If Dr. Seuss had ever decided to pen a children's book about cowboys, cowgirls and their beloved cowboy boots, he might've gotten inspiration from the Lucchese-lined back wall at Pinto Ranch, Post Oak's eponymous store for Western wear. Short boots, tall boots, big boots, small boots, thin boots, round boots, pink boots and brown boots stood in bunches on the display stands and hung endlessly on the racks in the huge store last Saturday. Woven throughout the pairs of cowboy boots were more than your average number of shoppers; this past weekend was Pinto Ranch's second trunk showing of the Lucchese Classics brand of handcrafted, high-quality leather boots.
"This is something we do every May," said Bea Garcia, Pinto Ranch's director of marketing, referring to the event as the store's "kickoff to summer boot sale."
Leather isn't the only material the boots are made out of. According to Brian Eden, one of two Lucchese representatives present that day (the other was a bit media-shy), some of the shoe materials read like a safari fashion show: American alligator, Cayman crocodile, snakeskin, hippopotamus, even elephant.
"We use a huge variety of leathers," Eden said.
The cowboy boots can be bought in-store or specially ordered, at which time the customer can have his or her shoes custom-designed to taste.
Not that they would need to be. The boots, already thick and unique from the quality materials mentioned above, are emboldened with graphic designs and colors, from the abstract, like red boots with matching swirls and curlycues, to the sublime, like a pair of white boots with flower designs printed onto them, to, finally, the traditional brown, black and gray cowboy and cowgirl boots, perfect for a sunny day wrangling bulls on the homestead.
Guess that explains why Lucchese's shoes fly off the shelves at Pinto Ranch.
"Pinto Ranch is just a great account for us. We have a really great relationship," said Eden.
The pair joins together for three trunk shows a year, starting with their rodeo-themed show in the early part of the year, this May show and a holiday show in December.
Lucchese cowboy boots are available year-round at Pinto Ranch. To get your own pair, visit the store at 1717 Post Oak Blvd. or call 713-333-7900.
