My Ideal Boot

Last year I wrote about The Perfect Boot and how a nice dress chukka could take you a long way, and frankly, I still agree with that but considering it is 2011, I wanted to switch it up a little and tell you about my ideal boot!! I have always been a big fan of how people around the world dressed in the late 1800's-early 1900's, also known as the Victorian and Edwardian era's. If you are unfamiliar with this way of dressing you can always watch movies such as Dorian Gray or Sherlock Holmes to get an idea. But to briefly tell you verbally, these two periods were a time in which people had the decency to always look sharp and by that, I state that the act of wearing a suit and dress attire was the norm. And part of that dress attire, as you can imagine, was some sort of dress shoe or boot, which brings us to the subject at hand.....

Boots At Top Of Page: Crockett & Jones (Clarence model)
Boots Above (4 Pair): Edward Green (Shannon model)

The balmoral boot, aesthetically, has to be my favorite boot and is obviously the inspiration behind this post, particularly the C&J model at the top of this page along with the black & white version of the Shannon model by Edward Green (above, left). Back in the Victorian/Edwardian days, you would have found that this was a favorite for the smarter dressed men of society. Considering that the streets were not paved as they are today, it was imperative for men to have nice dress boots that could help protect from the sludge that was inevitably everywhere. And because the balmoral boot is the dressiest boot there is, you can see why it was the go-to option for the men of these time periods!

Boots Above Top Row: Left - Edward Green; Right - Foster & Son
Boots Above Bottom Row: Rider Boot Co. (both)

While obviously not exclusive to British shoe companies, you will notice that the majority of my pictures do come from British shoe companies. I feel that because they were such a crucial piece in the sartorial realm of men in those time periods (periods characterized by British ruling, and fashion), British shoe companies seem to always have a model available in their current offerings where as shoe companies from other parts of the world may or may not be offering one at any given time. Nevertheless, the balmoral boot remains (as it did in the Victorian/Edwardian era's) a quintessential piece in the wardrobes of the men who still care to dress with some exuberance!! And this is because, as you would know if you own a pair, it is a boot that can easily go from day wear with jeans, to work wear with suits, and then to evening wear with trousers and a button-up shirt. Now if only I owned a dang pair, I could have taken pictures to model that image for you!!!!!!!!!

Boots Top Row: Left - Cliff Roberts (British Bespoke Shoemaker); Right - Carreducker
Boots Middle Row: Left - Stefano Bemer; Right - Gaziano & Girling
Boots Bottom: Gaziano & Girling