These are without a doubt my most favorite pair of cowboy (cowgirl?) boots I’ve ever owned. Now, granted, I never even owned a pair of boots until after I married Marlboro Man…and even then, I experienced a bit of a learning curve.
Cowboy boots, in case you don’t know, are DIFFICULT. Between finding the kind of toe you like to finding a pair that’s comfortable enough that you’ll actually want to wear them, choosing the perfect pair of cowboy boots can rival rocket science in terms of level of difficulty. And I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my pair.
The toe of a cowboy boot is such a personal choice. There are the square toes—my sister-in-law Missy wears them, and they look great on her. On me, though, the square toes just made me feel like a clunkhead; they just didn’t suit me.
There are the ultra, ultra pointy toes—the kind that make you look like the Wicked Witch of the West. I’ve had a pair, and they just seem to attract too many stares: (What they HAYELL is wrong with that girl’s BOOTS?). I already feel like a total impostor when I wear cowboy boots; the last thing I want to do is draw attention to them.
There are the rounded toes—Marlboro Man wears this style most of the time, but on me they just look blah. Sort of like I’m wearing boots purely for utilitarian reasons, which—let’s face it—is so not the case. I need a little flair on my feet.
I’d about given up on finding a pair I liked. I had a black pair (slightly round toe, very uncomfortable) that I wore once before putting ’em in the mud room for guests. I had a brown-and-aqua pair of hand-me-downs from Missy (they were a little small for her), but the toes were as square as a box and they made me feel funny inside. I had a pair of mock lizard numbers that were shiny and bold and attention grabbing—and they were totally impractical. I felt like the girl John Travolta got together with briefly in Urban Cowboy. Only not as hot.
But then, while in Dallas with Marlboro Man and the kids four years ago, I saw these:
Made by Lucchese (I pronounce it “Loo-kay-see“, but some people say “Loo-chess“), I was immediately drawn to them.
I loved the color, the detail, the slouchiness. The slightly weathered, imperfect look.
There’s nothing worse than wearing a brand new, shiny pair of flawless boots. Talk about attention-grabbing.
Only thing is, they weren’t cheap. Well, let me approach this another way: they were expensive. Not as much as a pair of Jimmy Choos or Manolo Blahniks, but quite a bit more than I was used to paying for shoes within the context of my life on the ranch.
So I left the store, figuring I’d find another pair somewhere else that I liked just as well.
I returned to the store and bought them an hour later. I just knew I’d found my soulmate.
They’ve turned out to be one of the best purchases I’ve ever made, right up there with my Nikon and my AbRocket. I wear them, on average, five out of seven days a week. I wear them in the mud. I wear them in the rain. I wear them to the grocery store and the Wal Marts and around the house. They’re like butter on my feet; they’re my best friends. And as I gaze upon the pairs and pairs of cheaper, barely worn boots in our mud room, I realize that there are just some things in life that are worth the money.
(Oh, by the way: the AbRocket isn’t one of them. I was kidding on that one. And if you don’t believe that I was kidding, I’ll show you my abs. It’s all the proof you’ll need.)
Here are my boots. (Thankfully, they don’t look as perfect as they look in this catalog photo.) They’re in the 1883 line and can be found pretty much anywhere.
Don’t look around their website, though.
Because if you do, you might see things like this:
Oh dear. The boots my dreams are made of. What is it about worn, stonewashed boots that make my heart go pitter pat?
I guess there’s just something imperfect about them.
And in that respect, they make me feel right at home.
Ree Drummond is the founder of The Pioneer Woman and a lover of butter, basset hounds and life on the ranch! Ree started her blog in 2006, and now millions visit ThePioneerWoman.com every month for her trusted recipes and fun family stories. Here’s what she has been up to since it all began:
New York Times Bestselling Author
Ree has written two memoirs (Black Heels to Tractor Wheels, and Frontier Follies) plus nine bestselling cookbooks:
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl (2009)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food from My Frontier (2012)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays (2013)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinnertime (2015)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Come and Get It! (2017)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The New Frontier (2019)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Super Easy (2021)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: Dinner’s Ready! (2023)
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes (2025)
Food Network Host
Since 2011, Ree has been sharing simple, family-friendly recipes—and the occasional kitchen prank!—on her award-winning show The Pioneer Woman, filmed right on Drummond Ranch. Ree is also a regular judge on Food Network competitions, including Christmas Cookie Challenge.
Founder, The Pioneer Woman Collection
Ree has been creating and selling kitchen and home products at Walmart since 2015 and she’s involved in designing every piece and pattern. The line now includes best-selling appliances (you have to see the floral blender!), plus hundreds of pieces of cookware, tableware, and more. Ree doesn’t like to play favorites but the Agatha print has a special place in her heart.
Restaurant and Hotel Owner
Together with her husband Ladd, Ree has opened several bustling businesses in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, including The Pioneer Woman Mercantile—a bakery, restaurant, and general store that draws visitors from across the country (many come for the biscuits alone!), P-Town Pizza, Charlie’s Ice Cream Shop, and The Boarding House, a charming hotel with eight different rooms decorated by Ree and Ladd.
Media Personality
Ree appears regularly on national TV shows like Today, Good Morning America and more—all while managing to keep flour off her shirt.
Wife, Mom and…Grandma!
Ree’s kids (daughters Alex and Paige and sons Bryce and Todd) are all grown up, and as of December 2024, Ree is the proud grandma of the cutest baby ever, Sofia Scott, born to Alex and her husband Mauricio. Ree still cooks for Ladd (and the kids when they’re home), and she also looks after a few mischievous ranch dogs.
