I feel like this might be a non-starter, the Afterword largely being more interested in obsolete music tech than dressing properly (joke! joke! But not really. No, really, joke. I love you guys).
But I recently did a shoe and shirt audit and well holy Christmas, I have a lot of shoes and shirts.
Gary’s mention of brogues and Nikes over on the tea and coffee thread put me in mind of this. I love brogues and Nikes, equally, for different things. I don’t buy shoes often, but when I do, I’m willing to pay – because good shoes are a life investment. The occasional resole and you’re set for life – plus many of the good shoe firms will recondition your shoes back to new if they’re really in need.
Any other shoe lovers on the AW? What are your favourites?
I’m a habitual wearer of a Chelsea boot, and they’re probably, overall, the shoes that get the most use. I have two pairs: some tan Cheaneys which make me happy every time I put them on, and some – oddly enough – Barbours in black. Barbour isn’t a brand I associate with good shoes, but these were just the ticket I was after at the time: reasonably priced, matt, with good leather soles. And they’ve lasted far better than I was expecting for the price.
On the trainer front, I’m a bit of a creature of habit, but have had a problem since I was a teenager. My university yearbook entry, written by my best friend, takes the piss out of my fancy trainer problem, and it hasn’t got better in the 23 years since. The everyday trainer is a New Balance 574, of which I have three pairs in all states from pure scruff to reasonably nice. I’ve been wearing them since I was about 17 and they’re what goes on when I don’t want to fancy it up too much, but need something semi-presentable. The other everyday trainer is a white Adidas Superstar. I had mine subtly customised with the words “Illest Things” (if you know, you know) but the lettering came off. (Tip: don’t bother with the Adidas custom lettering. ) A couple of pairs of All-Stars (hi top and lo top). Some limited Air Max 90s which are really special occasions only – the kind of trainer which needs to be box fresh or nothing. Some lovely ‘77 Blazer low-tops which might be, with the Max 90, the most beautiful shoe Nike ever made. A pair of black croc Axel Arigato, which are basically Common Projects style and quality without the Common Projects price. Love them.
I have two pairs of lace-up boots – Church’s and Cheaney, in plain dark brown and chunky-sole black brogue respectively. Beautiful things, but a rare wear: they take too long to get on and off.
Formal: it’s mostly a plain black Loake Oxford and a seriously beautiful tan brogue which I got in the Crockett & Jones sale a couple of years ago but which still cost too much. They’ll last me the rest of my life, though. I want some patent evening shoes but I only do black tie a couple of times a year and would need a windfall to justify the purchase.
You can spend whatever you want on clothes, but if your trousers and sleeves are too long, and your shoes aren’t right, you won’t look quite as good as you could. I bloody love shoes.
Bob, I love you, but do you know what you’ve done here? Do you realise you’re inviting further weapons-grade ponciness after the fannying-about-with-tea-and/or-coffee thread? Please don’t encourage them. I’m off somewhere safer, like the style pages of the weekend supplements.
(Moose is wearing Improbable of Kensington, £940 (that’s the socks, by the way, peasants))
I disagree.
Much more likely to attract “PAH, they saw you coming” comments from people who pretend they can hear the difference between indistinguishable music file types because they spent £600 on a machine that plays downloads and confirmation bias is a lifesaver. *ducks* 😉
Please don’t call me ducks.
(in public)
Oh god, oh god, oh god.
Look at this thread.
Look at it!
I just hope you’re pleased with yourself.
It’s like the story of Pandora.
If that box had been full of quite unpardonable PONCINESS.
Best thread since the famous »Nosehair« thread from way back when.
My mood gets better & friendlier every time I see that »Shoes« has been updated. Thanks everyone.
What’s wrong with ponciness, shugah?
I’m a boot devotee, the plainer and blacker the better. My default options are an M&S pair that are about 5 years old and may be on their way out (the lining is starting to flake), and a nubuck pair of lightweight Timberlands I picked up cheap from TK Maxx last summer. With laces though, always with laces. I’ve never owned a pair of Chelsea boots and frown on the ones with fake laces in the front and zips up the side.h
I’ve never rated Doc Martens. I wore them for a while in the 90s because I liked the look but they’re not up to the job. I don’t think I ever had a pair last longer than about 6 months before the sole punctured, so it’s solid soles all the way. I think I’m too old for army boots now. Converse are fine for the summer.
In the days when I worked in an office standard lace ups were fine, and as I have a common show size (9) I have several upmarket pairs bought without a scratch in the sole from charity shops. The best of them is probably a pair of 4 hole Cheaney’s which cost me £6 to buy and probably well over a ton in repairs since.
Trainers? I don’t understand trainers worn outside the gym. The visual aesthetic is alien to me and I honestly can’t see what makes one pair desirable while another, seemingly indistinguishable, pair is laughable. As above, Converse is as far as I’m willing to go in that direction.
I have big-ish feet (11). I never seem to be able to get good shoes second hand, and the sales aren’t often that rich in pickings either.
Doc Martens seem to be a lot less comfy than they were 30 years ago, when I wore my 18-holers on the regular. My daughters love theirs, wear them as school shoes, but they seem to rub more than I remember. (But then they’ve seemingly inherited their mum’s feet, which blister in almost any shoes. Conversely, I’ve had foot blisters about twice in my 44 years on this earth.)
@Gatz -DMs, really? I’ve got a pair I still wear that I brought in their factory shop back in 1998!
Really. I must have gone through 4 or 5 pairs in very quick succession before I took the hint. I found the same with the only pair of Solovair I have owned too, so it may be me.
