Dapper or Crapper? Harness Boots
39 Comments Published by Joel September 28th, 2006 in Clothes. Share This
I’ve been wanting a pair of harness boots for ages, although once I realized how painfully expensive buying the ones from Frye would be—250 freaking dollars—I went with a generic brand off of eBay for $65. So value is go, but did I buy something that’s going to make me look like I’m trying to be an urban cowboy?
Either way, these are going to look awesome with short-shorts.
If I could have had any harness boot I wanted, I would have gotten these, then wore them tucked into jeans with a bowie knife sticking out. (Not really.)
39 Responses to “Dapper or Crapper? Harness Boots”
- 1 Trackback on Sep 28th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
Teh Crapper
Dapper.
With the right clothes.
If you like hanging out at C&W bars in your off hours, they’re a winner. Ride a motorcyle (and I mean a motorcycle, not a crotchrocket)? They’re a winner. Also look good under jeans and an oxford shirt.
But for the love of God, don’t do what one of my clients does…dude wears pointy-toed shitkickers under everything, including his suits. He kind of gets a pass, being from Texas, but still…
Depends. Jeans=dapper. Pants=crapper. I have a pair of Eldorado handmade black boots with sterling tips and heels that look real nice in a bling sort of party environment (funky jeans, hawaiian shirt, etc.). Otherwise, it’s black pennyloafers or wingtips with pants and clean white sneaks with casual.
If you are very careful what you are wearing them with: Dapper (they were hip as heck back in the mid/late seventies).
Otherwise: Crapper
Every weekend I am at a horse farm where most peeps are wearing something similar.
Why do they wear them? ’cause the horse-poop doesn’t stick to a smooth-bottomed boot and the splatter from the horse-pee doesn’t get in your boot.
But if you aren’t walking in that environment, they can be downright dangerous on slick surfaces like wet grass or linoleum.
As above, they can look good in the right situations.
But with so many other options that aren’t going to make you look like a wanna-be and can be worn more often, why bother?
Those boots are pretty Dapper, with a few caveats. First of all, if you’re wearing these boots and you’re not originally from the South or the Midwest…Crapper. There’s nothing wrong with blaming your roots and showing up in boots–did I really just go there!?–but if you’re sporting them with a New Jersey accent it creates a certain disconnect. Faux-country is about as irritating as someone acting like a New York hipster because they visited the New York, New York casino and ate at Nathan’s Famous while in Las Vegas.
Far better than pointy-toed cowboy boots, in any case.
If you are wearing cowboy boots, and are not actively involved in agriculture, you are a douchebag.
Thank you.
I agree with Paul D. Only REAL cowboys/farmers should wear cowboy boots. Not only do they have shit traction for general work (and thus not suitable for work boots) they make you look like redneck.
The only thing that makes these boots country is the color. Black harness boots go with anything. If you don’t like the big metal loop look you can go with some engineer boots from Chippewa, Carolina or Wesco. They still have a strap but it’s a bit more low-key, and the cut of the boot is more rounded so they blend better with more urban outfits.
It does help to actually ride a motorcycle or be a gay leather daddy though.
I vote Dapper.
Boots like these can look pretty dapper with jeans (faded, probably better than not), but I’d lose the harness part. I think it looks pretty cheesy, plus, I am not a big fan of functionless adornments. Additionally, you’d have to have your jeans OVER these to look dapper.
In my opinion, these are far too expensive to be a part of my wardrobe, as I wouldn’t wear them often – certainly not an everyday type of boot. I’d rather get a great pair of semi-formal shoes instead.
Very Dapper!
Of course I live in Austin, Tx. I own 3 pairs of Frye boots currently and they are my go to choice when it is not 100+ degrees outside. Of course they are best with a pair of Levi’s and a T-shirt or a good vintage western shirt if you want to go all out.
I have had a pair of these boots in black for a few years and I love them. Of course, they can only be worn with jeans. Unless you have your feet up on the bar at the honkey-tonk they are much more subtle then standard cowboy boots. They are quite a bitch to take off though so it is nice if you have a girlfriend you can talk into grabbing the heel and giving you a hand at the end of the night.
First off, anybody who thinks those (points at the picture) are “Cowboy boots” needs to have their ass thrown on the back of a bull and try to get those toes into a set of stirrups.
Point of fact, if you can’t kill a cockroach in a corner, they’re “Western Wear.”
To the commenters suggesting that only persons involved in agriculture should wear cowboy boots, I ask: should only persons involved in agriculture wear overalls? Should only basketball players wear basketball shoes; tennis players wear tennis shoes? Should only people playing professional sports wear sports jerseys? Jeans as we know them were originated either as trousers for the Genoese navy or as work pants for miners in California, and I’m sure that while you wear them often you neither swab the decks of Genoese gunships nor dig for gold in the Sierra Nevadas.
Therefore, I say to people who would call non-agricultural-boot-wears “douchebags”: you, sirs, are the real douchebags.
I think I would aggre with all the above posters in that: I’ve seen some people pull this off and look Dapper, however, I’ve also seen most people trying to pull this off and looking right out of the Crapper (and I’m pretty sure that if I tried it I would be in the second category).
It’s one of those things that’s a bold expression of personality, but once there are people that are clearly copying it off of someone else it becomes quite lame.
Look at Harley’s collection. They come in black and brown and they are really durable. There isn’t any kind of like EMBLEM on them or anything so you don’t need to worry about looking like a complete douche Hogs N’Heffer poser.
These are far from cowboy boots.
That’s all I’m saying.
Here in San Francisco boots like that are always a hit at events like the Folsom St. fair and what not… http://www.folsomstreetfair.com/photos/alley-2006/
Unless you are a gay male in SF, crapper.
