The best places to buy fall boots for men
Owen Burke,
Oct. 1, 2018, 2:20 PM
Thursday Boot Company/Business Insider
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Each year, the dizzying lineup of fall boots grows ever larger, making the decision of decking out your feet just that much more difficult.
Thursday Boot Co. makes our favorite pairs, but we're also big fans of fall boots made by Dr. Martens, Taft Boots, Frye, and L.L. Bean.
Fall is here, and it's time to break out heavier footwear as we meander toward winter. Ditching your sandals may be good riddance or a bitter defeat for you, but Insider Picks is here to help you find your fall footwear whether you're going for trendy avant-gardes, timeless classics, or something in between.
First, let's consider where these boots will be walking. Cobbled streets laden with mysterious mud, sludge, and slime? Go for rubber or PVC and leave those leather soles alone — you'll only trash them. The office for a big board meeting? Revisit said leather soles — you might not want to rock up in Doc Martens looking like you just stumbled out of the darkest, dingiest bar in the dirtiest, oldest part of town.
You'll also want to keep the temperature and weather in mind. Is fall a wet proposition where you live? If so, think about avoiding suede which will, more likely than not, end up looking pretty raggedy come December. A full-grain leather with a waterproofing solution or balm like ScotchGuard or one of Dr. Martens' signature shoe polishes is always a good idea.
After fashion comes function and comfort, of course. A lace-free Chelsea boot might be the most accommodating boot of all fall options and you can pull them off in just about any setting. But then, maybe you don't like that distracting patch of synthetic nylon breaking up the beautiful, shiny, natural leather for which you've paid such a premium. In that case, maybe a zippered boot with a harness or a full lace-up is your best bet.
When it comes to the leather you choose, try to go with the highest quality you can afford. All leather will break up and crease over time, but cheaper leather boots will almost always crease more and break up sooner.
Whatever your taste, we've got a pair of fall boots to suit your style and need below.
Here are the best places to buy fall boots for men:
Best fall boots overall: Thursday Boot Co.
Best urban fall boots: Dr. Martens
Best dress fall boots: Taft Boots
Best classic fall boots: The Frye Company
Best fall boots for rainy days: L.L. Bean
Read on in the slides below to learn more about our top picks.
The best fall boots overall
Facebook/Thursday Boot Co.
Why you'll love them: Thursday Boot Co.'s boots are sleek enough for the office or formal wear, but rugged enough to handle the snottiest of cold, wet, fall weather.
Somewhere in the crux between metropolitan and cowboy, Thursday Boot Co.'s boots would not be out of place in any closet, from country-boy wranglers to city-slicking dandies and everyone in between.
Most of the brand's boots can either be dressed down with jeans or paired just as well with a pair of pleated khakis. The soles vary as much as the styles, so there's everything from delicate cork (which we wouldn't necessarily suggest wearing to trudge through winter) to hardy Goodyear Welts and Vibram outsoles. Same goes for the leather.
The Insider Picks team reviewed Thursday Boot Co.'s line back in early 2017 when the company was just getting going, and sentiments around the office, I can safely report, have not changed.
Outside of our team, other reviewers love these boots, too. One prime example is this YouTube review by a blogger and world-traveler who wore Thursdays every day for five months straight, through snow, rain, streets, and even steep, rugged terrain. His verdict: they're mostly worth it, but the insoles wore out on him eventually, and he found the laces to be substandard. The outsoles, however, got along pretty much unscathed, and the leather did not crease much.
Pros: Good quality leather, tough outsole
Cons: Cheap insoles and laces
Shop men's boots at Thursday Boot Co. for $149 to $265
The best urban boots for fall
Dr. Marten/Facebook
Why you'll love them: Doc Martens are made with top-notch materials, handled with love, and rife with history.
Dr. Martens' AirWair is an emblematic piece of footwear synonymous with the predominant sub- and counter-cultures of every decade since their introduction in 1960: the skinheads in the sixties, the punk rockers in the seventies, the new wave artists of the eighties, and the grunge scene in the nineties.
Today, they may be more ubiquitous than ever. Just keep in mind that what we wear will always say a little something about us, whether we like it or not.
