Welcome back to the Gentleman's Gazette.
Today's video is all about Chelsea boots.
I'll discuss what you should look for when you buy a pair, how you combine them plus
the hallmarks and characteristics.
Basically, everything you need to know about this wonderful boot.
First, let's start with the history of the Chelsea boot.
It was originally invented by J Sparkes hall who's boot maker to Queen Victoria.
He came up with the idea to use vulcanized rubber to have something flexible at the ankle
and it would make them easy to put the boots on and take them off.
Chelsea boots were popular with men and women.
In the 1950s, the so called Chelsea set in West London which was a conglomerate of artists
and directors became known to wear this kind of boot and soon thereafter it became synonymous
with kind of an upbeat, trendy, young, and fresh boot.
It was eventually renamed to Chelsea boot.
If you want to learn more about the history of Chelsea boots and the intricacies, I urge
you to check out our in depth guide about Chelsea boots by clicking here.
What makes a Chelsea boot a Chelsea boot?
Well, let's start with the Ankle length.
The Chelsea boot has ankle length and it's not below, it's not above, it's right at ankle
height.
Then, it has rounded toes like you can see here and low heels and basically, those are
characteristics shared with the Chukka boots which we discussed earlier here.
What's special about the Chelsea boot is that you have the vamp sewn up here, no lacing
and then the back quarters are sewn on here and here.
It's simply a boot that you pull on using these loops up here, it helps you to get in
because without the laces, it's important that you have a rather tight fit right here
in the foot and as well as the heel.
You want it to be quite tight and so you have to fit in, it has to fit snugly and tightly.
Because leather would be too stiff and not flexible enough, this is the flexible rubber
part which was invented by J. Sparkes Hall and to this day, you will find this rubber
part, it always has this kind of U shape, it never goes all the way to the bottom, there's
always some leather underneath, sometimes you'll find it to be a bit shorter but generally,
it comes in a contrasting color.
With brown shoes sometimes, it's a slightly darker brown and lately you have seen people
wearing green rubber or red rubber or like in this case blue rubber simply to kind of
add a little flare and individualism to your boots.
Chelsea boots today are extremely popular because they're so easy to put on and easy
to take off and people like the elegant look of it.
So, if you want to buy a pair of Chelsea boots, what should you pay attention to?
It's the most important that you get the fit right hence, if you order online, make sure
you can return the boots simply so you can try them on and see if they're actually comfortable
since there are no shoelaces, chances are that you slip out with your heel and you always
want to prevent that, it should fit really snugly so it's easy to walk around and the
shoe doesn't come off on you because over time the elastic will expand and so will the
leather and if you slip out in the beginning, it'll be worse over the course of maybe three
months.
So that also means, never just rely on standard sizing.
Moreover, sometimes you will find boots advertised as Chelsea boots with zippers and that is
not a Chelsea boot and you should not get it, you should always look for the rubber
inserts.
The upper should always be made of box calf leather, sometimes it's popular with men to
actually have it in a suede which is usually also calf suede leather.
If you live in a rainy environment, it's not good to have suede, go with regular leather
and make sure that it's a darker color because the Chelsea boot works well with suits.
So I would either get in a black or in a dark brown if it's your first pair of boots and
subsequently you can venture into like tan, maybe blue or navy but to start, I think darker
colors are better.
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Also don;t forget about our free eBook, 15 style mistakes and how you can avoid them
and I'll tell you more about different kinds of boots such as the Chukka boot or Jodhpur
boot and show you the right way to a boot that works for your budget and your style.
Traditional Chelsea boots have leather soles and are Goodyear welted and that's really
just fine., it's like a high quality shoe however, if you live in a rainy area, you
definitely want boots with a rubber sole.
Usually, I suggest to have a leather sole and then with an applied rubber sole like
in this example, simply because you still get that elegant thin sole look with the practicality
of rubber soles.
Especially good in winter, if you live in an area where there's ice or there's a lot
of rain, you may want to add a rubber sole, it's always easy to take it off if you don't
like it anymore.
So in my opinion, that's really the way to go.
One thing that's really important in a Chelsea boot is the rubber insert.
Unfortunately, you can't really test the quality upfront but I would suggest you read reviews
online just to make sure you have a product that stands up years of wearing them otherwise,
it's no good to have a boot with a loose rubber piece after just 6 months.
Chelsea boots are a wonderful all around boot, it's great to start with them because they
can be worn with formal outfits and more casual outfits.
Just clean, simple lines, if you get it without any broguing it works really well with most
of your outfits and people will always think you're well dressed.
So if you have a pair of black Chelsea boots, goes particularly well with charcoal suits,
grey suits and mid grey suits and any type of business wear.
Some people also wear it chinos or like a blazer combination.
Personally, I think a really dark brown may be better.
As you can see here in this picture, this is actually a very dark brown, though most
people wouldn't be able to distinguish it from black.
It has the advantage that you can wear it with a dark suit such as grey but also with
like a tan chino or stone colored trousers that is just not as harsh as black.
So if you want to go more casual with your Chelsea boots, I suggest you get a pair in
tan or grey or blue and you can really mix it up with denim, with chinos, with other
kinds of corduroy pants and just combine it in any way you like basically.
Adding a color to your insert will certainly help to make it even more stand out and unique.
If you like broguing, you can have them with broguings but if it's your first pair if Chelsea
boots, I suggest you stir clear of broguings.
Just get a plain Chelsea boot with rubber inserts.
If you want a wing tip, you can sometimes see that.
Personally, I think it looks better with Derbys or Oxfords but if you really want it, you
can still have it.
Lately, one trend I've seen is to have a shorter cut Chelsea boot, so it's not really ankle
length anymore but it's more like a shoe that is slightly higher.
They can look very elegant although I personally prefer the classic version.
It's simply up to you what you like and I suggest you take a look at what's available
out there.
Sometimes you find Chelsea boots that are rather bulky and especially the toe box is
very big and round, it makes it more look like a work boot or an extremely casual boot
like a substitute for a cowboy boot or something like that but if you want a classic style,
I suggest you go with a rounded toe box that is flat which makes it more elegant and timeless
and refined.If you now want to know where you can buy high quality Chelsea boots, please
check out our guide because I list different kinds of Chelsea boots that I've tested, good
manufacturers, they are really worth your money and they will work for you.