How to wear Engineer Boots?

[Patek]

I love the look of engineer boots. Something about that big piece of leather and the way it patinas plus the semi-western feel of it.

There are some very nice ones out there but I recently acquired a mid-tier pair of White's. I can wear them on the motorcycle with no issue as gear is gear. However, I struggle with how to casually wear them. I would like to buy some good ones from the master makers, but I don't know how to wear them and would hate to invest the money before figuring that out.

Pant over the Boot (The baby bump):
Most slim-fitting pants will not go comfortably over them. When they do they tend to get pulled and the leather lumps up from being folded underneath.

Pant in the Boot (The Gaucho):
A bit in your face with this look. There is a lot of attention drawn to the boot too and shiny buckles make it more so. You may fit in at a biker bar with this look.

Roll cuff on top of the Boot (the Highwater):
Great for rescuing women and children from seasonal flooding but it is definitely making a statement.

Buy different pants (the 00's Boot cut):
I guess the other option is to buy looser fitting pants and I guess that was the purpose of those terrible boot cut jeans in the 2000's. However, buying pants to wear with a particular pair of shoes does not seem like the most practical option.

How do you wear engineer boots? Curious minds want to know.

 

[Komuga]

You need to wear a straight fitting pant with a leg opening around 8”. There’s no way around it if you want a good fit without ruining the silhouette of your pants. It’s not impractical at all. It’s good to have a pair of straight denim, even if you didn’t own engineer boots or other boots with a big shaft.

 

[smartbrother]

...boots with a big shaft.

 

[Patek]

I guess I need to work on getting pants with a bigger shaft. I don't think I have anything, chinos or jeans, with a shaft that wide.

 

[Patek]

So, I did find an old pair of RRL jeans now faded to light grey that do fit over them but barely. I think the US made engineer boots have a thicker shaft than the Japanese ones (maybe to accommodate the larger American feet). I guess I need to invest in more straight leg pants.

 

[TennesseeWill]

How Standard and Strange models wearing the Lofgren iteration is how I typically wear them. I find cuffs look better, and any Japanese brand like Iron Heart or Japan Blue's straight and lifter cuts work well. You're going to get the baby bump anytime you sit down, but if you're standing up, hasn't been an issue for me.

More than anything, you just have to own wearing these casually. I tend to stick to darker/black denim, white or black t-shirt, and a heavier weight flannel.

I will also say I love them, but my wife is not a fan. She thinks I look like a cartoon-western character, or an extra on the set of Tombstone. First couple of days wearing casually, I had to fully buy in myself. Once that happened, it was easy to rock these wherever, whenever.