My other pair are only 8 years old, but still going strong. You can borrow them if you like 🙂
I do seem to hold on to shoes/boots/trainers. I’ve just binned a pair of Dune boots that I’ve had since 2012 (although they were re-heeled).
Apparently, DMs have taken a nosedive in quality in the last ten years, according to my brother in law. A long term DM wearer, he has recently given up on them for another manufacturer after another pair has not lasted the distance.
Solovair are the answer, it seems. They use the old DM template etc.
Terry Pratchett has a view:
“The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.
Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.
But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that’d still be keeping his feet dry in ten years’ time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.
This was the Captain Samuel Vimes ‘Boots’ theory of socioeconomic unfairness.”
I miss Terry. He’s right. I’m not rich, no-one in the world who does my job is rich, but I choose to spend my limited money on the boots which will still be in the rack or keeping my feet dry when I’m 60.
I have one pair of shoes. I wear them as little as possible, special occasions only. I’ve had the current pair since 2006 and they still look Adam good as new. I hate wearing shoes. Otherwise it’s trainers all the time. Since I realised, about 15 years ago, how comfortable they are, I’ve not bought anything other than kswiss.
I’ve been on a Clark’s desert boots run for a couple of years. I have two pairs, they look great and are super comfy. I always wore a classic penny loafer for work but last time I put them on which was probably over a year ago they were stiff as a board so if I ever start wearing them again they need to be broken in. I bought them in Windsor in a shop with a 50% off the second pair offer so I have a nice pair of Loake light brogues under the bed still in the shoe bags and completely unworn.
Other than a few pairs of regular Docs, I have a pair of Clarks boots that I’ve worn for years. The best way to describe them is that they are a cross between brogues and boots, they are brown and seem to have aged very well. I don’t think they were very expensive but they have really lasted and I like them. I would buy another pair if they still make them & if I actually needed them.
I like a good coat too; I’m not a fan of the standard Barbour jackets but they make nice coats that last really well and are practical if you spend a lot of time outside or travelling. It’s the pockets.
I’m much more of a bag person. My brand of choice is Picard Lederwaren. Just sheer quality. Whenever I go to Germany (not so much these days sadly) I spend a fortune in their shops. Their stuff is for life. I went into one of the shops with a bag that I’d been carrying for years, and the shop assistant polished the bag up for me while I was looking around.
I have a pair of Josef Siebel nubuck boots bought in Munich which I have been wearing for years.
Predominantly boots. Predominantly DMs of which I have three pairs. My black vegan docs are the most worn. I have a couple of pairs of Timberlands for stomping around the local woodland in the night, in the dark and a pair of very nice tan suede Chelsea boots for when my inner cad takes precedence.
I only own two pairs of shoes, a pair of black Oxfords for funerals and a pair of Red or Dead suede loafers for erm…loafing.
I don’t wear trainers unless Converse baseball boots fall into that category. I have two pairs. One pair in red and the other pair are black.
Another yay for Doccers, I love ‘em. They sometimes can take a wee while to soften up, but worth the blisters. Never had the full crusty squaddie version, preferring a shoe or a Chelsea boot.
It is summer and I am retired so the answer Is thongs or flip flops to some.
All day every day.
I have 3 pairs. They are called Archies as they have an arch support in the sole.
Boots. Goddam, I love boots. Chelsea and lace up brogue style. I’d wear four pairs at once if I was more of a mutation than I already am.
I don’t have any super posh ones at the moment but the brogue ones I do have are properly leather soled in rich tan leather. The chelseas are black, tan and brown suede respectively. All heavy leather soles. I also have a pair of grey suede chelseas with a crepe soul. Very beatnik. Worn once but loved.
Having said all of that I’ve been working from home for about 2 years now so have had. little opportunity to wear any of them to work or out, out. I pad about the locale in black Nikes or plain black leather flat soled Converse-alikes. Or a now very knackered pair of brown suede chelseas with a rubber sole.
London based boot lovers should be aware of a little shop on Strutton Ground mid-way up Victoria Street. Discount Shoe Sales. Which is precisely what it is. Loakes and other decent brands, plus some lesser known and cheaper Italian brands, at a decent if not huge discount.
Strutton Ground is also the birthplace of The Goons. The pub where they met and started performing is on the top corner. The Grafton Arms.
(GRAMS: Military boots marching into distance. Bloodnok explodes. ‘Ohhhhhh…’)
I frequented Stratton Ground daily for a decade when I worked in Vic St, a super little market & home of the aforementioned Grafton Arms ( always a pilgrim or 2 in there then, but I suspect less numerous now). At the other end of the short cobbled cut through is/was a luggage & bag shop – proprietor: ‘glamorous’ Linda Lusardi.
I was always aghast at the sheer volume of knock-off & obviously ‘hot’ clobber for sale (Calvin Klein grundies etc.) in that the market was directly opposite the biggest nick in Britain (New Scotland Yard for those unfamiliar). Given the Met’s now famous ability to ‘miss’ what’s happening in plain sight, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised!
In the army Milligan was advised to piss in his boots and leave them standing* overnight in order to soften them. It worked.
(*to be fair, they were hardly likely to do anything else)
This took me back to the mid 90s when I used to have to go to Queen Anne’s Gate for work regularly. I used to buy Loakes from that shop. One day a uniformed policeman bought some shoes when I was in there and said he would wear them and asked the shop to get rid of his old ones. I pointed out they had stickers on the soles and he said he knew and went on his way.
Thought you’d like to know.
I do. I have no doubt it’s members of the local constabulary and multitudes of cash strapped civil servants in the area who keep the place across afloat.
