RM Williams Chelsea boots

[diphy]

Been wanting a pair of boots or good shoes for a while. The brands recommended here AE, Alden etc, are way beyond what I can afford. Ordered a pair of Allen Edmonds on sale (a big luxury to say the least) 5-6 years ago, didnt fit right at all, luckily was able to return it with no issues to AE. Ordered an used NWT from ebay- same issue - ended up PIF here in the forum, set me 60 $.
I normally wear dress shoes everyday- or what I call dress shoes- Clarks and a pair of Ecco Helsinki's - expensive enough by my standards.
Looked around, read great reviews about RM Williams booths- the price $549 is absolutely not practical, or simply said impossible to justify or afford.
Have been hesitant to buy anything online (live in a small town- Walmart or Big 5 are the only options) without trying since my Allen Edmonds experiment. Finally found a Pair of Gardner Chelsea boots, fits my bill of what I would wear, got it on sale- at 249$- still a big stretch and luxury.
Have worn it 2 times, first try- does not have a regular full insole, seemed odd to wear, added a partial insole, seemed Ok to wear but one foot felt a bit tight.
Wanted a full insole- ordered a Keen insole- tried it today with it- the fit is pretty tight, after an hour or so- to avoid foot pain, removed it, have been wearing it without an added insole, feels different from what I am used too, but comfortable enough to walk around and stand.
The booth is probably narrower than regular brands- but wide enough for me. The leather is comfortable to wear- right of the box- a big plus.
I am glad it is working out so far, was petrified that it may not fit, would have been my last try at expensive shoes.
Would so far recommend this. Size wise the RM Willaims sizing finder on their website is off, luckily, I decided to go with my sneaker sizing 9.5 D- RM Williams 8.5 G. Thanks for reading.

 

[Legion]

Size wise the RM Willaims sizing finder on their website is off, luckily, I decided to go with my sneaker sizing 9.5 D- RM Williams 8.5 G. Thanks for reading.

RM are an Australian brand, so the sizing would be UK standard, which is different to US sizing. Did you allow for this?

 

[luvmysuper]

I had a pair several years ago, they are great boots that last a long time. The upper is made with one single piece of leather.
If they were more readily available here, I would buy and wear RM Williams virtually exclusively.

 

[Natsoi]

I have two pairs - chestnut leather and a brown suede.

I am more of a shoe guy but these are excellent and work well for smart casual.

 

[Wombat ESQ]

R M's [as one calls them here]

go to a 'clearing sale' [googel it thats what it is in AU] want to buy a lot? try ascertain who is bidding, that done, start at the boots

RM's? you going to pay for that lot number
next check the pants, RM's logo .... jeez you really gunna pay for that lot number !!
then edge up side on and check the shirt.... bumma, RM logo
WALK away, he gunna pay more than new price for a secondhand item

RM's can be worn and repaired and worn till they worn in and repaired yet again and worn more.
they be a 'status' symbol, like. and a bleedin good boot. all RM's stuff is good, pricy but real quality, like.

R M Williams the man was a good man too, drove past his house near twice a week years ago

 

[joel]

I was fitted for boots at the RM Williams store in New York - and ended up walking out with three pairs, as two of them were on clearance and were surprisingly inexpensive.

I’ve worn these boots all over the world - and I’ve put good mileage on them and I never really bonded with them and I don’t understand the loyal following they have. I picked up a pair of Mephisto Pasko Chelsea boots a few years ago, and I haven’t worn any of the RM Williams since.

 

[Legion]

I was fitted for boots at the RM Williams store in New York - and ended up walking out with three pairs, as two of them were on clearance and were surprisingly inexpensive.

I’ve worn these boots all over the world - and I’ve put good mileage on them and I never really bonded with them and I don’t understand the loyal following they have. I picked up a pair of Mephisto Pasko Chelsea boots a few years ago, and I haven’t worn any of the RM Williams since.

I've been the where they are made, and "surprisingly inexpensive" is never a term that came to mind.

Here, RM's are for the guy that owns the ranch. The guys who herd the cattle, not so much. Sadly, I fall into the second group.

The exception is guys who do rodeo. They will spend a silly amount on clothes.

 

[Wal59]

Another option is Blundstone boots from Tasmania. Substantially cheaper $AUD260 compared to $AUD650.

The dress boot is excellent and looks nearly identical to the RMW. They are also a touch wider than the RMW. I wear them to work.

I have the round toe boot for outdoor stuff.

 

[Legion]

Another option is Blundstone boots from Tasmania. Substantially cheaper $AUD260 compared to $AUD650.

The dress boot is excellent and looks nearly identical to the RMW. They are also a touch wider than the RMW. I wear them to work.

I have the round toe boot for outdoor stuff.

A popular brand in Australia is Redback, though my experience has been poor, and I would not recommend. Had a couple of pairs fail in the sole.

