Work Boots: Safety Toes for a CM Snowflake?

[mimo]

As a man who wears a tie to work most days, and has been known to don a worsted three-piece in over 120F as a matter of principle, my shoe choices are usually on the formal side: plenty of colour here and there, but I'm essentially an oxfords man for work, the odd derby at the end of the week, and sports shoes to me means spectators. This will not be an unfamiliar refrain to many of you uptight pocket square fiddlers.

I am also something of a boot fetishist. I buy a lot. I love to look at them, in person, online, I make Pinterest boards, bore my wife with specifications, imagine wonderful new designs. Boots bring me joy. But not today.

Today, I was told to pick up some "safety boots" for a meeting on a development site owned by my current client. I simply will not wear such a horror as I have seen this day. Perhaps I will get away with non-safety boots from my ever-nurtured collection. Otherwise, I shall buy my own.

So, at last to the point: someone, somewhere, must make beautiful safety boots. They can, perhaps inevitably will, be casual. But they must be lovely. I'm picturing a medium height boot - 8-10 eyelets, with its composite or steel cap resembling nothing more offensive than a Budapester, perhaps de-emphasised by a plain toe, and camouflaged with a rustic scotchgrain? Too much?

Who makes safety shoes that one would be happy to wear? Who can courier a pair to me in the Middle East by end of Sunday? Or at worst, as a longer-term investment, does anyone make to order?

 

[GBR]

Wear proper safety boots and close your eyes when you touch them. They will NEVER be elegant, that is not their function. When your foot has been crushed you can repent at leisure and cast wistful eyes at your collection when they can't be worn with your prosthetic.

 

[mimo]

Yes yes...I will also wear my very attractive hard hat and high-vis vest. About those I can do nothing. But, proper boots with a composite toe. No? Really?

 

[Quesjac]

I faintly remember seeing the item you're describing, although I can't get far with a quick google. I think your best bet is steel toed chelsea boots. They won't be elegant, exactly, but they will at least look like proper shoes, and you'll still have your current number of digits if someone drops a hammer.

 

[mimo]

Yeah, there are quite a few elastic-sided safety boots around. But I don't mind big old laced up boot-boots a bit. What I do mind are the weird-shaped plastic moulded soles, the massive logos and colourful inserts...all that stuff. Of course, I'm exaggerating; some are perfectly OK, especially from the well-known makers: Timberland, Wolverine, Georgia Boot, etc...but...I'm sure there is better out there:

This. Is. Classic. Menswear.

Let me rephrase: does anyone know a maker of good-looking country boots that also offers composite or steel toes? I seem to remember a Vass price list with steel toes as an extra option, but I can't find it now. Anyone ever try?

 

[GBR]

Not sure that "country boots" would come with safety features. Was some enterprising manufacturer trying to pass safety boots of for use in the country?

 

[mimo]

I'm not sure you understood the question. This is a thread about boots, in the classic menswear section of the Style Forum. The question is whether one or more of the myriad makers of beautiful high-quality welted footwear that this side of the forum tends to discuss, make a boot with a reinforced toe. That is all.

I made a notable misjudgement in trying to be witty in my initial post. My fail - never mind!

 

[jayspec]

While it's neither a boot nor an end solution to what I assume you're after, perhaps something like this option from Red Wing can hold you over for the time being:

http://www.redwingsafety.com/safety-boot/8701-safe-us/mens-oxford-black-oxford-black

 

[mimo]

Haha! Nice effort! To be fair, it's a surprisingly dainty shape considering the purpose. Shame about the plastic though...

I was thinking in a different direction (hence the "country boot" reference), in that nothing is really going to work as a pretend oxford...or probably not. I mean, if you're wearing a luminous yellow vest and a plastic hat, the suit's now pretty much redundant, isn't it? I'm thinking an ankle or mid-height boot - jump boot, walking boot perhaps (though they are often horrific too!), maybe even a pull-on dealer boot or bike boot? Something that looks normal dressed-down.

Of course this is a silly and vain question, but it's Styleforum, isn't it? To ask the question in one more different way: are there boots with actual safety toes out there, that you'd wear just because they're cool boots? Maybe that's a better way to think of it.

The whole Timberland thing is a bit tired these days, though I don't find them unappealing. Just all the kids have them - I even bought some for my son. They're not expensive either. Here are a couple, and alternatives that I've come across, that might make a pretty decent "jeans boot" in their own right:

Timberland: along with CAT I guess these are pretty iconic casual boots these days.

A flashback to my teens - the humble "Docs" - Dr Marten's classic, and a dandier development:

A similar theme to the Timberland's, with a step up in brand quality I think - this from Wolverine:

Maybe this is a little wearable from Georgia Boot Co., and certainly looks like a decent bit of quality. The whole monkey/walking boot thing has taken off a bit again over the last couple of years. Not elegant, but I like the way these hang together:

And the lower version looks very easy to wear - perhaps without the contrast laces and kiltie...

You've got to hand it to America for practical boots. I guess they did invent Goodyear welting. But that big outdoors market really takes everything up a notch perhaps? Another big American name in outdoor boots: Chippewa. Now these really are pretty good: shame about the logos, and the ankle cuff is comfortable but aesthetically suspect. Still, I think I'd wear them.

And as Chippewa are well-known for these, maybe take it up a hipster notch:

Now that is pretty cool. Kind of wish they had them in brown. Well played, 'Murrica.

 

[mimo]

But, to go back to the original issue: if Vass do indeed offer safety toe versions of their boots, what wonders could we actually be wearing on a site visit? Imagine:

I mean, on the Budapester last, with a commando sole...maybe in a scotchgrain?

Sigh. Time for some English bootmakers to step up, perhaps:

(All made by Cheaney...safety toes not currently available!)

 

[zippyh]

Both Danner and Thorogood make a moc toe safety boot that's not too horribly bulbous. They do shout out "work boot" but at least not "safety boot". I think the Danner branding is up on the ankle so not quite as obvious. The Made in USA label snips right off.

 

[mimo]

That's pretty nice - apart from the sole. Still, if it's welted, it shouldn't be too hard to get a set of lugged Vibrams or whatever on there. Funny you should pick a mocc toe: was just looking at Orvis "Gokey" and their kangaroo "Upland Boots" too, and thinking they should do a safety version. The deep mocc toe design hides the protection well.

These from Thorogood aren't bad either:

And these mocc toes from Danner are really pretty neat, even with the wedge sole:

Thanks Zippy - nice input!