Are white leather boots more likely to scuff/look bad with wear?

[Lorinz]

I saw this really beautiful pair of white leather boots by YSL: vassili zipped boots in smooth leather

I do worry about the color though. I currently have a pair of the YSL Harness boots, and they've held up really well so far, but they're black. For anyone here who has a pair of white boots, do you find they hold up well and still look good even after being worn for a while and all that? Or do they get scuffed and messed up real easily? My fear is them being white means they're gonna look worse faster, and not hold up as well visually as a pair of black boots would, or is this fear unfounded? I've always heard this said about white sneakers for instance, that they generally show wear worse than black shoes, and scuff and get dirty much more easily.

 

[ton312]

Nancy seemed to be ok with it

Are these men’s boots? Don’t get me wrong, I wear some questionable shit but my God. Those boots are meant for men? For real? I would assume that of course yes they will get dirty and I don’t think they could look worse so it’s really a non starter.

 

[Will Zach]

White lambskin... For boots... What could go wrong?

 

[Lorinz]

White lambskin... For boots... What could go wrong?

Does that mean they're going to mess up a lot easier than black boots would?

 

[tek8080]

Does that mean they're going to mess up a lot easier than black boots would?

Yes. If you breathe on those they will probably get dirty. Joking aside, I would think that will show dirt and scuffs much easier and faster than a darker colored leather. You're wearing them on your feet and they are making direct contact with the ground. Honestly fashion brands typically are not known for their quality or robustness either.

Having said that, if you like them and the price is no issue for you then go for it. I think the only way you'll keep them somewhat clean is if you wear them exclusively inside your house.

 

[Mandarin]

Lemmy didn't mind

 

[Monitor]

I have and wear white cowboy boots, very much like the Vasili model by SLP (good looking boot) and depending how careful you are, you can keep them clean for a while but they'll definitely get dark spots.
They wont scuff any more easily than black boots, white leather is just as tough as black leather and Yves Saint uses top grade leather but they will darken.

 

[Edward]

Yeah, they won't scuff any easier, but scuffs that happen will probably be more obvious on white leather. Not quite as easy to polish them out / hide them as on black leather. Doesn't remotely mean white leather is unwearable, though. It's a lot easier to live with than suede.

 

[Will Zach]

Lemmy didn't mind

View attachment 546675

doubt it was lambskin though. But yeah, definitely legit (even awesome) on this pic, but you got to wear them like Lemmy, or they gonna wear you.

 

[Canuck Panda]

I have white and cream shoes. Not boots because I’m more shoe guy and less boots guy, mostly because I live in a no shoes inside household and boots becomes a hassle.

With regular maintenance white shoes can stay presentable for very long period of time. My white shoes are in calfskin.

I only pair white shoes with all black outfits. It seems to work well for me. I tried other combos like blues and greys but never liked it as much as the black and white.

I like the whole SLP look. Very rock and roll. But also very expensive. Depending on the frequencies you’d wear them, there are other less expensive made in Italy ones with a similar look. Just look for them. Wait until end of season sale, they’re the best.

 

[Monitor]

My white jacket. Thick, white leather ought to look just like this at its worst, with proper care.

 

[ton312]

Neither did cousin Eddy

Lemmy didn't mind

View attachment 546675

 

[navetsea]

I think white color will turn yellowish with wear, but looking at the type of the boots and the material used seems like a very dressy boots not meant to be worn daily, so do you need to worry about its color and surface deteriorating from wear? I think since it is a shoe when you apply clear shoe polish/ cream it will give some protection on its surface that you can buff or strip and re do

 

[Edward]

doubt it was lambskin though. But yeah, definitely legit (even awesome) on this pic, but you got to wear them like Lemmy, or they gonna wear you.

Mn. Calfskin is common for a soft leather in shoes (though for a boot I prefer something with more heft, myself). Lambskin I've never heard of used in a shoe before, seems like it would be overly delicate. That's the main thing as would make me wary of these boots in terms of pure durability - not the colour.

I've long rather admired Lemmy's white cowboy boots. Very 1950s rock and roll emerging out of country music look to them to me. The YSL boots in the OP look very 1960s, which is a bit modern for me. I wouldn't be wholly surprised if (despite being a slightly more svelte shape than the original) they were inspired by the boots Elvis wore in the 'If I can dream' section of the 68 Comeback Special:

Elvis' boots sold for some GBP30K a few years ago, which rather puts the price of these into perspective, though. There's quite a big market for repros of Elvis' boots in vary qualities and levels of accuracy, which might be another source of a more affordable alternative to the YSL.

 

[AeroFan_07]

It can be done, but you may want to keep some white shoe polish handy.

I get massively dirty in the middle of a clean room in a clinic, so no way I'll rock white boots of any stripe. But hopefully they'll work for you providing you're not digging ditches in them.