)Gosh, that almost feels as revealing as saying my weight in public… hahaha, as if that’s ever going to happen!I'm very pleased with my purchase and glad I tried a second time.Please note the first three photos are of Fake Fryes - the Fryes reviewed above are the ones after those picturesThe review below is for my initial purchase was fulfilled by Amazon.com. I returned them because they were not authentic Fryes. My original review (one star) is below in case anyone else has the same issue I had with the first order (and from other reviews it seems likely). The first three photos( of the wonky half worn-down heel, poor stitching, and label stitched through the middle) are of the fake pair.----------------------------------Fake FryesVery Disappointing! It's a Great price - but no wonder because I do not think these are authentic Fryes.I own several pairs of Fryes and these just do not make the cut.No leather smell. ALL my Fryes have that gorgeous real leather smell. Not these. I am not entirely sure these are even leather.The accompanying Frye card is flimsy and dissimilar to the cards that accompanied my other boots.The heels are poor quality and uneven.There is poor/missed stitching.There's another review on here showing a fake boot with a label that matches mine. That reviewer also had a photo of a label from an authentic Carson lug boot purchased from Frye directly - very useful as comparison.Fulfillment was by Amazon.com, LLC.