It’s much less of a market now. The bulk of the pitches are Street Food joints and most of the shops are chain coffee and sandwich shops.
I used to buy hideous silk ties from a stall there. 2 for a fiver. They all had designs and graphics on them that looked taken from a toddlers playgroup Glueing and Sticking hour
Skechers© slip-ons are the elderly person’s heroin. Feel the bliss. The blessed relief. The waves of sinful comfort surging gently through the entire skeleton, easing, revivifying. Making walking not only a real possibility but a pleasure. Suffer from “knees”? I do. Fucking bastards. But wearing Skechers© has rendered expensive surgery unnecessary. I glide. I stroll. Moonwalk. I can now get into the toilet without crawling, and I’m up to a full inch higher. My posture is military; I exude a natural authority, and my footwear complements my bearing, at once elegant and hard-wearing.
Skechers©. Executive relief for the feet.
When Mum died we cleaned out 8 pairs of Skechers. Multiples in the same colour.
Another vote for Skechers – bloody comfortable so too Reikers which are maybe a little more stylish.
For walking shoes it has to be Solomons and/or Ecco.
Yep, wearing a pair of Skechers at work, first pair of work shoes that doesn’t leave me with sore feet at the end of the shift.
But I don’t think Ecco are good shoes – they aren’t comfortable at all and crap quality as well, IMO. Or I’ve been extremely unlucky…three times (never again!)
Hoka! Excuse me, I must get tested. But seriously, their trainers are super light and cushioned, comfy like the Skechers above. Mine are black on top and white below. Right now we have snow so I wear Canada Snow leather zip-up boots. When the hot weather comes it’s Birkenstocks. Easy to slip on and off as you go from house to house. No shoes indoors here so it’s good to think of ease of shoe removal. I have gortex Crispi boots which are Italian for more serious walking. I also have Converse and DM shoes for when you meet up with people in town for example and want to look reasonably with it. That’s it.
Oh go on then.
I am a sucker for footwear, and particularly trainers. Whatever male urgings I’m meant to feel for cars appear to have been misallocated in this direction; automobiles leave me as cold as an accountant’s heart, but a nice trainer is a thing of beauty for all eternity. I unashamedly channel the spirit of Carmen Miranda, and for that I cannot apologise (enough).
My shoe kingdom these days divides into four fiefdoms.
First up, are the traditional shoes. Once, when I was a young lawyer still in private practice, this comprised the largest area of the wardrobe, although its been on the decline ever since. I’ve never been beholden to particular brands; I just know what I want when I see it. Typically, I was after shoes that, while still functionally smart enough to wear with a suit, were in some way not fundamentally sensible or appropriate. I have happy memories of the gorgeous, but unusually hued dark red/brown pair which once caused a very serious Partner to splutter “good lord, what colour are your shoes” as we exited a client meeting together. Ditto the pair with all the perforations. And most particularly the ludicrous but sensationally beautiful pair of Pradas I splashed out on before my first day in that job (a preposterous, exorbitant expense at the time), which immediately caught the eye of my future wife, almost certainly before she ever noticed what was in them. Not normally a big label kid, but dear god those shoes made me feel like I was walking on sunshine.
Next come the boots. A new area which only sprung to life six or seven years ago, when I first figured out how to properly integrate them into my work wardrobe without looking scruffy (skinny jeans), and which has been expanding ever since. Again, it doesn’t matter so much where they’re from (although I’m with Pratchett – you do tend to get what you pay for), it matters how they look and how they make one feel. Shiny is also nice. The beauty of the boot is its versatility; it can be worn just as happily in both formal and informal settings; it is the non-binary kick. It also works with pretty much any coat, and that is important because if there’s one thing I love more than shoes, it’s coats. I have a soft spot for the current oddball pair in my collection; some black Diesels (for footwear! How unlikely) that are so comparatively featureless as to look like they’ve been either come from a distant future or otherwise been drawn by an underpaid cartoonist.
We move next to trainers, and specifically to running shoes. Ah, running shoes. I am not a massive buying stuff guy, but I can always always always find a pair of running shoes to want, should the need arise. Consequently, I try to exercise restraint in this area – you’re allegedly meant to replace your running shoes every 300 miles, but I have to confess I regard this information with some considerable suspicion; how convenient, after all for the sneaker industry. On current form, this rule would have me binning off 3 pairs a year, so I eschew it, and run mine into the ground. My policy on workout gear is effectively Goth: black from head to toe so I can feel like the milk tray man in funereal mood, and – more importantly – so I can wear incredibly bright running trainers. Recent faves have been the seemingly indestructible pair of orange Sauconys I bought for trail running, the bright green Nikes which are the most comfortable thing I’ve ever had on my feet, and the seemingly luminous yellow ASICS which set off car alarms as I pass. I mention three brands there, but spiritually I am a Nikehead. I’ve loved them since I got my first Air Max as a kid, and they also have the best catalogue of mentions in song of any shoe company in history. My current football boots are also Nike; silver and orange; with hidden laces. I delude myself that my close relationship with my boots means I should only ever own one pair at a time. The last time I broke said rule I ended up owning two pairs of the same boot in different colours; an error which lead to me one day packing my kitbag wrong and playing a full match wearing one bright yellow boot, one white. After the game the other side’s manager approached me and informed me that he’d told “the lads” to watch out for me because anyone who played football in mismatched boots was either going to be seriously good, or a complete liability. I didn’t have the heart to ask which side of the line I’d fallen on. Never again. I went through a phase of wearing only black football boots, because they’d become the exception rather than the norm, but it got boring so I went garish.
