Winter Rebooted

Boots belong outdoors; they are children of the wild, designed to deal with the very worst weather conditions, providing warmth in the cold, keeping feet dry in the wet, and giving grip when things begin to get uncertain underfoot.

Hiking boots are the pinnacle of this and this year they have come down off the mountainside to establish themselves as a menswear staple. So much so that most hiking boots will never scale a cliff face or engage in a spot of abseiling, but no matter. Alongside traditional hiking boots from Italian masters Diemme and Fracap, we have more urban hiking-hybrids from adidas and Californian label SeaVees that bring those classic hiking boot details into a streetwear setting.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER BOOTS CATEGORY.

One boot style that has been reinvigorated in recent years is the iconic bovver boot. Like John Lydon at fifty, the bovver boot is a first wave punk now retired to a life of comfortable luxury. Today new styles and finishes celebrate the bovver boot's heritage. Dr Martens have created waxed and horsehair versions, while London shoemaker Mr Hare has produced his refined and idealised version of a luxury bovver.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER BOOTS CATEGORY.

As well as providing a link to the past, heritage styles represents value, sturdiness, and longevity – all very important concerns when it comes to winter footwear. Here we see an authentic trail boot from SeaVees, a rugged boot crafted from a mixture of English cow and Scandinavian elk leather from rag & bone, plus a refined version of the classic duck hunting boot from the masters of luxury minimalism, Common Projects.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER BOOTS CATEGORY.

This season we have seen shearling aviator jackets make their way down the McQueen and Margiela runways and Neil Barrett has continued this trend by produced shearling-lined boots in collaboration with historic French bootmakers Palladium. But if military style isn't your thing, Diemme have created a version of their Inverno hiking boot with a thick English wool lining that will do a similar job and keep your feet warm and temperatures drop.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER WARMERS CATEGORY.

There is a coda to our opening statement that boots are children of the wild. There is a rich tradition of refined city boots that are designed for the highstreet not the hillside. They are the sophisticated urban versions of their country bumpkin cousins, presenting clean lines, slim silhouettes, and high-shine finishes. Here the modern masters of refinement, Margiela, Jil Sander, and Marc Jacobs prove that boots can also be a thing of subtle beauty.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER BOOTS CATEGORY.

Following on from the refined elegance of the city boots, these styles have emulated classic brogue detailing seen typically on formal shoes, showing once more the versatility and range of the contemporary boot. Designer of the moment, Mark McNairy has created this stunning boot for Woolrich Woolen Mills, complete with wingtip brogue detailing, while Casely-Hayford have lovingly recreated John Moore's design classic, the toe-strap boot.

CLICK HERE to shop our WINTER BOOTS CATEGORY.