RM Williams Boots - Everything You Wanted to Know

[patrick_b]

@patrick_b Very helpful. I might go with the comfort turnout in the chocolate suede. I appreciate it!

The chocolate suede is super versatile!

 

[K. Nights]

I started with Craftsman (non comfort) in 2008 but eventually settled on the round toe models (Gardner and Turnout). Both look good but the turnout isn't bulbous, just round.

L-R

Craftsman Chestnut 2008
Comfort Craftsman Choc suede 2018
Bestmade x RMW Suede Gifford 2019 (I think it's a re-named Gardner)
Comfort Turnout Rum 2020

View attachment 1686996

Is the gardner more rounded than the turnout? Kind of difficult to tell from this angle

 

[patrick_b]

Is the gardner more rounded than the turnout? Kind of difficult to tell from this angle

Yes. If I understand it correctly, the Gifford is based on the Gardner and is more of a work boot. The Craftsman and Turnout are on the casual side of dress boots.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Chocolate suede as it starts to feel like fall

 

[aquatherm]

I started with Craftsman (non comfort) in 2008 but eventually settled on the round toe models (Gardner and Turnout). Both look good but the turnout isn't bulbous, just round.

L-R

Craftsman Chestnut 2008
Comfort Craftsman Choc suede 2018
Bestmade x RMW Suede Gifford 2019 (I think it's a re-named Gardner)
Comfort Turnout Rum 2020

View attachment 1686996

Can you post more pictures of the Gifford please? What sole does it have? This boot seems to have been discontinued sadly

 

[Purplelabel]

Good old wear and tear.

 

[aquatherm]

Gardener boots in Saddle suede. Love the colour however one is noticeably lighter which is bugging me a bit

 

[RogerKaputnik]

Comfort Turnouts in good 'ol brown, at the office today. Purchased from the Melbourne flagship store, March 2020, a day before being sent back to the US on account of a pandemic :/

 

[Jason Kadushin]

Gardener boots in Saddle suede. Love the colour however one is noticeably lighter which is bugging me a bit

question - are you calling it "saddle" (like generically that color is saddle suede) or is that what RMW called it? Right now I heard the only suedes avail for custom are Havana, Black, Blue, Choco....

 

[kit990929]

I was searching around for a pair of Chocolate suede Chelsea boot, and i think the comfort craftsman one is quite versatile( it will be my first pair of Chelsea boot)
the price is affordable, but still want to know if there are any discount for this company's product. Like the black Friday sales or Christmas sales? Thanks a lot.

 

[stook1]

Can anyone offer any perspective on Women's fitment for RMW? It seems that some of the models under the Mens section of the RMW site have sizes down to an RMW size 1 (the Gardener, for instance). I can't imagine that is a mens size. I've also seen on some sites that these models are considered unisex. Are the lasts used for the mens and womens lines the same? Do women tend to wear the "mens" line? Or do most women stick with something like the Adelaide if seeking a more traditional round toe RMW look?

 

[JimC]

Can anyone offer any perspective on Women's fitment for RMW? It seems that some of the models under the Mens section of the RMW site have sizes down to an RMW size 1 (the Gardener, for instance). I can't imagine that is a mens size. I've also seen on some sites that these models are considered unisex. Are the lasts used for the mens and womens lines the same? Do women tend to wear the "mens" line? Or do most women stick with something like the Adelaide if seeking a more traditional round toe RMW look?

I can't comment on fit or lasts, but I can tell you that around Brisbane, where RMs have been a bit of a uniform of sorts for as long as I can remember (at least 30 years), women tend to go for more delicate round-toe styles with brass screwed construction, IIRC, giving a slimmer profile. The Adelaide looks like it might be closest to what was far and away the most popular back in my day, which I think was called the Jodhpur (although Google doesn't give me much on that). You won't see many women around these parts in fuller boots unless they work the land.

 

[Vamp-ire]

Not buying these hurt my soul. Looked like I can find like new on ebay often. Tried getting lowered to 150

 

[Snorpley]

Can anyone offer any perspective on Women's fitment for RMW? It seems that some of the models under the Mens section of the RMW site have sizes down to an RMW size 1 (the Gardener, for instance). I can't imagine that is a mens size. I've also seen on some sites that these models are considered unisex. Are the lasts used for the mens and womens lines the same? Do women tend to wear the "mens" line? Or do most women stick with something like the Adelaide if seeking a more traditional round toe RMW look?

Hey Stook,
JimC is spot on in that the selections of sole etc likely play a larger role stylistically in the choices of these boots by female customers.
I’ll try to shed some light on sizing courtesy of my wife. The RMW ‘unisex’ boots are not built on any gender specific last (like the Adelaide, Millicent, etc etc),and a boot like a craftsman, will therefore be on the (and I don’t even think this is the best word to describe it) ‘chunkier‘ side.
My wife is typically an EU38, making her a 7 US in a sneaker(say). She has pretty high arches making the ideal fitting more wide than narrow.
She is a 4.5 in a craftsman, 7E in Adelaide. Occassions are more of a factor for women potentially. A boot that might be worn mostly with stockings, might benefit from a fit that is a half size smaller than a boot to be worn with socks. Another consideration is leather type, as suede will feel different to yearling, to kangaroo, etc.
I personally think that in hand, the Adelaides don’t feel as well made or robust as the Craftsman or other (older) RMW models. The heel and sole materials aren’t as good, the rubber option not as flexible (as Craftsman or Turnout). They’re our experiences anyway. And Sorry, the above is probably way too many words for a questionable amount of ‘help’.

 

[stook1]

Hey Stook,
JimC is spot on in that the selections of sole etc likely play a larger role stylistically in the choices of these boots by female customers.
I’ll try to shed some light on sizing courtesy of my wife. The RMW ‘unisex’ boots are not built on any gender specific last (like the Adelaide, Millicent, etc etc),and a boot like a craftsman, will therefore be on the (and I don’t even think this is the best word to describe it) ‘chunkier‘ side.
My wife is typically an EU38, making her a 7 US in a sneaker(say). She has pretty high arches making the ideal fitting more wide than narrow.
She is a 4.5 in a craftsman, 7E in Adelaide. Occassions are more of a factor for women potentially. A boot that might be worn mostly with stockings, might benefit from a fit that is a half size smaller than a boot to be worn with socks. Another consideration is leather type, as suede will feel different to yearling, to kangaroo, etc.
I personally think that in hand, the Adelaides don’t feel as well made or robust as the Craftsman or other (older) RMW models. The heel and sole materials aren’t as good, the rubber option not as flexible (as Craftsman or Turnout). They’re our experiences anyway. And Sorry, the above is probably way too many words for a questionable amount of ‘help’.

That's actually really helpful, thanks! My wife, for now, seems to have settled on a pair of chunkier red wing chelseas. Not my choice, tbh, but she seems to be happy and they are an order of magnitude higher quality than the average women's footwear. May revisit the RMW options for more of a classic look in the near future in a different color.