Category Archives: Chelsea Boots

Video Review of the The Universal Brown Suede Chelsea Boot

Video Review of the The Universal Brown Suede Chelsea Boot from Delicious Junction

The Chelsea boot, is an absolute classic, every shoe maker has one in their range. There are even specialist companies like David Preston , which specialize Chelsea Boots. The one above has the classic look and MOD attention to detail.

DJ do 2 variations of the Chelsea Boot, one in Black Leather and this one in Brown Suede. Like a lot of the DJ range these are going out boots. The are look great with a suit, and have that air of dandiness about them. I know people wear them with jeans, this look can work, they are 100’s if not 1000’s of pictures of 60’s groups in them. I recall the animals looking good in some.

My thoughts are if you wear chelsea boots now, you are making a definite statement hence why so many bands wear them. Neol Fielding and bands like Kasbian seem to live the boots.

Now these boots come with the great sole that DJ use, meaning they are a cut above the normal high street sole. The suede is very nice to touch and the stitching is a purple colour and goes well with the brown. In the video we mention the cusset being a slightly different colour i.e a light purple. We like this as it stops it being just another pair of boots.

In terms of the fit, they hug well and would suit a slimmer foot. But being suede they are going to stretch after a few hours and align themselves nicely with your foot shape. The Heel is not cuban, so doesnt make you look loads taller.

Anyways i welcome any thoughts and reviews on the boots.

mod shoes chelsea boot brown suede 01 mod shoes chelsea boot brown suede 02 mod shoes chelsea boot brown suede 03 mod shoes chelsea boot brown suede 04

The Who & Mod Shoes !!!!!!!!!!

I must have looked at The Who in pictures a thousand times. They are one of the most photographed bands of the 60’s, loads and loads of reasons for this being far beyond this article. What this does mean though is that there are a good number of shots of their feet, some of which are in colour.

So let’s start near the beginning, pre- Who and pre-High Numbers, The Detours are just another London band.

Fashion-wise they are not jumping out. I couldn’t find any good pictures of the feet!

It took Pete Meaden and some money from xxxxx to get messers Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle and Moon into some decent gear. It is common knowledge that Daltrey was to be the face and the others the numbers, hence the smart looking two tone shoes for him. Interestingly, Entwistle was given some Boxing Boots which he took an instant dislike to, claiming later that he walked through a puddle to make them dirty!

I think this is the first shot after the new look!
The High Numbers starting to look cool. Notice the Two Tone shoes Weller loved, and Townshend in Monkey Boots

Early on, the band go through desert boots, boxing boots, Chelsea boots, and even monkey boots. As with any groovy top band from the time, The Who paraded in Carnaby fashion.

Carnaby Street, I presume?

Below you can see Pete wearing some two colour shoes. The shoes look like part leather and part cord. I have no idea on the make, but I think they date from around 65/66. Harrison and Marriot had similar pairs.

Loving the Blue boots and Townshend’s shoes

Daltrey has a lovely pair of what I think are blue pumps. Moon also follows the theme with some cool looking blue desert boots; notice as well the White/Cream sole!

What I really like about the picture is that the colour of the shoes matches with something else in the outfit. You can’t quite see Entwistle’s boots, as they are more of a brown colour, which is not matching anything!

I asked Peter “Dougal” Butler who was Keith Moon’s assistant and driver about Keith’s shoes. He kindly replied with this.

“Mod era in London i remember Topper’s & a shop called Ravel. By the mid 70s to 80s Ravel was in every big town. i think Keith got his boots from (chelsea boots) from Anello & David in Drury lane late 60’s Chelsea antique market & Kensington market”

Never seen this picture before but is dates from 1965. The Who playing Uxbridge Blues Festival.
More on the picture and write up from a Mod of the time Keith Davies, who also took the picture here.
http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/uxbridge-blues-festival.html

In the picture below Moon once again has desert boots with a white sole on, and again they match with his clothes. I know we are meant to be looking at the shoes, but have you seen Daltrey’s jacket? Black suede with a leather collar! How cool!

Daltrey and Entwistle are both wearing Chelsea Boots here, and I think the shoes Townshend has on have been worn by him in several shots, spanning a year! I seem to recall someone saying he liked handmade shoes, I know I have heard the name of the make before but I can’t quite recall it, I think it might’ve been Rivilio!

On the famous My Generation cover, three of the band are in Chelsea Boots again, but like in the previous picture, the outfits they combine them with make them look even better. Moon looks so good with the simple colour combinations, and his legs look so slim. Daltrey also pulls off the jean jacket.

Such a good cover and the outfits are spot on.

By the end of the sixties the band turned into rock gods and Daltrey became the consummate rock performer. Shoes-wise, it was more boots with an American influence; I won’t go into too much detail in this article, apart from to mention that Townshend wore boots well into the 80’s. I also heard him say in an interview that he liked the ‘every man nature of working boots’ meaning that whilst everyone else was glam, he wanted to be mundane!

