Lifting Men’s Fashion Up By the Bootstraps

I love boots and have owned many a pair — including a model from Bally named Brock that was made of some of the softest leather I have ever felt. I wore them for many, many years, and the leather became so distressed that I had to discard them, despite two overhauls. I miss them still.

Worn with denim, a boot completes the look of stylish comfort (I’m seeing Ralph Lauren in jeans, suede fringed jacket, and brown leather lace-up boots). I like to pair a gray flannel suit with a black cap-toe oxford boot, a look that whispers elegance. I’ve even worn a pair of Blundstones with knickers that I had made for me in India. Whether you are looking to project rugged masculinity, refined gentleman, or something in between, boots are never wrong. Lace-up, slip-on, monkstrap, buckle, I care not, because a boot makes me feel connected to the ground, whether I am walking across a carpeted dining room or running to catch a flight.

“Does it follow that I reject all authority? Perish the thought. In the matter of boots, I defer to the authority of the bootmaker.” Wise words written by Mikhail Bakunin, in a work of his published in 1871. But one needn’t be a political theorist or philosopher to understand the wisdom of putting faith in the person who made your boots.

Above, some of my current favorites for your shopping and viewing pleasure.