Footwear to go with our jackets

[Zoro]

Ok, that makes sense. The Indo made Boots are indeed quite underwhelming.

While the MIE Boots have the same last, the leather is much nicer. Thicker and properly dyed, not that “spray-paint” the standard version has. Still the same glossy and vinyllike topcoat, but that’s what you expect.

I do see where you’re coming from though.

I'm getting you and the others in this thread, but I must say I think there's some rose tinted glasses around that I lack.

I'm younger than most here so DMs are not part of my youth. DMs are just something I discovered watching music documentaries or movies like This Is England in the 2000s and 2010s. I wanted them but they were quite hard to find anywhere within my reach and probably would had been too expensive anyway.

Once I got to a point in life where I could afford them, I was met the experience I've covered and when faced with the choice of buying Doc Martens or RM Williams for the same price, it was a no brainer.

 

[Harris HTM]

Would you say the Solovair are better than DM Made in England or is that roughly the same ballpark?

Roughly the same. Avoid their hi shine leather, as in the old dm's it is heavily processed.

 

[Tom71]

I'm getting you and the others in this thread, but I must say I think there's some rose tinted glasses around that I lack.

I'm younger than most here so DMs are not part of my youth. DMs are just something I discovered watching music documentaries or movies like This Is England in the 2000s and 2010s. I wanted them but they were quite hard to find anywhere within my reach and probably would had been too expensive anyway.

Once I got to a point in life where I could afford them, I was met the experience I've covered and when faced with the choice of buying Doc Martens or RM Williams for the same price, it was a no brainer.

Rose tinted glasses?? FOR SURE!!

Most of the clothes I post about here are just an attempt of reclaiming a version of my youth (that I probably never had in the first place...).

One thing I have to note, though: Both of us are based in Europe, so you will never get DM "for the same price" as RMW: Standard Docs are EUR 270, MIE´s are EUR 230-270, RMW are EUR 525.

 

[Zoro]

One thing I have to note, though: Both of us are based in Europe, so you will never get DM "for the same price" as RMW: Standard Docs are EUR 270, MIE´s are EUR 230-270, RMW are EUR 525.

Not anymore Today RMWs are, as you say, double the price. Back when I got my RMWs, I got them on sale down from 300+ to 180€, which was the same price as DMs back then.

Nowadays this is unthinkable and I would also say RMWs are quite poor value at 500+. Perhaps I could had been able to find DMs on sale too back then, but they weren't at the time I got the RMWs.

 

[Tom71]

Not anymore Today RMWs are, as you say, double the price. Back when I got my RMWs, I got them on sale down from 300+ to 180€, which was the same price as DMs back then.

Nowadays this is unthinkable and I would also say RMWs are quite poor value at 500+. Perhaps I could had been able to find DMs on sale too back then, but they weren't at the time I got the RMWs.

Wow! Agreed! This is a stunning price.

 

[Edward]

I was a big fan of the mie dms in the 90's. Todays overseas made dm's are indeed of lower quality. Solovair are as good as the old dm's. Why would anyone spend any cent on current dm's while he can get a better quality, mie, identical product for less with solovair is beyond me.

Yeah, the overseas manufacturers of course get the blame for this too often (not from yourself here). That's when it started, though the drop in labour costs was just the first of a series of cost-cutting measures to avoid raising the retail price for as long as possible by cutting the costs. In the long run, I don't think it helped, but I suppose it depends on the market. If it's people who just want a boot for a season because they change with fashion, or kids grow out of them most years until I was about seventeen I grew out of shoes long before I wore them out. The weirdest thing to get used was when I hit about twenty and suddenly had to deal with clothes wearing out for the first time.

Obviously, everything can happen, but I just don't see it. Docs have just become mainstream and I think their natural evolution will be towards becoming even worse quality for higher prices than now. They're not different than sneaker companies such as Nike or Adidas as of today.

I can see them doing collabs with (t)rappers over playing with quality leathers. Their current customer/fan base doesn't care about leather quality, lasts, resoleability... Right now their core is people who value Docs in the same way they value sneakers, and that is clearly working out as I can tell their presence has grown massively in the recent years, having flagship stores in lots of cities around Europe. I've literally gone from barely being able to find them to seeing them everywhere.

Having looked into it a bit more over the last week or so, I think the one difficulty they might have in pushing up the priced bands is the way the sole works. There seems to be some debate about whether they can *actually* be resoled. I've seen some creative solutions that involve grinding off most of the sole but leaving the original welt, and gluing on a vibram wedge sole. If they are, in a sense, "disposable" that's always going to be a limiter on how much people are actually prepared to spend on a pair of boots. That's the element I don't see changing, given the sole design is such a key part of the brand.

 

[Edward]

I was a big fan of the mie dms in the 90's. Todays overseas made dm's are indeed of lower quality. Solovair are as good as the old dm's. Why would anyone spend any cent on current dm's while he can get a better quality, mie, identical product for less with solovair is beyond me.

