but the beatles looked so cool
June 6, 2009 2:57 PM Subscribe
i just bought a pair of ben sherman 'artist' chelsea boots and while for the most part i really like them, i can't quite reconcile the extent to which they resemble 'elf shoes' at a glance. is this just the chelsea boot style?
i suppose i'm an artsy fartsy pseudo-hipster musician type, but as i've always been a jeans/tshirt/sneakers sort of dude, i recently decided that i wanted to evolve my style a bit for some variation and something a bit more classy at times. i bought these boots and for the most part i love them and as they are my exact shoe size they fit quite well, but looking down at my feet they look almost absurdly long and are much more pointed than i expected. looking at various pictures of chelsea boots of similar style such as those that the brit rock'n'rollers have a penchant for, it does seem to be the style, but is it really acceptable for them to be quite so long and pointed? at some angles they look really cool, but at others i worry that they look downright silly. i do wear my jeans rather tight so perhaps that has something to do with it, but again, that too seems to be a part of the style that these are often a part of.
does anyone have any insight or similar experiences? will i get used to it?
i suppose i'm an artsy fartsy pseudo-hipster musician type, but as i've always been a jeans/tshirt/sneakers sort of dude, i recently decided that i wanted to evolve my style a bit for some variation and something a bit more classy at times. i bought these boots and for the most part i love them and as they are my exact shoe size they fit quite well, but looking down at my feet they look almost absurdly long and are much more pointed than i expected. looking at various pictures of chelsea boots of similar style such as those that the brit rock'n'rollers have a penchant for, it does seem to be the style, but is it really acceptable for them to be quite so long and pointed? at some angles they look really cool, but at others i worry that they look downright silly. i do wear my jeans rather tight so perhaps that has something to do with it, but again, that too seems to be a part of the style that these are often a part of.
does anyone have any insight or similar experiences? will i get used to it?
I have been wearing chelsea boots forever and don't wear pointy ones for exactly the same reason.
Not even the ones that bear my own name.
posted by bensherman at 3:08 PM on June 6, 2009
Not even the ones that bear my own name.
posted by bensherman at 3:08 PM on June 6, 2009
but looking down at my feet...
Yeah. Nobody - nobody - looks down at your feet except you. How do they look in a full length mirror, how do they look to other people?
posted by DarlingBri at 3:12 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Yeah. Nobody - nobody - looks down at your feet except you. How do they look in a full length mirror, how do they look to other people?
posted by DarlingBri at 3:12 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Partly it's because I'm so tall and gangly, but I have to admit that when I see wee tight-trousered folks in their pointy little boots, I wonder whether they know how elfin they look. (Especially if they have some sort of shaggier-than-truly-necessary hairstyle and any sort of hooded garment).
However, I think your particular boots are perfectly attractive, and also that no one should change their wardrobe based on what casual passersby are wont to think.
posted by hermitosis at 3:22 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
However, I think your particular boots are perfectly attractive, and also that no one should change their wardrobe based on what casual passersby are wont to think.
posted by hermitosis at 3:22 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Those are more the kind of shoes you'd wear with an outfit that also involves a skinny tie. Definitely not for your typical jeans-and-t-shirt combo. Think mod.
posted by AV at 3:25 PM on June 6, 2009
posted by AV at 3:25 PM on June 6, 2009
pic of the boot in question
Yes, acceptable. Search for "winkle pickers" (or "winklepickers") and you can see what you look like, viz: a dude with cool shoes.
I say you can do jeans and t-shirts with them, but they certainly have to be the right cuts. You likely don't want to do quite this (at least not tomorrow) but with just the right jeans and a skinny jacket you'll feel silly not wearing those boots. 2nd think mod.
posted by kmennie at 5:02 PM on June 6, 2009
Yes, acceptable. Search for "winkle pickers" (or "winklepickers") and you can see what you look like, viz: a dude with cool shoes.
I say you can do jeans and t-shirts with them, but they certainly have to be the right cuts. You likely don't want to do quite this (at least not tomorrow) but with just the right jeans and a skinny jacket you'll feel silly not wearing those boots. 2nd think mod.
posted by kmennie at 5:02 PM on June 6, 2009
Very acceptable (and awesome) if worn with skinny moddy jeans. Weird with any other kinds of pants. I like them. When I got my first pair of cowboy boots a few years ago, back when such things were cool, I could not stop freaking out about my pointy pointy elf toes. I got used to them; you will too. You step out in pointy style and don't feel weird about your needletoes. They're good.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:13 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by pseudostrabismus at 5:13 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: the picture kmennie linked is exactly the same boot, but i think most of the available pictures are a bit deceptive. the boots are much longer and pointier than the pictures indicate, and combined with the upwards curvature towards the toe of the boot (as can be seen in that picture) it really has that elf aesthetic. but it is indeed much worse looking straight down than from most any other angle i guess. i suppose i'll see how they work out with the entire array of jeans that i have.
as an aside, is anyone able to recommend some fairly affordable boots of similar style that lack the pointedness?
posted by austere at 6:52 PM on June 6, 2009
as an aside, is anyone able to recommend some fairly affordable boots of similar style that lack the pointedness?
posted by austere at 6:52 PM on June 6, 2009
Response by poster: here's a couple of pictures that more or less highlight my qualm. i do think a lot of it may be the jeans i have on at the moment, and i really do like the boots. thanks everyone!
picture 1
picture 2
posted by austere at 7:06 PM on June 6, 2009
picture 1
picture 2
posted by austere at 7:06 PM on June 6, 2009
Dude, those boots look great. Seriously. The jeans are good, too. You need to settle down and take your fine self out on the town. Make sure to put your feet up on things.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:39 PM on June 6, 2009
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:39 PM on June 6, 2009
wow, those suckers are very elf-like indeed. But as long as you like them and feel confident/comfortable in them, wear 'em with pride!
posted by bahama mama at 7:55 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
posted by bahama mama at 7:55 PM on June 6, 2009 [1 favorite]
Never been a big fan of shoes featuring the long pointy-toe "elf" or "wicked witch" look. They just look very out-of-proportion. To me. If you're comfortable with the look (as, apparently, many people are) go with it.
posted by Thorzdad at 6:54 AM on June 7, 2009
posted by Thorzdad at 6:54 AM on June 7, 2009
Gotta agree with Thorzdad re: proportion. Tall and skinny guys (I'm one) can look a bit goofy in that sort of thing. Like, personally, I think my feet are plenty big enough without an extra two inches of weird pointiness tacked on the front. That said, I find that kind of thing even more ridiculous on short guys.
Now, a lot of the elf effect comes from the skinny jeans, which expose the full length of the boots, making them seem even longer. Maybe try something like a bootcut jean that's looser around the ankle? Of course, that'll take them out of the realm of Beatle-boots and more into cowboy territory, which may or may not be desirable.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2009
Now, a lot of the elf effect comes from the skinny jeans, which expose the full length of the boots, making them seem even longer. Maybe try something like a bootcut jean that's looser around the ankle? Of course, that'll take them out of the realm of Beatle-boots and more into cowboy territory, which may or may not be desirable.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2009
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posted by Max Power at 3:07 PM on June 6, 2009