Over the last two days, I've been in local coffeeshops and seen two very cool young ladies with notable style. One was a little punk, a little boho, and she was wearing brown leather platform Dr Martens boots. The other was in a fun mushroom-printed skirt with two colors of tights, and black vegan DM boots.
Of course I pointed them out to my companions, who were not at all surprised that I'd not only noticed the footwear but really appreciated them.
Dr Martens has managed to hit that sweet spot of style that very few brands do. Consider:
Their roots are in punk rock
Staff in high end restaurants and hotels wear them
They make you stand out and look edgy
They can make you blend in with everyone else
Trendy kids in Japan live in them
Middle-age managers at Target in the US do, too
You can wear them hiking
You can wear them with a designer dress
They come in glitter and floral prints
They're happy covered in sheep poo
Even more impressive is that all ages can wear them and not look like they're trying too hard to be something they're not. The girls in the coffeeshops looked as at home in their boots as my 80 year old mum does in her chunky navy shoes and I - aged somewhere in between - am in my black boots.
I mean, how amazing for one brand to cover any and all footwear needs one might have! When I think of versatility in my wardrobe, these boots definitely hit the mark by going with so many outfits, plus traveling with them is just easy - they do the work of three pairs of shoes. I loved how they worked with my hiking gear plus what looks like an album cover shoot outfit.
The other impressive thing about this particular brand of shoes is their durability and longevity. I bought my first pair in London in 1993 on the recommendation of my dad's friend when he heard I planned to hike from London to Canterbury and around the south coast of England for a few weeks. These were the only shoes he thought appropriate and tough enough, so off we went to Soho. I think I paid around £90 - maybe $150 at the time - which was a lot for my post-college bank account. I (foolishly!) broke them in as I hiked around the coast for couple of weeks. At one point I had 21 bandaids on my feet and both feet and boots steamed at the end of the day, but by the end of the walk they fit like custom-made slippers.
Thirty one years later and I still have them (the boots, I mean, not the blisters!). They've had two new pairs of shoelaces and countless coats of leather conditioner but have never been resoled. I appreciate that they don't get used nearly as much now as they did when they were one of only three pairs of shoes I owned, but I still wear them to hike or just muck about in. They're so comfortable and in amazing condition considering they're older than a lot of the people I see wearing similar ones!
My mum has decided to retire her little blue shoes and is determined to replace them with another pair of Docs. I think she's got her eye on a pair that I hope will take her on as many happy walks as the last pair did.
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