Doc Märtens' first endeavor in footwear came during his time serving as a doctor in the Alps during World War II. After having hurt his foot while skiing (presumably during R&R), he decided that the standard military-issued boots he'd been wearing just weren't sufficient enough for him to nurse his foot, so he thriftily cobbled together a pair of his own using softer leather and rubber from discarded tires.
Back in Munich, Märtens bumped into an old friend who was intrigued by his innovation and the two teamed up, refining the design some, adding the signature yellow stitching, and anglicizing Märtens' name. That first year, Martens' soles were, maybe not so ironically, a big hit with housewives — and more specifically, women over 40 — who accounted for about 80% of sales within the enterprise's first decade.
Recent years have shown the company its fair share of hardships, and the brand briefly shuttered most of its production houses and stores in the UK in the early 2000s. The company seems to have bounced back in recent years, however, and in early 2018 Business Insider reported that Dr. Martens has been producing some 10 million pairs annually.
Dr. Martens' AirWairs are some of the most durable and versatile kicks around. Let's start with the air-cushioned soles. They're not glued but melted to the welts using hot blades and rollers so that as both components cool, they forge one single piece of inseparable PVC. if you don't believe me, watch this delightful Insider video to see just how well they're made. If the de facto black is a little too punk rock or goth for your taste, there's always cherry red, navy, green, and white.
Sadly, the company has discontinued its "for life" boots, which were about three times expensive, a little sturdier (and heavier), and guaranteed — with free repairs — for life. The base model 1460s and 1490s are a more-than-reasonable middle-of-the-road boot well worth their price tag for anyone plying muck-ridden urban streets and sidewalks. Just be sure to pick up a tub of the Wonder Balsam to treat the leather (at least once) before you wear them. It's worth it.
Pros: Sole and welt are melted together and will never separate, affordable, waterproof, air-cushioned soles
Cons: The "For Life" boots are discontinued, and these soles will likely wear out after a few years (like many of not most boots in this price range)
Shop Dr. Martens boots at Zappos for $80 to $160
The best classic boots for fall
Why you'll love them: Frye's boots will never go out of style because they are classic, high-quality, leather boots.
There's hardly another boot out there that comes anywhere near as close as Frye does to speaking to the heart of Americana, and the wild westerner that is surely alive and well somewhere inside each and every one of us.
Frye has been making boots for a century and a half, staying true as glue to everything the company and its boots ever stood for. It's done custom work for everyone from Gene Autry to Carole King and Richard Nixon.
Still, the company hasn't shied away from modernizing, which comes welcome to those of us who wish we could rock fully ornate cowboy boots in the office, but just can't quite pull it off.
I have a pair of Sam Harness boots from Frye that I bought more than a decade ago. Everything on them has stayed perfectly intact, though several months of trodding through the brick and cobbled streets of Lisbon almost daily put a bit of a hurt on the cork soles, which could stand to be repaired.
I'll go to a cobbler for this and probably spend the better part of a Benjamin, but it is undoubtedly worth it for me. If that's all that most of a decade's worth of extensive and abusive wear and tear costs me to get these boots back up to snuff, that still, year over year, keeps my footwear expenses low.
Reviews we came across on the web were generally in the vein of this one by the financial advice website Wise Bread. Frye might not make the trendiest boots on the planet, but the boots sit atop a throne of timeless simplicity that no ephemeral fashion trend or season will ever usurp.
Pros: Tough suede, no creasing, leather sole, subtly sleek and classic style
Cons: Frye now only offers a one-year warranty (it used to be three), if you buy a pair with soles make of cork, they'll wear out faster; the company has taken most if not all production to Mexico and China, and skepticism is burgeoning over whether Frye boots will hold the same standard of quality going forward
Shop men's boots at The Frye Company for $258 to $598
The best dress boots for fall
Instagram/Taft
Why you'll love them: Tafts boots are made with good leather, solid-stitching, and machine-welted with Blake stitching.
A formidable step up from Thursdays, Tafts are worth the extra money if you've got it, especially if you're into a little touch of flair with raw wool or suede uppers.
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Kory and Mallory Stevens in 2017, Taft started out as a sock company that now offers a swathe of different boot and shoe styles ranging from classic to innovative bordering on funky. All of the footwear is exceptionally well made for a remarkably low price.
