It used to be wearing leather boots in the spring and summer was a fashion no-no. But not anymore. Boots in all shapes and sizes—cowboy, shorties and lace-up—are hot this season (especially in red!) so we turned to the pros at US #1 for some advice on what to look for when shopping vintage leather.

US #1 opened on Milwaukee Avenue 18 years ago and is owned by Dominique Darabi, who brings his keen French eye for fashion to high-end Western ware. GQ ranked the Wicker Park shop one of the 25 best vintage stores in America last year and it has been featured in Japan’s ultra-trendy fashion mag Lightning. Buyers from Japan raid Darabi’s store several times a year to scoop up vintage shoes (lately it’s been men’s work boots).

Though Darabi moved several hundred pairs of boots in March to the basement (it’s stacked floor-to-ceiling with shoes, he says, and runs the entire length of the shop) to make room on the floor for vintage leather sandals, flats and moccasins, you can still find a plentiful selection of boots from the 1920s to 1980s. The designer labels can be pricey — $1,800 was his highest-selling pair — but you can snag some pairs for less than $100.

Darabi buys his shoe stock from all over the country at flea markets, antique shops and other vintage stores, but if you’re hunting on your own, Camille Pierra, a sales associate at US #1, has some tips to ensure you get the best deal on your vintage leather boots:

• Know what stains will come out: Salt can be rubbed out with leather shoe polish, but water stains aren’t coming out.
• Maintain your new/old boots: If you use leather polish, the boots will last longer. Pierra says you don’t need a separate water protectant if you polish regularly
• You can always reheel a boot: Don’t let minor imperfections that a cobbler can fix easily prevent you from buying a vintage boot. Cobblers in the ‘hood will reheel a pair of boots for $20
• Vintage leather will stretch: “If it’s a little bit tight, I would say go ahead and buy it,” Pierra says. “Once they sit around for a couple of years, a decade, the leather will go back to its original size and shape.” Brand-new boots or “dead stock” (vintage, never-worn) should be worn about four times to be broken in; previously worn can be fewer.
• Know when a boot is just too big: If you go up more than a half size, you’re going to get blisters, Pierra says. But if they’re a tad big—and you love them or they’re one-of-a-kind—she suggests buying an inexpensive sole insert that will give you one-half size leeway.
• When and where a shoe was made makes a difference: Shoes from the 1980s until now tend to run the same size, whereas shoes from the ‘60s and ‘70s ran about one-half size smaller, Pierra says. For European brands, you can usually ditch the first number for a proper conversion: 38 becomes an 8, 39 a 9 and 40 a 10.
• Try them on: It sounds silly, but Pierra says many shoppers come into US #1 trying to re-sell vintage boots they bought on eBay that didn’t fit (the store won’t buy from individual sellers). Especially if you’re shopping pre-1980 or European, your best bet is to try before you buy.

US #1
1460 N. Milwaukee Ave.
773-489-9428