So, doc martins suck?

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: In reply to Swank Force One: You appear to know a lot about casual footwear. I'm not sure whether to ask for a recommendation for a quality non-sneaker looking everyday/all-purpose with jeans type shoe... or post metrosexual joke images.

I have fairly E36 M3ty feet (used to have flat arches) and hate hate HATE bulky clothing of any kind. This includes shoes. Oh, and i worked for (and was very successful) at Finish Line for a couple years.

I'm not sure how much help i'd be with your particular request, though. Pretty much all of my shoes are sneaker based, or i skip to hiking boots.

How casual are we going? I HAVE been partial to good old Docksiders in the past.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

LOL. My knowledge of casual footwear begins and ends at the Rockport Outlet in a nearby mall. Every year or two I go there and buy two or three pair to replace a few existing shoes. Being an outlet store, I never know what I'm going to find. Sometimes I walk out empty.

I'll admit, though, those "driving shoes-eque" Merrells look nice.

New docs are total crap. I wore them for 20 years finally switched to red wings last year. Iron rangers are far superior to any doc's I have ever worn.

Ian F wrote: In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker: LOL. My knowledge of casual footwear begins and ends at the Rockport Outlet in a nearby mall. Every year or two I go there and buy two or three pair to replace a few existing shoes. Being an outlet store, I never know what I'm going to find. Sometimes I walk out empty. I'll admit, though, those "driving shoes-eque" Merrells look nice.

I've had probably 6 pairs of Merrell Sprint Blasts in the last 10+ years. Every pair has been stellar. Stay away from the mesh ones if you want them to last longer than a year, and get the all-leather ones (i loved my grey suede ones) if you want them to last forever. I liked the ones with the mesh panels for ultimate frisbee. About as close as you could get to cleats without having to change shoes to play, and they breathed way better than the all leather ones.

They're slightly bulkier than they look in pictures. They aren't quite Speedcats, but they were OK to drive in.

mtn wrote: My problem with the Doc's Made in UK is that they will randomly start smoking for no reason.

The problem is the damn Lucas shoe strings.

Here's me, back in the day. Still have these Docs and they still work well.

pinchvalve wrote: Here's me, back in the day. Still have these Docs and they still work well.

You've got a dragon on your head? EXCELLENT.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I don't think it's on purpose, the wadded up sock feeling part in the front is only on one shoe.

I'm kind of stuck, cause I need somewhat dressy shoes, but they still need to resist oil, as I walk in and out of 15 or so shops a day.

Joey

It was a dragon, but now it is kind of a fat, bald lizard.

I have a pair of these, they are quite expensive (~$300 I think) but comfortable and durable. http://www.whitesboots.com/index.php?dispatch=products.view&product_id=30298

I mostly wear puma shoes for everyday use though, since those boots are kinda heavy.

pinchvalve wrote: It was a dragon, but now it is kind of a fat, bald lizard.

LOL. You should do the same pose now and give us a before/after shot in the same boots.

nohomo

I have a pair of original made in the UK Docs that I've had for something like 22 years. I used to wear them with wool socks and they were great. However, I bought them while I was still growing, and now they are too small. I got about 3 years worth of wear out of them, have not worn them since.

I should sell them to a second hand store or something, but every time I think of it, it is later in the day and I can't be bothered to dig them out of the closet.

In reply to Brett_Murphy:

That's sort of my situation as well... They're currently in my "stuff to eBay" pile...

For guys that are trying Docs for half an hour and saying the fit is terrible, you are aware that leather boots require break-in, right?

I've been wearing them since the '90s and I don't have anything else.

I've currently got two pairs of the "for life" 1460s. One pair is nice, one pair is worn. When the worn pair get a hole in the leather, sole worn out or some such thing, I send them in for a replacement and move the "nice" pair into daily use and the warranty boots become the nice pair.

I get about three years out of them in daily use and I've had the "for life" warranty replacement twice now with no trouble.

