Roamers Suede Desert Boots from Amazon

A lot of the apparel featured on this blog is Mod-inspired. With this in mind, I am almost ashamed to admit that I have never owned a pair of classic suede Desert Boots; a staple footwear choice for Mods. However, the reasoning behind my decision in this is sound; I’m an advocate of long-lasting quality footwear, which is why I tend to exclusively buy leather footwear. Suede is easily ruined by water - making it not an ideal choice for the inclement weather that we experience for the best part of the year here in the UK.

However, I’ve been on the hunt for a cheap pair of desert suede boots with the thinking that, if they’re affordable, it won’t matter too much if they eventually get ruined - I can just buy another pair. The first result for ‘Desert Boots’ in Amazon heralded what I was looking for; classic suede desert boots for less than £30.

These boots are made by a brand called ‘Roamers’, which admittedly I’d never heard of. The Amazon retailer who sent them to me was ‘Shoesbyclair’ and cost £22, with a little bit extra for postage.

Within a week, my boots arrived. First impressions where good; they where the right shape and colour and fitted well, however I did avoid taking them out in the rain until they were throughly coated in suede protector spray (costs around £5 from your local cobbler).

The suede upper is soft and flexible; it feels re-enforced in the right places and the stitching is neat and tidy. This type of desert boot has a nice thick crepe sole, which gives you a little more cushioning than other desert boots I’ve seen, however I did fit my pair with an innersole just to give them a nice snug fit.

There’s an important point to make here about the crepe soles. I have previously owned a pair of ebony leather desert boots from Clarks; the apparent originator of the desert boot. I loved this pair of boots but after about six months they were rendered useless, because of the sole:  After quite a lot of use, the sole of the Clarks desert boots wore smooth - it had no grip at all. There were quite a few incidents on wet pavements where I lost footing and almost stacked it! The crepe soles on this pair of boots seem to compensate for this issue; they are ridged and textured to provide some extra grip. Will this work and ensure that the sole doesn’t ware away?  Only time will tell.

The boots depicted here are only about a week old and haven’t had a great deal of use yet. Suede does ruin easily when wet, so I am expecting them to deteriorate from their box-fresh state in a few months. However, they’re so affordable, I won’t mind picking up another pair as replacements… Judging by the reviews on Amazon, a lot of customers are employing the same strategy.

So there it is, a cheap pair of desert boots that look and feel good. I try not to promote ‘throw-away’ fashion and please don’t expect these to be the best pair of boots you’ll ever own; the price to a small extent does represent the quality, however on the whole I think they’re pretty good.

My pair of Desert Boots cost about £22 and are in ‘Sand’ colour, although you can also find them in brown, black bad blue. Check them out on Amazon here.

Regular visitors to this blog may be familiar with Art Gallery Clothing, the great brand that’s heavily inspired by Mod culture. We’ve run a review for in the past and I’m the proud owner of three of their shirts… and very good they are too.

Even though it still feels like winter, we’re starting to see the new lines of spring and summer clothing on sale for the coming warmer months. AGC have released a range of knitwear on their official site and here’s a quick look at what’s on offer.

I really like that each garment seems to have been named after regular blokes, such as ‘Jack’ and ‘Garry’ - makes it feel down to earth and real.

‘Kenny’ and ‘Jack’

‘Alex’ and ‘Lane’

‘Gary’ and ‘Steve’

‘Hutten’

It looks like most of these shots were taken around London’s South bank and Soho; appropriate to the brand’s history.

Prices range between £55 and £75… Sneaky tip - it’s worth keeping an eye on AGC’s twitter feed as they often run promo codes and they have a good eBay site.

Thanks to Art Gallery Clothing. Check out the full range of their clobber here.

A kind friend recently sent me a link to a website for the English independent draper, Merchant & Mills. Their website is an absolute joy; simple, effective and put together by someone with an immensely good eye for design and composition.

The selling of quaint but robust accoutrements and fabrics seems to be their main business; many of which I’m keen to promote here just because they look so damn well made and unique. As you’ll see from the below they specialise in Oilskin products; heavy canvas that’s coated in a layer of linseed oil (generally speaking this is how Oilskin is made). There’s also a really nice ‘tone’ to the company; it feels heritage and reliable and their website carries lots of encouraging slogans for craft-minded people with an interest in quality goods.

This notebook is waterproof and presumably you can use the oilskin jacket on any A6 pad once you’ve filled up the one supplied with all your ideas and sketches. Find it here for £24.

I think this is a do-it-yourself duffel bag; you buy it as a kit and make it up. Find it here for £45.

This oilskin bag might be for the girl in your life, unless you feel confident pulling off a man bag. Again, I think it’s a kit you make up yourself. Find it here for £48.

Finally, this is a sewing kit, also known as a ‘tailors roll’ or ‘hussuf’. If you’re a recent visitor to this blog, you’ll understand why I’m pretty keen to pick one of these up, having taken up shirtmaking as a hobby. That being said, I could imagine this working reasonably well as a jacket for a shaving kit. Find it here for £44.

If you’re struggling for Christmas present ideas for that special someone in your life I’d highly recommend checking out the Merchant & Mills website here.

When I’ve got all my Christmas shopping out of the way, I’m pretty keen to pick up one of these items, so I’ll let you know what happens. Next time I’m down in East Sussex, I’m going to have to pay their shop a visit.

Thanks to Merchant & Mills for the images.