As we are all at home and our only outings are venturing outdoors. So what boots will keep us warm? Cold feet are a fact of winter, the shoes you wear the rest of the winter must endure the winter. We recommend buying boots and not just one pair, preferably two or three.
Winter footwear was originally designed for timber yards, hiking trails, and the trenches of war. But now the options are endless, so you can be confident it will get you through a slightly frosty park and estate adventures. Winter boot style, is a factor because the best winter boots are as stylish as they are practical.
Fashion has a thing for technical clothing of all kinds right now. but it’s always been happy to capture the inspiration boots from soldiers, mountaineers, riders, and blue-collar workers. Your stylish winter boots must-have attributes durability, practicality, comfort, and weatherproofing.
If you loathe chunky soles and unforgiving leathers but are seeking winter boots. These are some of the most versatile shoes you can buy. Take your time to buy in the right pair and they’ll last decades.
Here we will guide you in finding the style that suits you best below, along with how to style them with your stay homewear.
What To Look For In Winter Boots
Quality Materials
How to spot quality winter boots if you want them to last, and you should.
The upper material is one way to spot quality in a boot.
Quality leather is the making of a great boot and cheap leather is not going to cut it. Why quality leather is used as it has soft creases and usually is hand-polished.
The patina and dark and light patches give it a distressed look.
If you are seeking a more robust boot opt for tanned leather, which tends to be thicker than painted leather. Therefore it requires less weatherproofing.
Goodyear-Welted Soles
A solid boot material for weatherproof boots is a Goodyear welting technique. This is to stitch the sole firmly to the upper via a rib-like strip of leather or canvas.
“The stitching of the welt can be seen above the welt and the sole stitch (through the welt) underneath the sole,”
Imitation welt is common if you cannot see the continuation of this stitch through the sole. Then this is alarm bells for a cheaper boot, so watch out.
Bespoke Boots
A good boot maker is proud of this information to boast how robust their brand is during winter. If you are looking for a winter boot with the perfect fit and quality? Go to the store of the bootmaker or a specialty store. Seek all the information and fit you need to get the perfect boots for your feet.
Worth every penny.
Too Heavy
Recognising that most of us only wear our boots to either the office or the pub, shoemakers have, in recent years, fitted their designs with comfortable and practical soles.
Combat-style treads will make you even more sure-footed while contrast white rubber soles offer some smart-casual hybrid styling.
Most brands now have made efforts to offer lighter versions of their chunkiest and most iconic styles with new materials offering the same wear and practicality.
The Best Winter Boots Styles
Hiking Boots
Have you been spending your weekends dreaming of a forthcoming trip up Kilimanjaro? If the answer’s no, then you can be forgiven for overlooking the humble hiking boot. Now your outdoorsy aspirations (or lack thereof), thanks to covid 19. Is not what you are opting for serious hiking boots.
Team MSF can suggest designs that are ideal for navigating city streets, heavy dog walking sessions, and the trip to the countryside such as the Lake District.
You need more than one pair for different levels of comfort. Looking for boots with ankle support and other orthopaedic box-ticking features will make your hiking adventure all the more while.
We suggest full-leather linings and cushioned footbeds.
Team them with other tough-as-old-boots menswear staples like raw denim corduroy, twill, or any knitwear.
You could also pair them with rainstoppers and fleece to lean fully into the outdoors trend. Or be bold and use them as a striking counterpoint to tailoring. You a sole man after all.
Brogue Boots
If you’re not ready to go full with a pair of hiking boots, there are other, subtler ways to infuse your winter look with some outdoorsy influences. A sartorial hybrid, the brogue boot comes with the same reassuring weight and solid construction of hiking boots, but with all the wing-tipped, country-manor smartness of brogues.
As a general rule of thumb, you can wear your brogue boots with any outfit you might normally wear with traditional brogues, so lace up a dark brown or black leather pair with heavier wool suiting, and smart trouser and shirt/cardigan combinations.
Especially if you are driving a Bentley you wanna look the part.
Herring Exmoor Tweed Brogue boots
Knitwear
Brogue boots also play well with pieces that straddle the rugged-refined divide, such as heavy-gauge knitwear, gilets, waxed and leather jackets, as well as heritage fabrics such as corduroy and tweed.
While sock-flashing isn’t necessarily frowned upon when wearing a pair of these, it’s not an entirely natural fit with the brogue boot’s finesse either. Stick instead with trousers with a neat break (i.e. that finish around the top set of lace eyelets), or roll more casual trousers and jeans up to the same point for a smart finish.
Look out for rubberised boot soles for some extra winter practicality.
Work Boots
Some of the robust boots ever made were first designed decades ago for people to wear in factories and shipping yards. The steel toe caps may not have survived the fashion crossover, but many other features have waterproof materials, padded ankles, high-grip soles, and cosy linings.
When it’s freezing outside opt for tough working boots.
The most top rated boots have remained almost unchanged for decades, which makes it surprising that they’ve been adopted by such diverse style tribes. no matter who you are even gender-neutral, Hip-hop artists, lumbersexuals, and workwear enthusiasts all love a work boot.
That means you can pair them with a range of casual (always casual) outfits, from joggers to jeans, trucker jackets to parkas. Look for dyed leather or waterproof nubuck and sealed seams to keep the puddles at bay.
Combat-Style Boots
Like most items in a man’s wardrobe, boots have a proud history of military service. From high lace-ups designed to keep out trench foot to modern tactical designs, combat boots have recorded a number of victories on the fashion front.
Right now, they’ve not just won the battles, they’ve won the warcore. The directional trend for combat trousers, holsters and all things military means there’s rarely been a better time to buy this style. Not that you have to leave the house looking like a character from Call of Duty.
Look at Ryan Gosling’s character in Blade Runner 2049. He paired tactical boots you can buy on Amazon with a statement overcoat. Or designer Charlie Hayford who wears his trademark high boots with classic tailoring.
For streetwear style team them with jeans and a bomber Maverick jacket. Opt for heritage wear like The Crown on Netflix wear wool, twill cotton, generous fits, and plenty of herringbone.
Chelsea Boots
You can’t go wrong with a pair of Chelsea boots. pair your boots with any leather jacket and shredded skinny jeans for a walk at the weekend.
While suede boots have something undeniably style about them, it’s a delicate material that is hard to keep pristine in or just after a downpour. it is not a winter outdoor boot. If you can’t be bothered protector spray all winter, opt for easy-wipe leather instead.
Ankle Boots
As far as we’re concerned, ankle boots smart enough to style with a roll neck, blazer, and smart wool trousers, but also not so fussy that they can’t be coupled with chinos and a crew neck sweatshirt. Perfect for navigating the winter months’ dress codes quandaries.
Leather pairs are a safe bet for the cold and wet, offering resilience and enduring elegance.
