Boston - October 10, 2007

Age Before Beauty

Fiorentini + Baker

How to Grow Old Gracefully: A Beginner’s Guide.

Step 1. Pout, squeal, stomp feet in denial.

Step 2. Accept that you can’t help growing old.

Step 3. Look to others for inspiration. (See: Diane Keaton, your mom, Fiorentini + Baker.)

Clearly pedigree is essential. But according to the last one, a brilliant collaboration between Bologna interior designer Gianpaolo Fiorentini and British shoe designer Deborah Baker, success lies in the combination of first-rate materials, detailed production, and regular maintenance.

Their boots are handcrafted from vintage fabrics and softened, durable leathers, making them easy, wearable, and timeless. Observe the short boot on platform shoe: elegant and sure to weather years of foot stomping. The tall, pull-on flat boot in brown leather will endure decades of path forging and pavement pounding, as will the tall boot in gray.

Step 4. Slip on a pair, embrace fate, and quietly thank your mother.

Available at Dress, 221 Newbury Street, Back Bay (617-424-7125 or dressboston.com). To see styles, go to fiorentini-baker.com.