Just looked on the Dr Marten's website and there appear to be some half-sized MIE boots.

Still eye-wateringly expensive for "cheap" boots though.

View attachment 763646

Very close to William Lennon prices, which would be a sticking point for me. They obviously have a strong market, though, if they can charge that. The red ones look nice, actually; but for the resoling issue, I'd be tempted to look into those (or the Solovair alternative). There is something to be said for a boot that can be picked up off the shelf and tried on in advance.

 

[andyone]

Waiting for my winter-holiday-adapted Iron Rangers…

 

[Harris HTM]

Alden shell cordovan derbies

 

[TLW '90]

My dubbed khaki rough out Jim Green vellies after 3 years.

Yesterday they looked thrashed, all I did was give them a thorough brushing a quick hand burnishing to bring them back to how they looked 3 years ago.
They take a serious beating without really showing it, they may not look clean and classy but will never really look bad.

 

[Edward]

My dubbed khaki rough out Jim Green

Waiting for my winter-holiday-adapted Iron Rangers…

View attachment 764222 View attachment 764223 View attachment 764224

Nice resole. I think RedWing could sell an IR done like that handily. I'd like lower profiles on the rubber bits for day to day, but in the wet you can't knock a deep tread.

My dubbed khaki rough out Jim Green vellies after 3 years.

Yesterday they looked thrashed, all I did was give them a thorough brushing a quick hand burnishing to bring them back to how they looked 3 years ago.
They take a serious beating without really showing it, they may not look clean and classy but will never really look bad.

I only became aware of this brand via TFL. Love the shape of them with that wide toebox. Reminds me of a lot of 30s era boots I've seen.

 

[Tom71]

My dubbed khaki rough out Jim Green vellies after 3 years.

Yesterday they looked thrashed, all I did was give them a thorough brushing a quick hand burnishing to bring them back to how they looked 3 years ago.
They take a serious beating without really showing it, they may not look clean and classy but will never really look bad.

I saw you post these in that “casual shoe” thread and have to say, I am intrigued. Attractive prices as well.
I can’t get my head around their sizing advice, though. Based on my foot-length they recommend going up to size 11,5 when I am normally a flat 10 (US) or 9 (UK).

How do you size them, relative to say RedWing or Viberg?

 

[TLW '90]

I saw you post these in that “casual shoe” thread and have to say, I am intrigued. Attractive prices as well.
I can’t get my head around their sizing advice, though. Based on my foot-length they recommend going up to size 11,5 when I am normally a flat 10 (US) or 9 (UK).

How do you size them, relative to say RedWing or Viberg?

I have no experience with redwing or viberg, but for me the JG vellies are true to size with what I normally wear
I wear the same size Jim Greens as I do with all of my Thorogood boots, but they offer more toe room so maybe they're more like an E width.
I have small feet, no big deal.
Anyways my brannock size is a US6.5, I go up to an E width or us7 if I want room for winter socks but the smallest I can comfortably wear is a 6.5.
I can size a pair of Vellies for summer wear but have no problem wearing them with thicker ( not the thickest ) socks in the fall if I wanted without my toes feeling cramped.

 

[Tom71]

View attachment 1769206642320.jpeg

I was technically on sick-leave today, so I figured some colour was in order for the office.

Diemme Footwear “mock”-Trecking Shoe

 

[rogueclimber]

Waiting for my winter-holiday-adapted Iron Rangers…

View attachment 764222 View attachment 764223 View attachment 764224

I had the same done to mine. Great choice (True sign of genius is how much you agree with someone)

 

[andyone]

Nice resole. I think RedWing could sell an IR done like that handily. I'd like lower profiles on the rubber bits for day to day, but in the wet you can't knock a deep tread.



I only became aware of this brand via TFL. Love the shape of them with that wide toebox. Reminds me of a lot of 30s era boots I've seen.

Yes, the profile of the soles is hefty. I will worn the boots in snowy Swiss mountains. For day to day use I have enough other boots...
What I really love when customizing done on an IR is adding a midsole. This adds a lot of wearing comfort.

 

[Leathergato]

They are one of the two original manufacturers of DMs, still going in the original factory. Back in the day, there was much debate whether Airware/Griggs or NPS/Solvaire were better (main difference was 3 or 4 eyelets in the shoes and a slightly chunkier sole). I was always a Solvair guy.

https://us.nps-solovair.com/pages/history

I had my first pair of Dr Marten boots back in 1989 or 1990 made by Solovair. I now have 4 pairs of Solovair boots. Great quality IMO. I don’t buy DM for myself any more since I prefer Solovair but my kids like DM.

 

[lina]

My White’s Boots and my daughter’s Blundstones after walking around snowy Montreal for a couple of days over Christmas.

 

[gainghiskhan]

Loving these parkhurst boots, just trying to decide which laces to go with. These waxed nylon ones look great, but are a pain to take on and off. Might just buy some black leather laces from nick's.

 

[Pandemic]