Finally, we have the conventional sneaker. Typically, these fall into three buckets; white trainers that look a bit like Stan Smiths, but are not in fact Stan Smiths (“tennis trainers”, as a friend once called them), trainers bought for running but which proved too beautiful and were instead pressed into regular service (chief among them at present a pair of very dark red Nike Air Pegasus which might well be amongst the best trainers I’ve ever owned), and high tops. I’m not someone who loves shopping, so what tends to happen is that I find a trainer I like and buy different colourways; it started years ago with 120s, but has continued through certain brands of Air Max, Zooms, Epic Reacts and now the Pegasus. Again, it’s mainly Nikes, although I do have a favourite pair of white Adidas running shoes that I once bought at a pinch to play football in, but which feel like having a formula one car on either foot and were therefore redeployed. I also own a pair of Yeezys I was gifted, but I have to admit I don’t see the appeal, which is a clear sign I’m getting old. Oh, and Allbirds – they’re good, but they don’t give me that buzz. For high tops, I only own a couple of pairs at a time, usually Jordans. I will confess here that during one of the lockdowns I cracked and acquired at some cost what had long been my dream pair of trainers; Jordan 6 Infrareds. Push comes to shove, the pair of shoes I would rescue from a house fire, they feel absolutely amazing to wear and I love pretty much everything about them.
So, there you have it. I’m not usually a “stuff” person; I don’t really care about cars, or watches, or phones or the rest of it. I’ve dropped in on all the threads about hi-fi equipment, coffee makers et al and wondered how everyone can be so excited about it all. But now you’ve landed squarely on one of my weak spots. Shoes, coats, books and a good time: the four things I could always happily spend money on.
This post speaks to my heart. I used to be very stuff-orientated, but not any more. Not gadgety any more beyond a certain point, don’t care about “sound quality” or tech beyond the extent to which it makes my life better. I want solutions to existing life stuff, rather than to invent problems which then require an expensive solution. My laptop is pretty old, I run my phones til they break. I spend on books, food, the occasional pair of shoes, the occasional nice piece of clothing.
Right now I only have three pairs of running shoes and one of them doesn’t often get an outing. Two Nikes: Zoom Structure 23s, which I actually really like. They’re basic, neutral runners which aren’t too cushioned and are pretty reasonably priced. Black, but with a pleasing hot coral swoosh and sole detail. And some Zoom X Invincible Runs which are bouncy as all get-out, and a mental fluorescent yellow-green. I look like I’m wearing a pair of Dyno-Rod spaceships from the year 2400 and I love it. They’re very good for a tired-knees 10k. Finally there’s the On Cloudsurfers in a more muted and less fun fluoro yellow. Meh. They’re alright. Quite hard, good for shaving a few seconds off a 5k, look pretty cool, but don’t get that much use. (I’m with you on black running gear otherwise. My most outré running top is grey-black weave.)
(January has been extremely rough on the running front. I’ve been working 60 hour weeks and not sleeping well, and at some point I need to break the cycle and get back out there. I love running and miss it. Not running is exhausting, but so is running, and I’d rather be the latter type of exhausted.)
Coats: don’t get me started.
Ps: I also don’t give a shit about cars. I find car people extraordinarily odd, but then they probably feel the same way about me.
Can both sets of people be not be odd?
…asking for a friend
I don’t get the obsession with cars either. Biggest drain on resources there is – thankfully have had a company car nearly all my working life.
Only if you do plentiful personal mileage and/or have expensive insurance costs are company cars a cost effective option.
I wear Gore-Tex Merrels all year round (hunting down end of line bargains on line is a passion) & horrible leather-topped Crocs indoors. I’ve long since given up giving a monkey’s what anybody thinks, comfort is ALL.
My only other footwear- other than for weddings, funerals etc. are my Lowa combat boots. They are indestructible & 100% waterproof. I’m on my 2nd pair (they can be re-soled) & I recommend them unreservedly. Great for trail riding in pissing rain on the e-bike. They do look a bit special forces but are incredibly comfortable & don’t need any breaking in. To say they wee on Martens from a great height is an understatement. Worth every penny.
Between Dec and April functional winter boots, otherwise mainly trainers so I can go for longish walks if I feel like it. Black leather shoes for weddings, funerals and interviews
I have settled down to some staple shoes and boots.
My everyday is a Blundstone square toe stout brown Chelsea boot. I can wear them all day long and walk forever in them. They are the ideal footwear for work if I’m not in a suit and brilliant for walking around London in (rather than suffering the tube).
Formal shoes I have managed to collect 3 pairs of Loake. A brown wing tip brogue, a similar black pair and a thick soles pair of classic brogues. I enjoy looking after them and swear by Saphir shoe creams and brushes.
My football boots are a lairy green pair of Adidas leather boots for 3G pitches. They are green because that made them £30 instead of the original £230 price. I have never had a better, lighter boots in all my years. They are wasted on walking football but I love them.
In the summer it’s flip flops (Reef, brown leather. Last for years) or Superga’s.
Lastly, I have recently discovered the joy of a good leather walking boot. Mine are Scarpa and were comfy from the word go. The mud hoses off, wipe them down and once a month rub in some Scarpa leather treatment and they look new and repel water like a newly waxed car.
I also really enjoy the art of looking after shoes and will often sit on slightly dull conference calls absentmindedly cleaning and polishing my shoes.
Another one for Saphir polishes and creams. I really like polishing my shoes too. Like Arnie Vinick says, never trust a man who doesn’t shine his shoes. And that horrible silicon Kiwi shit will make your good shoes last a couple of years instead of a couple of decades.
The little Saphir brushes to put the cream on are ace if you haven’t got them.
