In the pantheon of men’s footwear, there are the a few staples – sneaker, dress shoe, and work boot. Then there are the new comers – cloth slipper, boat shoe, and desert boot. Not much else has come out in the last 100 years for us. We men are not known for having extensive collections of shoes (outside of sneakerheads, and they hardly even wear those…). Women, meanwhile have an average of 19 pairs of shoes in their closet. Generally our thought is to buy just what we need to get through life. Dress for weddings and office, boots for fun and hard work, sandals for weekends. Done, on to the next problem. Well you can take some advice from a man who has 27 pairs of shoes in his closet. My advice is that Chelsea boots deserves a chance in your lineup.
You know that theory that the offspring of mixed race couples are the most beautiful? The same applies here, but for, you know, shoes. Not quite a hardcore boot, not quite a dress shoe, Chelsea boots are the amalgam of two of our favorite staples, and a perfect bridge between them. Typically they’ll be above the ankle with either a side zip or stretch fabric. Black is certainly the color of choice here, and steer away from anything with patterns or embellishment. Simple is better.
The Samuel Hubbard 24 Seven is the perfect beginner Chelsea. You can find examples of these boots that are very pointy and feminine, or terrible versions that are mostly a work boot with a side zipper added on for flair. The 24 Seven stays masculine while giving you an easy slip-on and a deep grip pattern in the sole to keep you flat footed and right side up.
In 2023, when it comes to timeless and versatile footwear, you’ll want to explore the best Chelsea boots of the year. If you’re interested in discovering some top recommendations, check out this insightful guide on the best Chelsea boots in 2023 over at Stridewise.com.
Certainly you need your go-to pairs to get you through life. But there’s nothing wrong with expanding you collection a bit and upping your foot game. Besides, the more pairs of shoes you have, the longer they’ll all last. So in a way, NOT buying more is going to cost you more…