00:00
Top quiz, gentlemen. Who do you think popularized the boot
and jean look? Was it the rise of the motorcycle in greaser subcultures of the 1950s and 60s? Maybe
the boot and jean combination was made popular by the cowboys of the 1870s as they drove cattle
from San Antonio, Texas all the way up to Abilene, Kansas. Or maybe it was the California
Gold Rush of the 1840s and 50s. I mean, it was during that time period and location
that we not only saw the birth of Levi jeans, but the masses actually had money to
buy nice footwear. The answer? All. 00:29
of the above. The truth of the matter is the look that we take for granted just
seems to go together like peas and carrots. Well, this combination and the masculine associations
with it have been fed to us now for over a hundred and fifty years. The fact of the matter
is you'll see men in New York City out in Los Angeles, California down in Houston, Texas wearing
this combination and looking good in different ways. So, having said that, is there a correct
way to match boots and jeans? Well, as they say here in Wisconsin, you betcha. And in today's
video, gents, I'm going to show you exactly 01:05
Now, a boot in its simplest form is a type of footwear
that protects the foot and the ankle. Believe it or not, shoes of this type have been around since
1000 BC. Now, jeans, as we know them, emerged in the 1860s and started being mass produced in the
1870s. But if you know your fabric history, you know that denim originated from dungaree, which
is a fabric that's been spun in India for hundreds of years. Denim is a variation of dungaree
first produced 200 years ago in Nimes, France. 01:35
boots with jeans. Well, the way I'm going to attack this is first I'm going to lay
out the foundational rules, next up I'm going to talk about the most common mistakes, and finally
I'm going to talk about all the different boot styles and the jeans that work appropriately with
them. That being said, gents, all the boots you're going to see in today's video can be found over at
Thursday Boots, the sponsor of today's video. Now, gents, I've been talking about Thursday Boots
for over five years because I love what these guys do. Thursday Boots makes quality great
looking footwear at an affordable price. 02:04
When it comes to style, they've got a wide variety of different
looks whether you want western boots, whether you want a laced boot, whether you want
a dress boot, you are going to find what you're looking for. And that's what I love about Thursday
boots. Not only do they have great options, but they also paid attention to the
function. I know a lot of you guys have been considering some suede boots. Well, guess
what? Thursday not only has different colors, different styles of suede boots, but they've also
got them made from a suede that's going to be. 02:28
water resistant. Thursday boots doesn't skimp on the build quality.
When you look on the insides of a Thursday boot, which by the way, I've cut one and a half, I'll
link to that video down in the description. But, you'll see inside they are actually using
a Goodyear welt. In a nutshell, what does that mean? It means that the boot is quality made,
it's going to last longer. Whenever it wears out, you can actually get these resold. It also means
that it's going to be more water resistant. Oh, and if you're in the market for sneakers,
if you're looking for a pair of dress 02:58
is they use the same last. So, if you've already got a pair of boots and they fit
well, you like the fit, then guess what? Choose a pair of dress shoes or sneakers in the same size
and they're going to feel just as good. So, gents, if you're in the market for quality footwear at
an affordable price, check out Thursday Boots. I'm linking to them down in the description of
today's video with the best deal on the web. Use that link, go over to Thursday Boots and
check them out, guys. All right, gents. So, now, let's get into the four key fundamentals to
matching boots with jeans. First up, the boots. 03:27
Fit matters. It doesn't matter how stylish those jeans
or those boots are. If they don't fit you, if you're not comfortable in them, then it's
just not a good deal. So, you want to try on the boots. You want to make sure you give time
to break them in. So many people buy a pair of boots and then they just wear it without giving
it time to say, hey, this is actually a good fit for me. Especially if you're a younger man,
maybe your feet are still growing which they do up to the age of 21. Or if you gain or lose
weight, you really want to make sure you've – 03:53
got footwear that fits your body. Denim, the same thing.
And I know you think you know your size, 32, 32, 34, 34, whatever it may be, it's going to
be different with different brands. And so, find the brand that works for you. Some of you
guys, it's going to be Levi's. Some of you guys out west down south maybe are more Wrangler Men.
For some of you guys, it's going to be APC. And some of you denim heads are going to be willing
to spend hundreds if not a thousand bucks to get that high-end Japanese stuff. Now, as a style guy
that gets into fabrics and quality-made clothing, I do see where some of those more expensive
jeans are going to be perfect for certain guys. 04:23
I think for the majority of men, what you want to look at is find a brand that just works for you
and you can get great denim in my opinion easily under $150. And if you wait for sales and you know
where to look, you can find great deals under $50. Just remember to get the right fit because even
saving 90% on a pair of jeans that don't fit, that is still a bad deal. The next rule is
proportion. You're going to have boots out there that are just going to be larger proportioned.
Everything about them is going to be. 04:49
bigger. So, those are going to require a denim that's a
little bit looser maybe a little bit larger. You don't want to try wearing skinny jeans with
big boots. On the flip side, ultra casual jeans, very loose jeans with more elegant looking
boots. Well, again, it goes both ways. So, you want to go for matching proportions for
matching styles. The next rule is to balance out the color. Which one of these is going to
go with a dark denim? Now, the answer is, black. 05:15
either one could, but they're going to have very different looks and
effect on your presentation. The black right here mixed with that dark indigo is going to give
a very streamlined look. People are going to be able to look you up and down. They're not
really going to focus much on the feet which may be the whole look that you're going for.