Saphir Pommadier Polish Applicator Brush https://smile.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06W5PCJ3Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_TN0TCRA5BW91F0GM8DHW
Blundstone! Oh yes, they are so brilliant. I have two pairs, one black, one lighter brown. Comfy, functional and very, very cool. I have never had any footwear that fits as well as their 9.5 and they go with jeans or trousers. Honestly…give them a try if you haven’t. Great for the ex DM wearer.
A black pair is on the list. Then I suspect I won’t need any other footwear.
Rather hoped that this wd be about the USA pop outfit of the same name…. never mind.
Anyway, Loake boots and of course, suede Pumas.
Wrong blog. You want this.
Muchas gracias..
Ooo, I forgot about clogs. I love the convenience of a clog, only eschewing them at this time of year as my wife says I look a dick in winter, sheepskin coat, tweed bunnet and bare feet in clogs. (Hence my new investment and love for scandi socks.) Favourite brand is Siebel. I also own a handmade wooden soled pair for dancing in, last worn in the 1990s.
A dick in winter….retracted
My brother wore clogs in the mid 70s which ruined his feet for a good while. This was pre New Model Army.
Got rid of my wooden soled clogs last year (also used for dancing) as due to my weakened leg they became to heavy to wear.
Blue suede shoes to go with my blue tweed suit.
A pair of black Loakes which I used when conducting weddings.
I’ve just this month bought four pairs of Converse, two boots and two shoes, light to wear and enough grip to make me feel secure when walking on the street, one pair for the gym.
One pair of soft leather Italian shoes bought in Florence.
I have small feet. Size 5, European 38. My first question I ask in a shoe shop is what is the smallest size you carry?
Invariably they try to get me to sit down but I have learned my lesson. Usually the smallest shops carry is seven , sometimes six but very rarely 5. So I walk out. I mean what’s the point of staying.
Can’t be bothered with actual shoes, apart from a pair of black slip-ons bought for choiring and funerals. I have a pair of Ugg boots, a pair of Redbacks which I never wear, and four pairs of a kind of espadrille I bought off Amazon for about 15 quid a pair – I’ve got 2 pairs in Oz and 2 in UK. They’re called multipart trainers, whatever that means, but I find them perfect for toddling about. Good on long-haul flights too.
My main foot squeeze is a reassuringly expensive pair of ON trainers, described by the manufacturers as ‘Swiss performance running shoes’. Both performance and running are alien concepts to me, but they’re supremely comfortable – I could walk miles in them if I ever did such a thing. And they have pretend laces, they’re actually slip-ons. I’ll buy another pair when these give out.
If we keep this going Moose’s head will explode.
I used to fear the slip on – thinking it as a gateway drug to Velcro. But I realise that’s why I love a Blundstone Chelsea boot. Slip ons are like automatic cars. You can’t go back.
‘Slip ons are like automatic cars. You can’t go back.’ Yes! I can’t believe it’s only in the last 5 years that I’ve had automatics – I’m kicking myself over all those manuals I’ve bought over the years.
gateway drug to velcro
Lol.
But aren’t Chelsea boots slip-ons, and to be likewise spurned unless you are so immobile you can’t manage laces or so challenged that you never learned how to tie them? I always thought that Chelsea boots had unwholesome connotations, though I suspect that is a prejudice inherited from my parents’ generation.
Well, the Rolling Stones wore them, which was enough to offend my mother. And Lord only knows what the Pretty Things wore.
I’ve always liked a Chelsea boot whereas I won’t go near a slip on shoe. Dunno why but that’s my logic.
Chelsea boots are elegant. Slip-ons are Partridge. I can’t explain the rule, but it’s the rule, and it’s correct.
I love my brown DM Chelsea boots. Wear them all the time unless walking the dog when I wear my Jack Wolfskin walking boots…
Edit: I do own a couple of pairs of Puma trainers in blue and grey. They get an airing once spring comes around.
This is how sane men think Bob.
40 years ago, when I wore nothing but DMs and safety boots, the “cool kids” wore tassel loafers. Was that ok at the time or were they all prototype Partidges?
They weren’t ‘really’ cool though were they? I bet they had white socks as well. They were just the harder kids who all liked The Jam.
They did have white socks and coloured woven belts on their pegs (?) trousers. I think that was when I decided that I didn’t understand fashion and couldn’t be arsed with much other than jeans and t shirts.
Apologies to Dirk, but white socks are for wankers. Or sport, I concede. Arguably both the same.
Can Sport actually wank?*
* I know there is a Chelsea joke to be made here but I am rising above it.
Is wanking a sport?
Olympic event, or Pro-Celebrity
@Leedsboy
😃 or how to rise above it without rising above it. As they say on the twitters.
No love for the Redbacks Thep?
Sure, they just seem a bit clunky compared with the Swiss mountain footwear. And on the whole I don’t have to watch out for snakes in Folkestone. I’ve got another pair in Oz for that.
Posties know a thing or two about shoes. During my brief tenure at Royal Mail, the active trainer was popular.
https://www.myroyalmail.com/sites/default/files/document_library/Footwear%20-%20non-safety%20poster.pdf
Because of the no shoes indoors rule, everyone here has a good, long shoe horn by the front door. I can get my trainers on with one with the shoe laces still tied. Otherwise it’s a drag to untie and re-tie again and again so get the horn. You know it makes sense.
My son worked for Clark’s in the holidays for a few years and as part of the training, they explained why you should always undo laces and retry them. It affects how the back of the shoe holds your foot in place IIRC. Unbelievably, he always does.
Maybe, I have been told it’s not a good idea by my other half. You can’t do it with leather shoes but with the Hoka and horn it seems OK. I’ll chance it.