Thanks for the link NickH. I am now scarred for life.
NickH, that’s really disturbing. That’s all I have about that. I gotta throw up now.
I’m prolly gonna get reamed for this…but I bought these
They don’t look so hot in the pic but I’ve gotten lots of compliments.
not for me… Crapper.
sorry – but a crapper – Was up Tex?
not so sure about the strap, but boots can sure be cool. so long as you don’t go for a theme outfit (unless you’re actually a cowboy or something). i think a very select: and stylish: few can pull off tucking pants into the boots. But i’m talking a thought out outfit here.
Kary- those boots are damn cool, keep with em.
If you worry about what other people think of you when you wear them, don’t.
oh I didnt say boots dont look cool, I own a pair of combat boots myself… Im saying THESE boots dont look cool. Your going to be a target for the other 50% of this country who hates everything country.
I say dapper…but only with jeans. How comfortable are they for walking/standing in all day? I’ve thought about getting a pair of boots to wear with my jeans (which isn’t as often as it used to be since I’m a shirt and tie guy at work five days a week), but I’ve worried about how comfortable they are if I do happen to wear them all day.
I’m not sure I personally like the strap across the boot…I prefer more of the lace-up logger style.
Unless you plan on line dancing, get a pair of engineer boots instead. Strap and buckle earns style points, and a round toe equals more comfort, less goofy.
Whatever you do, avoid a contrasting stacked heel like the one in the photo. That screams ‘dude ranch’ or ‘eurotrash’.
Harness boots are cool only if you:
1. Own A Harley (and ride it!).
2. Are seriously into gay bear love.
If you like boots but have a desk-ish job, there’s a much more comfortable option. HH Tanker Boots are the way to go.
As a Texan, maybe it just doesn’t really bug me, but what the fuck, crappers? Pull-on boots = Country Redneck hick? I’m sure you’re the same crowd who wears pleated pants and blue blazers.
I’d say these boots in particular are kinda meh, because of the squared toe…the Engineer boots on that site looked muuuuch more confortable and everyday wearable.
I always find it amusing when urban/suburban guys who never worked a hard day of labor in their life appropriate blue collar ’style’. Perfect example here (the new trucker hat!). You grew up in the suburbs. You work at a desk. You hang out in the East Village and/or Williamsburg and your feet never leave pavement. If you wear these you’re not cool or tough. You’re a douche.
Dapper. But it depends on where you are. And what you’d wear them with. (Always jeans.)
I wear these (a brand that is cheaper than Frye (the absolute best) but of still high quality is Double H) and regular cowboy boots (with pointy toes, natch) all the time.
I moved from the urban midwest (Kansas City) where nobody wears these and I was considered slightly strange for liking them, to Los Angeles where I see other people wearing them often enough to feel validated. (And not just gay leather daddies.)
I’ve worn the same pair of Frye harness boots almost every day for two years. Still look good, and they’re more comfortable than ever. The best part is that I used to destroy shoes, buying sneakers or shoes every few months – these, I just take to the shoe repair place near my house and get them fixed up.
I’m not a cowboy, so I don’t wear cowboy boots… I’m from the city and the country in equal measure, though – does that mean that you’ll all approve of me wearing boots or not? Maybe it’s okay because I’m 6′3″ and used to do construction and farm labor, even though I wear them to my office job?
Hmm… good thing I don’t care.
Dapper? Crapper? Fuck ‘em. I have been wearing the same black Frye harness boots since 1984. Because they’re so very well-made, and eminently cobbleable, I’ve gone through exactly four pair, so that’s an average of more than five years per pair. Tht really makes the sticker shock endurable. Last time I got mine resoled I put on a Vibram tread sole, seriously vulcanized tread, which not only adds good grip under all conditions but also adds another half an inch on the standard sole, and extra height is never a bad thing.
They shine up nice, and I do wear them with a suit, sometimes. She scuff up great too, and still look excellent with jeans. I’ve even worn mine with a skirt and a pair of fishnets, but that’s a look only a few men who are truly confident of their masculinity can pull off, so I don’t recommend that to the average fellow on the street, or at least not on the average day.
Anyway, let’s talk comfort. Maybe it’s the squared-off toe or the built in arch support, maybe it’s the wide slightly higher than average heel, or maybe it’s because with a little mink oil they are not only water repellant but they will give just enough for you to put some good gel inserts under your heel to prevent bone spurs, but I’ve never had a more comfortable shoe. I walk city streets for miles in them, dance in them, stomp around and make them work. Daily.
Dapper? Crapper? If you’re the man who truly doesn’t give a fuck but still appreciates the aesthetic of a harness boot, the question is moot; harness boots are excellent.
Dapper. These are NOT cowboy boots, by any stretch of the imagination. They are primarily “biker” style. They look good with jeans, and are more urban than country, though.
Judas Murphy! I bought a pair of these today and actually sought out some opinions on the web to assuage any doubts or regrets for having wanted them. Well, lo and behold, everyone is spending their two cents on this and I realized…who gives a damn? Why am I wasting my time debating and listening to others anyways? I liked the boots. I still like them. Goddamn we have too much to be made aware of in this life other than what fashionistas demand as what works and what doesn’t. Go wif yer own flo baby! Like the jingo says…’Just fkkn do it’! {uhh…minus the invective. Add 3 exclamation marks instead if yer offended} Ahhhahaha!….I’m gone to put on my boots and stamp about a bit.
Wearing something that is aesthetically pleasing to you does not make you a douche, poser or loser, just because you don’t belong to a particular “group”. Grow up and get a friggin’ life!