I'm going to be the "odd man out" on the Tecovas. My husband and I each ordered a pair several years ago in response to a postcard mailer they sent to their "special customers" (although we had never heard of them, had never owned any, and certainly weren't customers); this was about five years ago, before they began ninja-opening all retail stores at every high-end mall across the state.
Now, let me digress for a moment to provide a little context: We received this postcard mailer and my husband was immediately intrigued. Before continuing, let me just say that my husband is a very smart man, one of the smartest I know, but a few years ago, Lucchese, a brand to which he was very loyal, went "corporate" (I can't remember who bought them...Pillsbury or Kimberly-Clark or somebody) and he has been on the hunt for an alternative boot-maker ever since. Enter the Tecovas mailer...
So, ordering the boots was my husband's idea...from the beginning, I had absolutely no interest. You see, after receiving the promotional solicitation, I pulled up the Tecovas website. Nothing about it impressed me. My perception was that Tecovas is a marketing-based business model rather than a product-based business model (in other words, a model based on quality, rarity, scarcity, or uniqueness of design). But, like Clark Griswold who became so consumed with getting his family to Wally World that he myopically ignored all the "red flags of disaster" along the way, my husband was hell-bent on buying us each a pair of Tecovas, “G-dammit!”, and, when he gets this way, there's no stopping that freight train. So, did I argue? No. Did I insult his intelligence by using logic to explain that the boots were not worth the price? Again, no. Instead, I just smiled and told him that getting a new pair of boots would make me the happiest woman in the world! (and I did this know that I wouldn't like them and he wouldn't like them and I would have to be the one to have to return them. And I did all for love.)
Fast forward, we ultimately received the boots and they were as I expected. Very disappointing. For the price, the integrity of design was very underwhelming (I've seen more attractive boots at Target). The quality was questionable (the stitching is mostly for adornment...they use a lot of glue). But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to fit and these boots just felt cheap.
I believe it was Don Amici Salvatore Giovanni Lucchese who, after immigrating to Texas from Italy and starting the legacy boot company eponymously named Lucchese, said, "There is a-no more a-comfortable pair of a-shoes than a well-fitting pair of a-boots. Not even a-tennis shoes." And, I'm sorry, given the choice between Tecovas and tennies, I'll take the tennies.
Contrary to what you may think, I am not here to argue the efficacy of Tecovas boots with all of you who own a pair and like them. No, the true moral of this story is this: listen to your wife, she’s usually always right.
Now, let me digress for a moment to provide a little context: We received this postcard mailer and my husband was immediately intrigued. Before continuing, let me just say that my husband is a very smart man, one of the smartest I know, but a few years ago, Lucchese, a brand to which he was very loyal, went "corporate" (I can't remember who bought them...Pillsbury or Kimberly-Clark or somebody) and he has been on the hunt for an alternative boot-maker ever since. Enter the Tecovas mailer...
So, ordering the boots was my husband's idea...from the beginning, I had absolutely no interest. You see, after receiving the promotional solicitation, I pulled up the Tecovas website. Nothing about it impressed me. My perception was that Tecovas is a marketing-based business model rather than a product-based business model (in other words, a model based on quality, rarity, scarcity, or uniqueness of design). But, like Clark Griswold who became so consumed with getting his family to Wally World that he myopically ignored all the "red flags of disaster" along the way, my husband was hell-bent on buying us each a pair of Tecovas, “G-dammit!”, and, when he gets this way, there's no stopping that freight train. So, did I argue? No. Did I insult his intelligence by using logic to explain that the boots were not worth the price? Again, no. Instead, I just smiled and told him that getting a new pair of boots would make me the happiest woman in the world! (and I did this know that I wouldn't like them and he wouldn't like them and I would have to be the one to have to return them. And I did all for love.)
Fast forward, we ultimately received the boots and they were as I expected. Very disappointing. For the price, the integrity of design was very underwhelming (I've seen more attractive boots at Target). The quality was questionable (the stitching is mostly for adornment...they use a lot of glue). But, at the end of the day, it all comes down to fit and these boots just felt cheap.
I believe it was Don Amici Salvatore Giovanni Lucchese who, after immigrating to Texas from Italy and starting the legacy boot company eponymously named Lucchese, said, "There is a-no more a-comfortable pair of a-shoes than a well-fitting pair of a-boots. Not even a-tennis shoes." And, I'm sorry, given the choice between Tecovas and tennies, I'll take the tennies.
Contrary to what you may think, I am not here to argue the efficacy of Tecovas boots with all of you who own a pair and like them. No, the true moral of this story is this: listen to your wife, she’s usually always right.
Comment