While the range of styles might be the highlight, the Stevens' attention to craftsmanship makes their footwear highly competitive in this price range. The full-grain leather is soft out of the box and requires little to no breaking in, though it might not be what one would classify as being "to die for," nor is it the kind of leather that would begin to separate like top grain or cheap ply.
Blake stitching helps keep costs low, as opposed to the more involved Goodyear welt assembly, but it also means that when the soles are worn out, they can be replaced, unlike with Goodyear stitching.
Still a novice in the boot game, Taft has been recommended in GQ's fall footwear checklist, extensively reviewed and discussed on Reddit, and my esteemed colleagues here at Insider Picks, of course. The consensus: They're well worth the purchase.
Pros: A great, mostly handmade boot made with quality leather, affordable, easily re-soled
Cons: Suede and wool uppers can pick up indigo dye, so be careful when wearing jeans (especially raw/coated denim), soles might not last as long as Goodyear-welted soles (but then they're replaceable, so it's a tradeoff)
Shop men's boots at Taft for $250 to $350
The best fall boots for rainy days
Why you'll love them: Bean Boots will serve you well through both fall and winter, and they go with most outfits.
L.L. Bean's boots were introduced in 1912, and haven't changed much since. That's because they haven't had to.
Leon Leonwood Bean did anglers and hunters a serious solid by tacking together these remarkably warm and dry boots. The Bean Boots went onto become the genesis of his stardom over a century ago. Today, you'll find them everywhere from the backwoods of Maine to the boroughs of the Big Apple.
While many of L.L. Bean's products are being made offshore these days, the company continues to craft a select few of its products stateside, including the beloved Bean Boots.
Constructed using rubber bottoms and soles, a steel shank, full-grain leather uppers, and 3M Thinsulate, these boots have hardly changed since the start. Of course, there was no 3M nor Thinsulate in the early 20th century, but the design, the leather, and the rubber have all remained the same.
One thing that has changed L.L. Bean's boot game is variety: There are more than 30 styles of Bean Boots to choose from with an array of linings so there's a pair for each season.
These boots are part of the history of exploration and expedition themselves, having gone to war for the United States Army and forayed both poles. They are also storied to have found their way onto Ernest Hemingway's feet, who, according to GQ, even went so far as to recommend them himself.
The endorsements don't stop there. Popular Mechanics recently discussed The Never-Ending Greatness of L.L. Bean's Boots, and GQ has sung L.L. Bean's praise for years. One staff member here at Insider Inc. made a pair of these boots last more than 30 years. Here's proof.
Reviews on L.L. Bean's site are almost entirely positive across the board, yielding a 4.6/5-star rating, with only a handful of negative reviews coming from customers who seemed to get the odd bad pair.
Unfortunately, L.L. Bean's lifetime guarantee — not dissimilar to Dr. Martens — was discontinued this year, and purchases only come with a one-year warranty from here on out. We're sad to see this longstanding tradition go, but will still stand by Bean's boots unless the quality itself starts to drop.
Pros: Sturdy, high-end leather and rubber, steel shank for support, not outrageously priced, hand-stitched
Cons: Maybe not the most fashion-forward boots you'll come across this season (or next), but their beauty lies in their utilitarianism
Shop Bean Boots at L.L. Bean for $100 to $245
Check out our other men's style buying guides
The best men's linen shirts you can buy
Linen is a fantastic, soft, breathable fabric that's perfect for warm climates and the hot summer months, but not all linen shirts are created equal.
Here are our favorite places to buy linen shirts:
Best linen shirts overall: J. Crew
Best loose-fitting linen shirts: Banana Republic
Best linen blends: Taylor Stitch
Best linen shirts on a budget: Amazon Essentials
Best linen shirts with prints and patterns: Onia
The best places to buy men's jeans
Jeans are personal, and buying them can be intimidating, but fear not, gentlemen. We're not here to hold your hand, but we will point you in the right direction.
Here at Insider Picks, we try out a lot of jeans — new ones, old favorites, stretchy elastane ones, stiff, 100% denim ones, and so on. We've rounded up the best places we've found to buy them. Some brands you'll know, some you may not. Below, we cover a number of price points so there are recommendations for just about everyone.
