Chelsea boots have a long history with menswear and style around the world but, in particular, quite the cult following here in Australia. From the farmers working the countryside to the corporate halls of the city, every man and his son seems to own at least one pair of Chelsea boots in his life.

The design itself can be dated back around 1837, although there is much speculation around the design’s name. It was basically called an elastic-sided boot. Later on, through the 1900s, it was picked up by equestrians worldwide. They then produced what was known as the jodphur boot (see Herring Milton), similar to the design but with a strapped ankle system in place. 

The boots were originally made with a single piece of leather, but nowadays many brands choose to use two pieces as not all boot makers are able to manipulate the single-piece leather onto the last.

The Chelsea boot is a very simple design; no brogueing, wing or toe caps. Styling can be very versatile. You can pair them with jeans or suits with ease. For me personally, getting used to the clean design was my only challenge, coming from wearing traditional style boots and shoes.

Many genres use this style of boot across the board, some genre styles with Chelsea boots, include mod, preppy, heritage, western and of coarse the modern-day street style. See this link to view all Chelsea boots Herring have to offer.

To style with a suit, treat the boot just like an Oxford shoe as this style is much sleeker than country-style boots. In saying that, keep in mind if you go too skinny in the pants department, you will elongate your feet visually.

Buy smart, buy well.

Regards, Jared Acquaro