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Saturday, October 25, 2014

A Guide to the Best Men’s Boots


A Guide to the Best Men’s Boots

A handy matrix to guide you to the perfect pair of men’s boots for you this fall—whether you want a safe, casual option or something riskier and more formal

 By Todd Plummer in the Wall Street Journal

SINCE SHIFTS IN MENSWEAR tend to be incremental, unlike the yard-long leaps in women’s fashion, it can be tricky to detect a men’s style moment. And yet this season, something is afoot with boots. They seem to be multiplying. Menswear e-tailer Mr Porter currently stocks around 8 different types, from sleek and lithe Chelseas to stouthearted but sartorially-minded brogues, plus designer combats, chukkas and hikers. What’s more, no single boot style stands out as the pair to have. “I don’t think it’s a singular boot trend,” confirmed Mr Porter senior buyer Sam Lobban. “It’s quite general.”

With this veritable panoply of polished but protective styles, there is an argument to be made that even non-fashion-plate guys should own a few different pairs, the way one does with shoes.

If your boot wardrobe is currently limited to a single salt-caked, lug-sole pair you use to shovel the driveway, it’s probably time to expand your options. The ideal starter boot may be a Chelsea or a chukka. Both ride comfortably low on the ankle and lend themselves to suits and ties just as well as they do to jeans and tees. “The chukka is incredibly elegant when you want it to be but it’s also a workhorse,” said Brian Trunzo, co-owner of Manhattan menswear store Carson Street Clothiers. With Chelsea boots, Mr. Lobban favors pairs with rubber or Dainite soles that can brave wintry conditions, increasing your opportunities to wear them.

After stocking up on one of those styles, a man’s next boot, Mr. Lobban suggested, would be something sturdier with laces, perhaps a combat style, but “not pure combat, more a clean military-inspired dress boot.” That might be something like Allen Edmonds’s handsome Dalton boot, a lace-up with brogue perforations and Goodyear welted soles that’s one of the company’s top sellers, according to president and CEO Paul Grangaard.

To help you make a truly informed decision, we’ve plotted the various boot styles on a handy matrix, ranking them from most casual to most formal and safest to riskiest. And don’t drag your proverbial heels. “There just comes that point in the season when loafers no longer cut it,” said Mr. Lobban.

And hey, these things can feel quite good. “When you’re wearing a boot,” he added, “you have the ability to take on the world.”

 

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