I got these boots on the last this morning. The lighter patches on the foot are the actual leather color; cowboy boots are wet-lasted and so the darker color simply indicates that the leather is still wet. I wet the leather thoroughly before putting the boots on the last because the leather in a cowboy boot heel is very thick, and also the foot part has no seams to make it somewhat shaped like the last before lasting. The shape of a cowboy boot foot depends entirely on how well it’s molded around the last and how that last is shaped.