I enjoy chelsea boots for more casual days but have had a pair of AE’s elastic wear out amazingly fast. I documented it on here. AE won’t fix it at any price and the cobbler I found wanted $100 dollars to do the replacement with no guarantee of the results. I have a pair of older chelsea boots that are quite old that still look beautiful but are very casual. I also like chukkas and have been considering side zips for a less casual boot like @Doc4 mentioned. I am interested in this thread as well!
Thoughts on Side-Zippered Boots
- Thread starter The Knize
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #42
I really hate to hear that about AEs.
I am glad to have interest in the thread.
The side-zip boots I ordered are due in from BS in December!
I am glad to have interest in the thread.
The side-zip boots I ordered are due in from BS in December!
- Thread starter
- #43
"GTS" should have been "GAT," I think. "German Army Trainer." Also "Purcel" has two l's--"Purcell."
BTW, Jack Purcell was a Canadian world champion badminton player. Declared world champ in 1933 and undefeated through his retirement in 1945. I would have thought he was a clay court tennis player. Apparently Jack Purcell's were the required footwear for clay and grass court tennis players for more than a decade. First made for BF Goodrich and sold as "PF Flyers"--I assume a type of "PF Flyer"--until taken over by Converse.
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Oddly, this morning I remembered this thread when I was reaching for the shoes I was going to wear today, and then changed my mind and decided to wear my zipper boots instead. I haven't worn them in ages, but today's the day.
Not five minutes later, I am sitting down and surfing B&B, and see that this thread has been bumped.
Great minds think alike?
(Fools seldom differ??)
I wore them for quite a few years as a very young man. Florsheim. They were fine boots and pretty dressy. I would not wear boots now if dressy were a requirement, but they certainly don't offend me.
- Thread starter
- #46
I had not heard "fools seldom differ" before but it is funny. I usually say, "Great minds think alike, . . . and we do, too!"
December is going to be a long time coming! I am sure Beckett Simonon will have something interesting in the meantime, perhaps more interesting that I will have wished I had ordered instead of these side zip boots.
I think I am glad that I did not order the Jodphurs they offered for a while and/or the smooth leather Chelsea boots when they had them. They still have suede Chelsea boots.
I still have not figured out an occasion for which I could wear real Beatle boots. A 1960s themed party, I suppose, but it would have to be an early 60s themed party. Perhaps a Austin Powers themed party or Halloween suit!
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Don’t like them. In my IME the zipper will become unstitched from the boot. It’s happened to me with every pair I have ever owned, though I have never owned those that you are interested in.
- Thread starter
- #48
My BS side zippered boots finally arrived a few days ago. I am too lazy to post photos, but these seem nice. YKK zipper seems very sturdy and carefully installed. Leather very soft and pliable. Very much toward a tradtional Beatle boot. Not comparable to AE leather or the leather used in, say, the BS whole cuts. That said, the overall appearance and silhouette is more akin to, say, a short rounded toe Frye boot than anything like a 1960s Carnaby Street boot. Bulkier, I suppose. Still a dressy causal boot, that looks much like a dress shoe when worn.
Brother, I cannot point fingers when it comes to laziness.
But I shall be waiting for pictures as long as it takes!
- Thread starter
- #50
Wow, you flatter me into promising to post some photos! OK, eventually.
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- #51
I seem to be still too lazy to post photos. I am embarrassed. Following up, though, I really like these BS side zip boots. However, I ordered a pair of BS Jodphur boots in "burgundy" and like those even more. The straps on the Jodphurs make for a smoother, more comfortable fit, and a classier look for the uppers, methinks. The burgundy is a really nice color. Reddish brown. Looks more red on-line.
I would get chukkas instead
- Thread starter
- #53
Nothing wrong with chukkas. A different look altogether, though.
Classy. I wear mine all the time. Quick to put on and take off!
- Thread starter
- #55
I had not realized this thread was so long ago. Goes well with Beckett Simonon's interval from ordering to delivery.
To circle back and close the loop, to sort of mix metaphors, but maybe not, the BS side zip black boots I got have held up well and look pretty good and "perform" pretty well. However, I found I much preferred the looks and "feel" of the BS burgundy jodhpurs so much that I ordered a pair in black at the beginning of December 2020. They are being delivered today. This is actually pretty quick delivery for BS. I will report any problems, but I have a lot of experience with BS now and I assume they will be great.
I am not much of a boot guy, but these seem to work for casual or business, especially for winter. Fairly subtle look. I am sure they will drink up that sole treatment johnniegold turned me onto, as other BS products I have have done.
I would definitely have gone with the jodhpurs over the side zips the first time around if I had known what I know now. The strap on the jodhpur provides a smoother more adjustable fit for the upper, that looks better and is more comfortable. I was afraid the strap would look too busy/fussy compared to the side zip. But like I said, it seems fairly subtle. For that matter, the side zips to not look very Beatlesque or anything, even thought the upper leather is pretty soft and thin, as I was afraid they might. I think both styles provide more of a finished look that a Chelsea boot. A smoother look that is really closer to dress shoes than laced boots of any style, at least to me.
BTW, sorry for the earlier misspelling. Apparently, jodphurs are riding trousers. Interesting that two items associated with horseback riding would be spelled so closely alike, unless I am missing something. Ridding is not exactly an area of expertise for me!
FWIW.
To circle back and close the loop, to sort of mix metaphors, but maybe not, the BS side zip black boots I got have held up well and look pretty good and "perform" pretty well. However, I found I much preferred the looks and "feel" of the BS burgundy jodhpurs so much that I ordered a pair in black at the beginning of December 2020. They are being delivered today. This is actually pretty quick delivery for BS. I will report any problems, but I have a lot of experience with BS now and I assume they will be great.
