Herring Shoes Journal

We have already waxed lyrical on Peaky Blinder style boots and shoes, but this style is even more gritty. GQ magazine billed heavy-duty black boots as “the biggest news for AW19”. We may be coming to the tail-end of this season, but the warmer months are a little way off yet!

Seen on the catwalks for Brioni, Emporio Armani, Versace, Tiger of Sweden, Dior, Dunhill, Paul Smith and Hermès, the general theme was black and chunky. That does not mean you need a hefty outfit to complement them. In fact, the chunkier you go on your feet, the slimmer the rest of your apparel should be.

If you are a dedicated follower of fashion, then don your bovver boots with a slim black suit, an over-sized trench coat and a Harry Potter-esque scarf. For those of you who like to take a pinch of high fashion and blend it with your usual wardrobe, the thick black boot can easily nestle in there.

Aside from being fashionable, heavy-duty boots are fit for purpose. They are ready and rugged enough for anything.

The most rugged of them all is our Herring Churchstow. These are just like the tall boots that stomped down the catwalks. It has a lightweight commando pattern sole and contrast Norwegian stitching into the upper, along with a Goodyear stitch into the sole. This double stitching is rare in modern factories and is a testament to the handcraft used at the Carlos Santos factory where these are made exclusively for us.

For a chunky Chelsea with attitude, try the Sywell. Footwear from our collaboration with the Solovair company, this has an edgy pointed toe and a chunky sole. You can find our more on our Solovair range in our recent blog here. Meanwhile, the Tregony offers a lace-up option – again with a rugged rubber sole.

Lastly, we’re keen on the Stockholm. This boot has a bike-cum-builder vibe. It looks tough on the outside but hides a natural warm lining that will serve you well during the final winter months. Let your jeans or combats scrunch up on top of these (rather than over). These boots are too good to hide.

Other brands also have a chucky boot or two. See Barker’s Sully, Loake’s laced rubber-soled brogue boots and Tricker’s Henry rubber-soled brogue boots. If you want to get into a bit of bovver in 2020, Herring can help – just with the boots though!