I have a black and a brown brogue (Loake, I believe). a lovely pair of orange-ish Oliver Sweeney cowboy boots and a fabulous pair of Brasher walking boots.
My pride and joy, however, is 3 pairs of Jeffery West “Cavern” trainers in dark blue, tan and chocolate brown. The dark blue and brown ones I reserve for “best”, and I wish I could wear them without wearing them out. I know you folks get me.
I’m a skinflint so I either buy cheap trainers or boots (no real need for work shoes any more since I work from home now). Probably Puma trainers are the ones I seem to like the most.
But I also don’t mind using people’s cast offs! I am blessed with a brother in law who buys expensive stuff then hardly uses it, so my main footwear of choice at the moment (for winter hikes) is a pair of good walking boots that are about 25 years old. I can’t remember the brand but they are built like tanks!
I have a few pairs of boots ranging from a nice pair of brown DMs with yellow stitching to two pairs of Panama Jacks, with a couple of pairs of Wranglers to boot (SWIDT). Most of the time I can be found wearing Merrell Moab walking trainers – I have 4 pairs – because they are just the most comfortable footwear known to man. For more adventurous activities I have a 20-year old pair of Scarpa Rangers, proper leather walking boots. I have a spare pair which may never need to see service, so occasionally I open the box, inhale the intoxicating odour of new leather and stroke them a little. Shoes? Nah. I’m retired now, never wear ‘em.
I only have four pairs of shoes.
1. A proper hiking boot for long muddy trails. Waterproof and comfortable.
2. Black brogues for work. Mostly used for funerals these days.
3. Scappa walking shoes. These are properly expensive, The most I’ve ever paid for a shoe – £176. Waterproof and so comfortable I barely know they are there. I wear them all day every day.
4. Blue crocs. I bought these for work when covid hit. I use them as slippers.
Once they break, I throw them and replace them like for like.
Birkenstocks 8 months of the year (yeah, I know). In winter Timberland or Rohan boots.
ps bored in this quiet Covid world we live in, I’ve recently grown a goatee beard. I now carry a stick to beat all them young ladies off.
Pre-knee cartilage breakdown I was a serious marathon runner (never smiled once when out training), and I wrote for various fitness mags, so there was an endless array of running shoes to test and keep. The Brooks Beast was my fave, a big old sturdy platform from which to stride along. Reeboks never worked for me, and I do have a suspicion that the London Marathon’s championing of the brand in the 80s may have been down to an association one of the directors had with them.
These days, vegan DM boots and shoes are my regulars, with the uppers being as sturdy as the old DM leathers used to be until production moved to China. I’m yet to try Solovair, which are basically the old DMs by another name. Come the clement weather, and being something of a Mod, I may sport a Lambretta or Delicious Junction desert boot.
I was shoe mad for many years, with a very particular taste in design from early childhood, making my mum’s life difficult when taking me shoe shopping. I’d absolutely refuse wearing any shoe deemed ugly – and most of them were…and I was the kind of stubborn that you can’t win against.
As a teen, shopping for myself, I’d always buy the most out-there, eye-catching shoes that I could find, but my non-weird everyday pair were Jodhpur boots with straps for a long time.
My three favourites of all time however, all happened to be blue suede; one flat pair of sharp-toed shoes which buttoned up on the side, one pair of soft high heeled boots that I spent a fortune on replacing the heels on every three months or so, because I wore them so much and they had those awful white plastic heels of the 80s (their only flaw – super comfortable, looked good with everything, and I could run fast, climb rocks; anything, in them), and a pair of French winter boots that fit like furry gloves and broke my heart when they finally wore down too much to be repaired again.
Nowadays I hate buying shoes, because my feet have gone from being able to wear anything without blistering or feeling pain, to being super sensitive to anything and everything.
I can’t wear shoes that only goes up to the top of the heels, they all give me blisters. I can’t wear shoes that are too snug in their shape, but neither can I wear shoes that are too loose-fitting; both will chafe and blister my feet. The soles have to have specific properties to avoid making my feet hurt…there are lots of requirements – and I’m still as fussy about the look of the shoes which makes it even worse, since shoes that try hard to be good for your orthopedic health seldom care about looking good! Also, I don’t do laces, nor velcro – it has to be a zipper (or if it’s a sneaker – which I only wear for work – elastic laces, so actually slip-ons) on the side, possibly with fake lacings but nothing you actually have to tie and untie.
Add to that feet that are short but wide (think ducks), and of a slightly different size to each other (so that one or the other will always be less comfortable in any shoe), and no longer can tolerate being squeezed into a shoe of a tight fit even for an hour without getting seized with cramp-like pain – it’s a miracle I can find any shoes at all that I can use!
Then add the constant threat of foot problems hanging over you as a diabetic…and the osteoarthritis that has started to set in – my dad’s feet and hands being the only parts of his 96 year old body to give him grief makes me nervous for what lies ahead.
Apart from that: a nice shoe really is a thing of joy! 😀
Jeezus @Locust , I feel like I am sitting in a room as you lie on the Shrink’s couch.
I wouldn’t talk about shoes to my shrink – he’d think I was nuts! 🙂
My bedroom floor could best be described as what would have happened if Imelda Marcos had a taste for Doc Martens and Adidas trainers.
I am flummoxed by suggestions above of DMs not lasting. I subscribe to the Undertones view that ‘An Old Doc Marten won’t let you down’, and they haven’t. Neither the oxblood, the black, the brown or the steelies for work. Super comfortable, effort without too much effort, and surprisingly good for dancing, with not too much grip on your dancefloor.