I am not much of a boot guy, but these seem to work for casual or business, especially for winter. Fairly subtle look. I am sure they will drink up that sole treatment johnniegold turned me onto, as other BS products I have have done.
I would definitely have gone with the jodhpurs over the side zips the first time around if I had known what I know now. The strap on the jodhpur provides a smoother more adjustable fit for the upper, that looks better and is more comfortable. I was afraid the strap would look too busy/fussy compared to the side zip. But like I said, it seems fairly subtle. For that matter, the side zips to not look very Beatlesque or anything, even thought the upper leather is pretty soft and thin, as I was afraid they might. I think both styles provide more of a finished look that a Chelsea boot. A smoother look that is really closer to dress shoes than laced boots of any style, at least to me.
BTW, sorry for the earlier misspelling. Apparently, jodphurs are riding trousers. Interesting that two items associated with horseback riding would be spelled so closely alike, unless I am missing something. Ridding is not exactly an area of expertise for me!
FWIW.
I know this is an old thread @The Knize but I like the side zippers, nice and old school! My dad had a pair of dressy ones that I remember and I have a pair of vintage Florsheim "Weeds" western style boots I found at a local antique store that I like and wear on occasion.
- Thread starter
- #57
I Googled up the "Weeds" to see what they look like. That really is a particular, distinctive old-school look, which I would not have any problem with if that was the look I was after. It is not all that radical or anything, but does look distinct to my eye. The Beckett-Simonon zippered boot is much more subtle and when worn looks more like a traditional, albeit plain-toed and with thin leather uppers, dress shoe. A very conventional heel, for instance.
I think when I started this thread I was worried about them looking like Beatle boots, or otherwise looking out of place with a suit/dress slacks for work, or looking unusual enough to attract a lot of notice if worn casually. But I think they look basically fine. I like the jodhpurs better because they fit much better around my ankles and they look like they do, too.
I do own a pair of actual Beatle boots, which I thought would be fun to wear to rock concerts/shows, or otherwise in sort of active social, maybe hip, situations. Heck, Bob Dylan used to wear them on tour back in the day and they looked fine on him, as well as the Beatles, the Stones, and others. I thought it would be kind of a cool old-school thing to wear. But I almost never wear them. They look way too radical and I seem to never have a pair of slacks or jeans that seem to go well with them. I have not figured that last part out. I guess one has to be thin and young to pull off the look. Or on stage.
Someone told me long ago that "traditional" clothing is great. You just want to make sure you do not slip over into costume! Beatle boots for me seem close to the boundary!
I think when I started this thread I was worried about them looking like Beatle boots, or otherwise looking out of place with a suit/dress slacks for work, or looking unusual enough to attract a lot of notice if worn casually. But I think they look basically fine. I like the jodhpurs better because they fit much better around my ankles and they look like they do, too.
I do own a pair of actual Beatle boots, which I thought would be fun to wear to rock concerts/shows, or otherwise in sort of active social, maybe hip, situations. Heck, Bob Dylan used to wear them on tour back in the day and they looked fine on him, as well as the Beatles, the Stones, and others. I thought it would be kind of a cool old-school thing to wear. But I almost never wear them. They look way too radical and I seem to never have a pair of slacks or jeans that seem to go well with them. I have not figured that last part out. I guess one has to be thin and young to pull off the look. Or on stage.
Someone told me long ago that "traditional" clothing is great. You just want to make sure you do not slip over into costume! Beatle boots for me seem close to the boundary!
Here's a pic I found, mine look just like this, but are in slightly better shape with a richer color.
I say go for it! I know we all want to be stylish, but the truth is, people don't pay near as much attention as we think they do to our footwear, so if it makes you happy, break those boots out on special occasions! Of course with the pandemic there's little to do in the way of concerts or almost any other social situation. I'm going to estimate my wife and I attended about 35-40 concerts/shows a year. We're blessed to live in a town with a great and vibrant live music scene and we easily have averaged 3-4 shows a month for the last several years.
And of course all that has sadly ground to a halt.
I still remember the last one we attended. Another couple and us had become regulars at this musician's weekly gig at a club downtown. Our little mountain town was packed, it was a beautiful early March Sunday afternoon, The SoCon was in town playing their conference basketball tournament and there were so many fans that every sidewalk, restaurant, bar, and shop was full of people. It was like the last hurrah before everything shut down.
Hard to believe that was only 11 months ago.....Man I hope those days come around again.....
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- Thread starter
- #60
Those look very conventional. What came up when I Googled "Florsheim 'Weeds'" seemed more dated. More of a particular past time. I would say maybe the 1970s.
I envy you!
I am sure it is my own ego. But I would consider clothes highly symbolic. If the symbolic message I wanted to send or was willing to end was "I do not care what people think," and I am sure there are times when that is part of the message, I'll wear whatever I appeals to me, not matter if I think it looks weird. For instance, I have a pair of closed toe Crocks--don't ask how I happened to actually buy them!--that are great for walking around in the snow and ice, and are warm even without socks. And they are easy to put on, and I am lazy. I think they look ridiculous. Among other things they look like they would be cold. But I will wear them to the grocery store or to have family or even friends over on the deck.
I cannot make the argument that Beatle boots are overridingly practical, though. If I were going to wear them I would want to be making a knowledgeable reference to an earlier era, for instance, which seems kind of fun to me. That might make me happy. But that is not what I look like to myself when I have put them on! What I look like does not make me happy!
