The Goods: Clarks Desert Boots

A couple of weekends ago I bought my second pair of Desert Boots from Clarks Originals- this time in brown leather with a beeswax finish. Having been around for over half a century, these boots are a classic in every sense of the word. What I love about the desert boot is that they are simple in design, incredibly comfortable, and pair particularly well with every jean or chino in my closet. While stationed in Burma during WWII, Nathan Clark (pictured below) noticed the shoes that the British Royal Army officers wore as part of their casual attire -constructed from a rough and durable suede, but used a crepe sole to make them lightweight and naturally comfortable. When Clark returned to England, he designed a boot loosely based on the officers’ shoe of choice. He named them The Original Clarks Desert Boot and they quickly rose in popularity throughout England and abroad. I always mark the sign of true craftsmanship as the pieces that can be broken in over time, opposed to becoming worn out and eventually discarded from continued use. My boots are only on week three and they have already begun to show some slight wear as the beeswax finish begins to scuff a bit. I see this as subtle reassurance that they will develop a nice patina that will only get better with age. Last year I wore these Fall through Spring and could have probably gotten away with wearing a lighter suede version during the summer months – I’m thinking this will be pair number three. Unfortunately, there are no immediate plans for a trip to the Sahara, and even if a grain of sand never touches these boots, they’ve been a solid addition to my wardrobe. -BM