Lace Up Boots
A good lace up boot is definitely a must-have in your shoe rotation.There’s 3 types of lace up boots that you should consider, based on how you’ll wear them or what look you’re going for:
- Work or Casual
- Dress
- Mixed Materials (we’ll call them Fashion boots)
The Work Boot
A work boot adds a rugged, masculine touch to your casual outfits and typically has a chunkier profile and more rugged sole, which you obviously want for added grip in rain or snow.
The Dragon boot by Taft. Click the picture for details.
Unless you’re going for a specific look, work-style boots shouldn’t be worn with your more dressed-up looks because the profile is more geared toward casual outfits. If you want a more rugged boot that looks more worn in, then highly recommend the above Taft work boots. The overall look of the leather, along with the chunkier rubber sole will compliment your casual layered looks during the Fall and Winter. The darker brown color a my favorite because it can easily be worn with your earthy/fall colors or black outfits as well. Here’s a great way to style the Dragon boot in an outfit:
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Dress Boot & The Two-For
This type of boot adds a sleek, sexy and sharp touch to your more elevated outfits.
The Rome boot by Taft. Click the image for details.
Notice how the profile is less “bulbous” and the sole a little thinner than the casual boot? That’s one of the ways you can distinguish a dress and casual boot (the type of soles also determines this.)
If you’d like a dress boot that can also work with casual outfits, I recommend getting a boot with tumbled leather, like the image above, which enables it to work in both casual and more elevated, dressy outfits. The texture adds just a hint of casualness to the boot, this is why it is able to work with both situations. The sole can be either leather or a thin rubber profile like a Dianite sole. This specific boot comes in a variety of colors, so choose whatever you prefer, but we’re always going to be partial to black and brown. A simple, classy way to style this boot is like this:
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The Fashion Boot
If you want a boot with personality, then getting something with mixed materials is perfect.
The Holt Boot in Espresso by Taft. Click image for details.
There’s a ton of “fashion boots” out there that incorporate materials like tweed, suede, and wool in their leather boots. I love these tweed one’s by Taft that Dorian’s wearing in the image below because they’re the perfect balance of style and trendiness without being tacky. Wear these with jeans, wool trousers, chinos and suits whenever you want to inject a bit of flourish into an outfit.
Chelsea/Slip-On boots
There’s two designs to your Chelsea boots
- The classic Chelsea that you’ve come to know and love.
- The Jodhpur which is recognizable by it’s wrap around strap and buckle detail.
Let’s start with your classic Chelsea design – Suede Chelseas pair well with your casual Fall/Winter looks, as the texture compliments the thicker materialed clothing you’ll be wearing during the chillier months. But opt for leather Chelseas if you want a dressy pair as the leather’s sleekness invokes formality.
As far as Jodhpur’s, the same rules apply as far as suede vs leather. These are great if you want something different than your standard Chelsea boots, but they’re virtually the same in how you style them, so just go for whichever style and materials you like best.
Here’s the links to the 3 boots:
Here’s a great way to wear these types of boots, there’s also a few other pictures featuring the Outback boot on the Instagram account:
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Chukka Boots
Consider these as a great casual shoe option when you don’t want to wear sneakers or full lace-up boots.
The Milliken Chukka by Johnston & Murphy
They’re certainly faster to put on than lace up boots, so if ease is what you’re after than consider these. As far as styling goes, chukkas really shine when worn with chino pants and jeans. A medium to dark brown and black are fantastic starter choices and then from their you can experiment with color.
Here’s a great way to style your chukka boots:
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