I have also got through umpteen pairs of ‘Soldier 95’ boots, that feel like slippers to me, yet will take me up hill and down dale, as well as being ideal for the huge amount of time I spend on festival sites. Sadly, the best of these have gone through the army disposals system, and I am down to the dregs which all need re-soling on purchase.
That said, recently I bought a pair of Altbergs from Silvermans on Mile End Road, on the advice of a retired TA mate of mine. Again, they just slid on my feet, and will pay me back over many years, I am sure. Yorkshire made, and fit for northern hills.
As for the trainers, I am not quite at the level of a couple of my mates from work, whose knowledge of trainer provenance is equivalent to the lore of a master winetaster or second hand book merchant. I suspect they have spare rooms at home with backlit alcoves displaying their latest boxfresh acquistion.
I wore DMs from the late 70s for about 10 years. There was definitely a drop in quality, hence I stopped wearing them. Someone told me they moved production overseas for a while, is this true?
Yes, the decline in quality did match the outsourcing of production. Quite often on eBay etc, there’ll be an emphasis on the country of manufacture, for that reason. Most of my boots date from that earlier time (he says wistfully).
As a yoof, the idea of any boots other than DMs was unthinkable, & they were a definite step up from the Monkey Boots one had to endure as a kid. They were great -comfy & hard wearing & you could find quite a variety- presumably made under licence.
Most herberts I knew favoured 10 hole steel cappers, which we bought in Woolwich indoor market for an outrageous £12:99 embossed with gold lettering near the top ‘ Blackburner’ in black & ‘Southerner’ for cherry reds.
I can’t remember when I fell out of love with the boots, I wore ‘greasy’ brick red shoes into the 90s, but at some point they became really crap. They were plastic lined, not leather & they made you sweaty & the inner soles cracked after minor use. Production was unfortunately outsourced to Asia at the same time as they revved up their ‘heritage brand’ schtick.
They are now pretty expensive for what you get, & the ones my daughters have are really flimsy compared to my old ones. 98% of them are foreign made, but for a premium you can opt for the old school ‘premium quality’ ones made here, but they are eye-wateringly costly.
The great news is that Solovair – who used to make licensed DMs make old school bouncing soles boots that are identical to vintage DMs apart from the colour of the stitching & the tag as at the back. They are really good & top value, demonstrating that quality is still possible when ‘sweating the brand’ is not the only objective.
Oh I loved my monkey boots and wore them for years. I bought a pair a couple of years ago but they were horribly uncomfortable so back they went.
I’ve tried DMs a few times but they rub so I’ve never invested.
All about the boots – Bought my first pair of Doc Martens about 5 years ago. Definitely worth the price (compared to 6/9 month lifecycle of cheap boots purchased before).
Have now manged to split the sole so these are now retired, unlike my “Emergency Back Up Boots” – a pair of Clarks Chelsea Boots bought about 10 years ago. Need a new sole and heel (probably) but still going strong.
Bought a pair of black brogues for work in January 2020 – they haven’t had much use, and I’m not even sure where they are now.
Next purchase will Dr Martens Chelsea Boots – I like DMs, but can’t be arsed with all the tying laces and stuff.
I saw some great DM Chelsea boots, kind of rough workbook look – but could never find them in my size.
My kinda thread. Material world.
1. The DM’s – cherry red shoes and black shoes for work, a pair of red trainers with white soles that get admiring looks (slightly platformed too, no bad thing for a shortie), and a pair of ankle boots in nubuck. No drop in comfort or quality here, though they can take a while to stop pinching at the ankle line.
2. The running shoes. I agree only a pair at a time. Just recovering from the trauma of a pair of New Balance that had a too-small toebox despite being the right size. I wore them for a year but in one 10k they turned my big tonail black. Now on a pair of hand-me-down Nikes from son that are super comfortable.
3. Tennis. K-Swiss definitely last longest. Every 3-5 years a new pair required as the soles become smooth as a baby’s bum.
4. Vans – cannot believe that I’m the first to mention the ubiquitous skaters, to the current shoe what Stella is to beer, the still midpoint by which all others can be measured. I believe the original Vans are kept next to the original metre in Paris. Two pairs – one another set of hand-me-downs from Son. Sadly likely to be the last as I can get into small 8s being a 7, but hes now 8 and a half and that’s too big. Second pair bought from Top Banana in Kings Heath as a cycle into work shoe – smart and functional enough for both.
I bought two pairs of R.M Williams boots about 12 years ago (on special, but still very expensive). They were/are my only work shoes. I favour the tan pair over the black, so they have been refurbished once, but I predict they will go for another 10 years at least.
Apart from that, I have: one pair of Asics trainers, one pair of Teva sandals, one pair of Crocs, one pair of Ugg boots, one pair of nice hiking boots and one old pair of hiking boots I use for yardwork and spraying weeds.
Regarding Docs:
Back in the 90s as a young vet cutting a dashing figure around the socioeconomically depressed areas of Queensland I tried Docs a couple of times. I was spending 12-15 hours per day on my feet, mostly standing still, so needed something comfortable. When I got my first pair of Airs, it was like walking on air – for about 3 weeks – then the soles lost all cushioning. They also started falling apart. I gave them another try, thinking that it was maybe down to the cocktail of bodily fluids and chemicals I was marinating in each day. I bought another pair of a more robust design, and had the exact same result, and within weeks they were like walking on concrete. I reached the conclusion that Docs were probably fine for people of average size or smaller, but just didn’t have the goods for those of us with a more solid physique. Or maybe it was the tropical heat doing something to the materials.