Not sure if they are available overseas, but I’ve had good experience with mongrel boots, and my current pair, Steel Blue boots. Both are Aussie made, and lasted ages for me.

But they are legit work boots, where as RM’s are more country fashion, IMO.

 

[The Roof Seal]

Blundstones aren't made in Tassie anymore, though my everyday boots are some old military surplus blunnie lace up work boots.
Redbacks are comfortable and sturdy as work boots but the soles look ugly as sin as they are a massive wedges of TPU foam.
Mongrel make elastic sided work boots, one that looks very much like a Blundstone and some dressier riding boots (Still TPU soled)
I've got my eye on the mongrel riding boot as a dressier elastic sided boot to replace a pair of Rossi's I've barely worn.
The Rossi's don't have a arch shank and the soles have almost no support (They *were* sold as dress shoe, not riding shoes)
The mongrels have a proper rigid shank.

 

[joel]

I've been the where they are made, and "surprisingly inexpensive" is never a term that came to mind.

Here, RM's are for the guy that owns the ranch. The guys who herd the cattle, not so much. Sadly, I fall into the second group.

The exception is guys who do rodeo. They will spend a silly amount on clothes.

Three pairs total after tax were under $500 USD. Granted, this was 2018, but I’d still consider that cheap, given one pair is $539 before tax right now.

 

[johnniegold]

I’ve been looking at RM Williams Chelsea boots for some time now. I know there has been some mention of Blundstones (which I have a pair of 550s) and Redback, which I do not own but I am familiar with.

Although they are all Chelsea boots, style-wise, the lines/silhouette of the RM Williams Craftsman boot are a bit more refined, with perhaps the Gardner or the Turnout boot by RMW being closer to the Blundstone/Redback workwear-type boot.

I will eventually get myself over to their NYC store to try on a few pair and see which version fits me best.

 

[johnniegold]

UPDATE:

The RM Williams store in NYC is permanently closed.

I woke up last Saturday morning and planned to take a leisurely ride to their store in NYC. When I went to look at the store hours it said they were closed. Too bad really, because I wanted to try on a few pair to get the sizing right because I’ve read that getting the right fit can be tricky.

 

[Legion]

UPDATE:

The RM Williams store in NYC is permanently closed.

I woke up last Saturday morning and planned to take a leisurely ride to their store in NYC. When I went to look at the store hours it said they were closed. Too bad really, because I wanted to try on a few pair to get the sizing right because I’ve read that getting the right fit can be tricky.

Sounds like an excuse for an Australian holiday!

 

[Legion]

If you DO come to Australia, the Melbourne CBD store is kind of cool. It's in the base of a big shot tower, which they built a mall over.

 

[johnniegold]

If you DO come to Australia, the Melbourne CBD store is kind of cool. It's in the base of a big shot tower, which they built a mall over.

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Maybe they’ll still have a bottle or two of the Penfolds Grange laying around (although the Bin 389 is more within my price range. ).

 

[Vacumatic]

If you DO come to Australia, the Melbourne CBD store is kind of cool. It's in the base of a big shot tower, which they built a mall over.

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The last time I was in that building they had a bi-plane and a hot air balloon, quite a sight.

 

[Natsoi]

Maybe they’ll still have a bottle or two of the Penfolds Grange laying around (although the Bin 389 is more within my price range. ).

In that case you might as well go to Adelaide (where RM HQ and factory is) and visit the Penfolds vineyard - we did the tour and the tasting and it was great.

The 707 is my personal favourite and Penfolds also do quite a good Chardonnay (311) which we enjoy in the summer months.

 

[johnniegold]

In that case you might as well go to Adelaide (where RM HQ and factory is) and visit the Penfolds vineyard - we did the tour and the tasting and it was great.

The 707 is my personal favourite and Penfolds also do quite a good Chardonnay (311) which we enjoy in the summer months.

I had a ‘97 707 that we corked in 2013 for my eldest daughter’s 16th b-day. She got a little sip because how often do you get a chance to drink a wine from your birth year?

Same for my youngest daughter’s 16th, In 2015, we corked a ‘99 Silver Oak Napa Valley. She got a little taste as well and then Mrs. Gold and I polished off that bottle.

 

[La Malice]

I had a ‘97 707 that we corked in 2013 for my eldest daughter’s 16th b-day. She got a little sip because how often do you get a chance to drink a wine from your birth year?

Same for my youngest daughter’s 16th, In 2015, we corked a ‘99 Silver Oak Napa Valley. She got a little taste as well and then Mrs. Gold and I polished off that bottle.

Well for the next generation, make sure grand pa put away a couple of real great bottles so that they can be opened along the years (think wine champagne liquor). My god father family was on the wealthy side until they eat it all up but as kid were born, a part of the cellar was filled up and locked out only to be opened decades later for the 21st birthday (at the time it was the legal adult age in France) marriage and other event. His entire life was punctuated with some amazing champagne and liquor bottle. I do not remember wine to be that big in his cellar.