I think he may have needed some new boots! Monkey Boots again!

To end this article I would like to conclude that The Who played the mod card well for as long as they needed to. Meaning that, like all bands at the time, they followed, and also formed fashion. Whilst it may have suited them, they also looked good and dressed to match the music they were making.

Despite what we think and want to believe, image is as important to a band as the music they play, and The Who (or their friends around them did) worked this out very early on.

One of the GREATEST BANDS EVER and that’s a fact.

Some of the shoes we sell that relate to this article:

What MOD Shoe are you ?

What MOD shoe are you?

Had the above picture done because I wanted to talk about the strains within the MOD spectrum.

So to my way of thinking it is split up like this;

Suited and booted MOD, Dandy MOD, Indie MOD, Scooter MOD & Hard MOD.

Each of the styles has a different shoe style as well.

The Suited and Booted mod to me, is the classic look. 3 button suit, ticket pocket, nice fabric, tie with tie pin and on the feet smart looking leather shoes. The shoe will have a thin sole and be a two, three at most, laced affair. Sometimes a slip on, and sometimes a different shade. So not always black.

The Dandy Mod, will have exaggerated Chelsea boot look, possibly in white, or maybe a two colour brogue. The look is very regency, and Brian Jones of the Stones pulled it off to a T.

The next one along is the Britpop MOD, taking their cue slightly from 80’s casual, amalgamated with Damien from Blur. This look was everywhere in the 90’s and to a certain extent hasn’t faded. Rare Adidas and Fred Perry. Personally I think it is a “trendy dad” look now. Saying that I love getting new trainers!

The Scooter Mod, is more a throw back to the MOD Revival and defo born agains. This look combines lots of shoe types and mingles in with the scooterist. So sometimes even DM’s are seen. But again classics are worn here, desert boots etc. But also the look has the Jam Shoe and Bowling Shoes. At the bigger scooter rallies you always someone kicking around in Jam Shoes.

And lastly the Hard MOD look. To me this borders Skinhead and Suedehead. Certainly around Peterborough at the moment this look is popular. As you would expect Tassel Loafers and Brogues. And very popular ‘red socks’.

Now I wanted to draw attention to the styles because we call ourselves MOD Shoes. And I think that all the above styles fit in with the very “broad church” that we call MOD. We sell loads of loafers, which started making me think, in terms of numbers of people, are there more MODS of one type than another?

We ran a picture on Facebook recently to gauge reaction, and it was interesting that some thought the shoes were great and awesome, where as others didn’t, one saying they were ‘vile’ and only fit for pimps!  Personally I though they looked great for a dandy MOD look. But the Dandy look is not especially widespread, whereas the Hard MOD look seems more popular, or has a broader reach.

These shoes caused a bit of a reaction on Facebook. Some loved them, some thought they was Vile ! What do you think?
Image from http://www.facebook.com/KittysVintageKitsch

What am I trying to get at here? My main aim is really just trying to think what should we be trying to find for our customers. It is ok for me to think they are smart and never sell a pair, whereas others sell loads!

Personally at the mo, MODSHOES are trying to find a decent weaver shoe and some cord boots, like desert boots. If you have any suggestions please get in contact. 

Agree or disagree? What do you like, and why?

Chelsea Boots

Chelsea Boots
I am not sure about Chelsea Boots. Why? Because I see them more a fashion thing, than a pure MOD thing. I know you can say the same about loafers, but everyone wore Chelsea Boots. Goths wear them now and they suffer a little from being what people think of 60’s MOD imagery.

According to the advertising this is “MODS”� Mid-60′s customers queue for Anello’s shoes, Drury Lane, London WC

Also, and as much as I love them, The Beatles wore Chelsea Boots. So are they MOD?

There are many variations of the Chelsea Boots, but the iconic 60’s look is the thin, but very pointed boot, with a Cuban heel.

“We all dressed in that look” said Granny Takes A Trip founder Nigel Waymouth, then a blues-mad student. “Pea jackets, very tight jeans and pointed Anello & Davide shoes. Probably a matelot shirt. I’d go to the Railway Hotel in Richmond and the Gee Club in Ealing to see Alexis Korner and Cyril Davies.”

In terms of these days, there are loads of Chelsea Boots to be had. These boots look pretty good. http://www.scorpioshoes.com/mens-2/shoes-5/formal-slip-ons-50/paolo-vandini-veer3-mens-leather-chelsea-32695.htm  These boots look good, but I think they are a little Austin PowersMOD! http://fantasyshoe.com/mod-60s-retro-boots-shoes/fur-cuban-heel-winklepicker-beat-boots not for me, but perhaps you?

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