You don't buy Docs, you earn them. Break-in can be rough if you are used to wearing vans or some such girly shoe.

Speaking of Docs, can the soles be replaced? Last time I looked, the answer was "no," but this seems like a resourceful group.

Red Wing FTMFW!

Honestly break in should turn rough boots soft and soft feet rough, but the docs I had were hideously fitting even with insoles and months of break in.

I have had two pair of Docs; pair one I bought in 1998, still awesome wear them once every couple weeks. Pair two, bought through the "approved footwear" program at work and they lasted possibly 4 months before plain old coming apart. I like the "redback" boots you can get through snap on or redwings. But being a cheapskate I usually end up with wolverines or some such thing.

I wear boots out though; new pair every six months or so and I really only wear them at work and the junkyard. Cross trainers all the rest of the time.

"Should I wear doc martEns" Flowchart: Am I a skinhead ------> No. Is it 1992? ----> No. Am I in an all-lesbian pearl jam cover band -------> No.

No, you should not wear docs. Nor should you have then, unless you want to say "I'm an effeminate rich kid whose mummy & daddy buy him $100 shoes." At least that's been my experience.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:

pinchvalve wrote: It was a dragon, but now it is kind of a fat, bald lizard.

LOL. You should do the same pose now and give us a before/after shot in the same boots. *nohomo*

I got 5 on it.

The punks and the grunge movement killed them....

From Wiki:

The first Dr. Martens boots in the United Kingdom came out on 1 April 1960 (known as style 1460 and still in production today), with an eight-eyelet Ox Blood Smooth leather design. Originally Dr. Martens were made in their Cobbs Lane factory (which is still working today).[3] In addition, a number of shoe manufacturers in the Northamptonshire area also produced DM's under license, as long as they passed quality standards. They were popular among workers such as postmen, police officers and factory workers. By the early 1970s, skinheads started wearing them, and by the late 1980s, they were popular among scooter riders, punks, some New Wave musicians, and members of other youth subcultures.[5] They also became very popular in the 1990s as grunge fashion made its rise to fame. The shoes' popularity among skinheads led to the brand gaining an association with violence.[5] In late November 1994, a six-storey Dr. Martens department store was opened in Covent Garden in London which sold food, belts, and watches, as well as shoes. At this time the R. Griggs company employed 2,700 people, expected to earn annual revenue of £170 million, and could produce up to 10 million pairs of shoes per year. Dr. Martens sponsored Rushden & Diamonds F.C. from 1998 to 2003, and when a new main stand was built at Nene Park in 2001, it was named the Airwair Stand. In the 2000s (decade), Dr. Martens were sold exclusively under the AirWair name, and came in dozens of different styles, including conventional black shoes, sandals and steel-toed boots. Sales of Dr. Martens shoes declined during this period; AirWair International's revenue fell from US $412 million in 1999 to $127 million in 2006.[8] In 2003 the Dr. Martens company came close to bankruptcy.[9] On 1 April that year, under pressure from declining sales, the company ceased making shoes in the United Kingdom,[10] and moved all production to China and Thailand. Five factories and two shops were closed in the UK as a result of this decision, and more than 1000 of the firm's employees lost their jobs.[11] Following the closures, the R. Griggs company employed only 20 people in the UK, all of whom were located in the firm's head office.[12] In 2004, Dr. Martens began producing footwear again at the Cobbs Lane Factory in Wollaston, England. These products are part of the "Vintage" line, which the company advertises as being made to the original specifications.[13] Sales of these shoes are low in comparison to those made in Asia, however; in 2010, the factory was producing about 50 pairs per day.[3] In 2005, the R. Griggs company was given an award by the "Institute for Turnaround" for implementing a successful restructure.[9]

-Rob

Wait, it's not 1992?

Appleseed wrote: Wait, it's not 1992?

But... Celine Dion and Mariah Carey still seems so fresh and relevant! And what about that spunky KrissKross?

Maybe it's time to put away the Z Cavericcis afterall.