We Salute Bruce Springsteen's Star-Spangled Boots

In June, Bruce Springsteen put out a new solo album—his 19th!—called Western Stars. On Friday, Bruce Springsteen is releasing a movie—a concert film, related to the new album, also called Western Stars. On Wednesday night, while attending the premiere of HBO’s new documentary about Ralph Lauren, Springsteen hit the step-and-repeat in a simple black suit and white shirt—and a pair of extremely on-brand cowboy boots. That’s right: they appeared to be embroidered with stars, Western or otherwise.

The boots themselves don’t seem to be marketing material—they look a little too worn-in to have been created just for this album-and-movie cycle. Which means: Bruce Springsteen owns some star-spangled boots! And he knows that the secret to wearing slightly out-there shoes is to wear an exceedingly normal outfit otherwise: like, say, a suit that you wear casually, quietly, secure in the confidence of your next-level footwear.

Originally Appeared on GQ