Coming from Northamptonshire a lot of my family worked in boot and shoe (as it’s called). Although there are a lot fewer factories now then when I was a kid, there is a certain nostalgia walking past a factory and catching the smell of leather wafting out. Despite living a mile away from the Church’s factory, with its factory shop, I don’t own a pair. About 20 years ago I favoured the sort of fashionable shoe that you’d get in Schuh or Sole Trader- looked good, cost a fair bit but didn’t last. Now I’m more of a fan of Dune, having a couple of their boots and a pair of their shoes. As I mentioned above a pair of their boots lasted me nearly 10 years, which I don’t think is too bad. I do have a couple of pairs of DMs, the cherry reds are about eight years old and going strong. In the summer it’s converse. Again I’ve just got rid of a pair that I brought in 2007. I do seem to be able to make a good pair of shoes/boots/trainers last.
My feet are long (size UK 11) and extremely thin, and so it’s very difficult to find shoes that are comfortable. A shoe based on a normal last will simply be miles too wide for me.
I have a few pairs of Crockett & Jones shoes. They’re pretty good.
I also have a few pairs of Paraboot shoes. Made in the French Alps since 1908. I like those, too.
I definitely have favourite shoes…
Blundestone boots, as outlined earlier in this thread. (2 pairs)
Grenson brogues, plain black.
Adidas Samba trainers, (2 pairs, one black and one white.)
New Balance trainers, black leather.
Danner walking boots, (2 pairs, one black and one brown, the latter of which are more for, erm, urban types of rambling.) Danner are fabulous.
Various DMs I accumulated over the years before I finally stopped wearing them a couple of years back. I need a clearout…
I have a lovely pair of bright purple monkey boots I bought from a mod shop about three years ago. A little creaky at first but a couple of layers of neutral shoe cream and they were perfect, taken plenty of wear and still in very good nick.
Always wished I could wear cowboy boots with pointed toes, but my bunion won’t allow it.
I have a great pair of cowboy boots complete with urban cowboy boot straps which I bought in Nashville but they are just too uncomfortable so they are more of an objet d’art in the corner of the music room than a footwear option these days.
I am at last relieved/disgusted to release my inner Imelda Marcos and admit that I own upwards of 25 pairs of Pikolinos of all designs – brogues, Chelsea, lace up, zip up, you name it. Very light leather uppers and almost always rubber soled. I am further embarrassed to admit I am photographed standing outside the Pikolinos store in Palma. I rotate wearing them regularly and I am sure the present number will see me out.
When in a more sensible mode I have a few pairs of formal Loakes which are reserved for work events, weddings and, increasingly, funerals. And of course those few very occasions where they compliment my kilt.
I have 2 pairs of boots that I swear by.
A pair of John Fluevog Chelsea boots that are simply the best fitting and most comfortable pair of boots I’ve ever owned.
A pair of Frye engineer/cowboy type boots that I wear mostly for gigs because they look great (IMHO of course) and have a decent heel so I can see a bit more. I need all the help I can get.
I’ve got lots of shirts, my favourite item of clothing. I currently have five pairs of shoes. An ancient pair of DMs, originally mottled blue, now indeterminate colour. And four pairs of Merrells; three walking shoes, one boots. The shoes are all their ‘moab’ waterproofs, the oldest at around 15 being relegated for gardening.
This is becoming a shoe-in for a hamper, is it not?
This cold meat is as tough as old shoe leather.
Clarks Wallabees, but only in suede. I’ve liked them for so long that the bottom of my wardrobe looks like the cover of Ironman by Ghostface Killah.
If it’s raining I have a pair of Doc Marten vs Stussy
The Afterword: where Niles Crane meets Den Dennis.
Honestly, the best shoes I’ve ever bought have been M+S, and/or Clarks.
Marks extra wide3 brogues and brown boots were great shoes – I’m still using the boots after about 15 years. I also have a pair fo Clarks Montacute short boots that have been worn heavily for about the same period of time.
Next up: R M WIlliams Tambo Extra Wide in chestnut.
Chelsea boots – 2 pairs black , 1 pair dark tan, 1 pair light tan, 1 pair RM Williams dark tan (regularly resoled)
Suede desert Boots – 1 pair chocolate Brown, 1 pair tan
Converse – 1 red, 1 blue
Brogues – 1 brown correspondent
Creepers – 1 pair black suede, 1 pair blue suede, 1 pair black and white leather, 1 pair blue velvet
Trainers – none
I think my shoe collection is deeply age inappropriate.
Thanks for this thread. I’ve just ordered two pairs of Solovairs – I needed to raise my footwear game.
For some reason many of the shoe makers I like have either gone out of business or no longer sell their wares over here. I’m not too eager to buy shoes online – I can’t face the faff of sending stuff back umpteen times.
Long gone is Stephane Kelian, who made the best Chelsea boots, with perfect Cuban heels.
Fratelli Rossetti are still in business, but I have to go to France or Italy to buy their lovely suede loafers.
Paraboot used to have a shop in or around Savile Row. You can still find them at the odd shop, thankfully. Similar soles to DMs, but far better made (as far as I can tell). Very French.
I have a 30 year-old pair that have actually worn from the inside!
A few years ago I took a deep breath and bought a pair of Berluti Alessandro Oxfords – the very plain Berlutis that have been around for about 100 years. Even if they are not very comfortable, they are still beautiful shoes. I would like a pair of their Andy loafers – designed for Warhol by Mme Berluti. But they are now £1,620 a pair…. I blame Brexit.
I have wide feet so tend to look like a clown. Can’t get on with narrow formal shoes so very rarely wear them or have the need to wear them to be fair. Clark Wallabies are fine though.