Boot trees

[mbc]

Does anyone know where I can pick up a pair of cedar boot trees that will fit a pair of chelsea boots? Do normal shoe trees work well in these?

 

[jcusey]

Does anyone know where I can pick up a pair of cedar boot trees that will fit a pair of chelsea boots?  Do normal shoe trees work well in these?

Well, they seem to work well enough in mine. I have seen cedar boot trees, but those were for cowboy boots, not low-heeled things like chelsea boots. I have seen pictures of boot trees that provide support for the shaft of the boot as well as the foot of the shoe (ie, the wood comes all the way to the top of the boot), but only from some very high-end makers. If you're willing to shell out really big bucks, you might contact JM Weston or the like. Otherwise, it seems to me that regular cedar shoe trees work just fine.

 

[bengal-stripe]

If you look out in second hand shops or on eBay, you might come across a pair of those really nifty Peal boot trees, where, after the shoetree is in place, by pulling a lever the heel section kicks out. (Peal & Co was a once famous London bespoke shoemaker, who still lives a somewhat shadowy existence in the Brooks Brothers catalogue.)

There really is little need for boot trees in short booties (riding boots might be a different matter). Shoetrees prevent creases across the toe box and stop the soles to curl up heavenwards like a piece of stale toast. But the actual shaft section of a pair of boots does not get creased to a significant degree, as the movement between foot and leg is somewhat limited. A good fitting pair of shoetrees will do fine.