Here are the best places you can buy men's jeans:
Best jeans overall: Levi & Strauss
Best stretchy jeans: Everlane
Best comfortable jeans: Mott & Bow
Best raw denim jeans: Raleigh Denim
Best variety of jean styles: Ralph Lauren
The best men's undershirts you can buy
If you've been looking for the best undershirt for managing your sweaty pits, then the search is over. We've done the research and smoked out the best undershirts for men that you can buy today.
Here are the best undershirts you can buy:
Best undershirt overall: Thompson Tee
Best multipack of undershirts: David Archy
Best quick-dry undershirt: Uniqlo
Best stretch performance undershirt: Psycho Bunny
Best undershirt for casual wear: J. Crew
The best men's shorts you can buy
Finding the perfect pair of men's shorts can be challenging, so we've sorted through a bunch of options to find the best places to shop for men's shorts and selected our favorite pairs from each brand.
Here are the best places to buy men's shorts:
Best overall: J. Crew shorts
Best linen shorts: Club Monaco shorts
Best lightweight cotton shorts: Brooks Brothers shorts
Best hybrid shorts and swim trunks: REI shorts
Best athletic lounge shorts: Olivers Apparel shorts
The best men's workout shirts you can buy
Ask any routine gym goer about their preferred workout attire, and they'll likely spend a few minutes talking about moisture-wicking fabric, innovative cooling technology, or sweat-activated fabrics. While these may sound like industry buzzwords, the application behind these concepts are staples — and, frankly, must-haves — in the world of workout apparel.
Though just as there's variety in the available options, there's also variety in a wearer's desired application or workout style. Perhaps a runner wants a more lightweight option or a fitness fanatic desires something that looks good every day, no matter the activity. Regardless of intent, there's a suitable workout shirt designed specifically for everyone. A great workout shirt doesn't just get the job done, but it does so without sacrificing performance, comfort, or style.
Here are the best men's workout shirts you can buy:
Best overall: Rhone Reign
Best for runners: Nike Dri-Fit Miler
Best cooling technology: Arctic Cool Crew Neck
Best for everyday wear: Reebok Supersonic 2.0
Best for cold weather: Under Armour HeatGear
The best men's underwear you can buy
If there's one article of clothing that you ought to care about, it's your underwear. Our top pick is the Tommy John collection because you can choose from many different styles of underwear and all of them are seriously comfortable.
You might also like Bonobos for unparalleled fit, Rhone for an active lifestyle, MeUndies for the most exciting prints, and Gap for affordability.
The best suits you can buy
For your go-to workhorse suit, you simply can't beat a single-breasted, two-button classic style charcoal gray suit. The Brooks Brothers 1818 charcoal suit combines historic American-made quality with iconic English flair, and it's easily the most versatile suit you'll ever wear.
Here are our top picks for the best suits:
Best overall: Brooks Brothers 1818 charcoal suit
Best linen suit: J Crew cotton-linen suit
Best wool suit: Indochino windowpane suit
Best retro suit: Charles Tyrwhitt double-breasted suit
Best tuxedo: Indochino Hampton tuxedo
The best ties you can buy
No suit is complete without a great necktie. For your staple tie, it's hard to beat black, and this luxurious silk tie from Turnbull and Asser hits every mark. Its high-quality bias-cut Italian silk looks wonderful, drapes beautifully, and works with any type of knot.
You'll also love the Brooks Brothers silk repp tie, the Charles Tyrwhitt knit tie, the Bonobos linen tie, and the American Trench wool tie.
The best white dress shirts for men
Every man needs at least one good white dress shirt. Fine Italian-woven cotton, old-school American craftsmanship, and a great trim fit make the Brooks Brothers Golden Fleece shirt a must-have for the modern gentleman. Its versatile spread collar looks great with or without a tie, so you can pair this timeless staple with almost any outfit.
You should also consider the T. M. Lewin cotton/linen dress shirt, the Charles Tyrwhitt French cuff dress shirt, the Brooks Brothers Oxford cloth button-down, and the budget-friendly Tie Bar pinpoint dress shirt.
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Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
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