It's going to be a little bit dressier. That same denim with these boots right here, all of a
sudden the attention is going to be on the feet. Maybe you do want that because these are great
looking boots, you want to show off the suede, but understand that's also going to make
the outfit a little bit more casual. 05:45
be intentional in the message you're sending. And the final rule that
every guy needs to know when matching jeans and boots is to understand the formality level of the
boots. Now, both of these boots are great looking ones. I think they're incredibly handsome. I love
the green suede here. The leather on this one just makes them look really good. But, because of the
style of these boots, the length of the shaft, the way the laces are shaped, the overall style here
is going to make these boots casual. Therefore, I could never wear these with a dress outfit. By
their nature, most boots are going to be casual. 06:13
That being said, there are different levels of that casualness. This one because of the black
color. No, you know, it's a really simple design. The laces, I could go with something a little bit
dressier. This pair of boots maybe worn with a pair of dark gray flannels. Yeah, I could maybe
pull it off with a sports jacket. Now, Chelsea boots are about as dressy as you can get. And
some guys will say, yeah, you shouldn't pull this off of the suit. I'm going to say in inclement
weather, go for it. Or if you're traveling, I would still try to pull this off maybe parts of
the UK where you guys are a little bit stricter on your rules. But, yeah, in the United States,
you could pull this off with a dark colored suit. 06:40
A pair of chukkas like this, yeah, they look great with just a pair of blue
jeans and a nice sweater. That being said, following those four rules does not guarantee
success because there are three common mistakes that you still want to avoid. First up, correctly
hem your jeans. Now, this is going to depend on the boot. It's going to depend on the type
of jean and your style. But, in general, you don't want to have three to four inches of
extra fabric that's bunching up near your ankles. 07:03
On the flip side, you don't want jeans that are so short that
they're showing the entirety of the boot. Now, a big part of this depends on the width
of the leg opening. But, in general, the hem of your jeans should rest on the top
of the boot or slightly overlap it. For me, this means without shoes when I put on the jeans,
the hem should go all the way just almost to the under part of the heel. The next mistake is
ignoring the occasion. The boots work really good with your outfit, but your entire outfit is
too casual or maybe a little bit too dressed up. 07:32
for the situation. So, this is more than just the boots, it's you actually paying attention
to the dress code. And we say there is no dress code. Guys, there's always a dress code. It may
be unspoken, but there is always an expectation to dress in a certain way. Seriously, if you doubt
this, just show up naked. And last but not least, take care of your footwear. If they can take a
shine, then shine and polish them. If it's suede, then get a suede brush and make sure to clean them
after you wear it. Just use water, get rid of the salt in there. They are going to last longer,
they are going to look better. And, that's it. 08:01
So, now, let's get into the specifics. I'm going to assume that most of the jeans
we're talking about here are dark denim. Now, of course, you got tons of options. You could go
with black denim, you could go with a red denim, you could go with a gray denim, which is actually
underused and can look really good. Point being, you got tons of options when it comes to colors.
I'm going to go with the most classic just that classic dark denim that I think every man
should have in his wardrobe and for Chelsea. So, you can go with black. There's a wide
variety of different Chelsea boots out there. 08:29
the type and the style of jeans I'm going to look at are
going to be either a slim or a tapered cut. You could also go with a straight cut. What
you want to avoid though is going to be a loose baggy cut or even a boot cut. Yes,
these are boots, but most boot cuts are. 08:45
made for Western boots or boots that are going to have a larger thicker
shaft at the top. Chelsea boots fit a little bit closer and depending on the style of the Chelsea
boot, it could be a dress Chelsea boot. Now, this one because of the sole, I know it's
going to be a little bit more casual. So, possibly I could get away with a pair of boot
cut jeans. But, again, you want to try them on in general though. Straight cut I think is going
to work for the majority of men trying to look good in a pair of Chelsea's or you could go
for a tapered cut if it's a little bit more of an elegant Chelsea. Next up, we've got the
chuck, very similar to the Chelsea in design, 09:15
notice we've got the lacing and it is going to be more casual.
Now, the jean style. So, you're going to work with chukka very similar to the Chelsea. You
can go with that slim tapered cut, but, again, it's going to be the straight cut. You want
to have a little bit more of an opening at the bottom. That being said, most boot cuts
are probably going to be too wide especially if it's a modern boot cut that's coming in this
looser clothing that we're seeing is trending right now. If you go with a classic boot cut, one
that maybe came out about five to ten years ago, again, you can go and measure the openings. You
can try this up. And that's what I recommend. 09:42
Most of these brands selling jeans, they've got their own models that they use and
their measurements. One could have a boot cut with an opening of 14 inches at the bottom almost
bell bottoms, you know, 15 inches. Other ones are going to have more like 12 to 13 inches, which
could work for a pair of chakras like this. So, now, let's talk about boots that actually work
with the boot cut. Both of these right here are going to be heavier, are going to be more
casual. And because of the length of the shaft, not necessarily the thickness, all both of
these right here would work fine with a boot. 10:10
cut. Maybe not too wide because it could start to envelop the whole boots, but in general because
of the size because of the clunkiness the build of these boots right here, they're not going to be
dwarfed by that opening at the bottom. You could also wear straight and I think straight jeans for
the majority of boots is pretty much the perfect one to go with. I would be careful about going
with a tapered fit. Definitely you don't want to go skinny unless maybe you're going for that
clunky foot. Yeah, if you're a fashionista, then what are you doing watching my video? Should we be
teaching this stuff? No, not for me not my style. 10:38
But, I think this right here either one of these you could
wear a bootcut and be fine. And as many of you guys could probably guess, a bootcut is going
to work perfect for Western boots. And this is originally what the bootcut was designed for. So,
in brands like Wrangler and other Western styles, we see a lot of bootcuts because cowboys need
to be able to put their boots on and be able to cover the shaft. Now, you're going to see some
people out there wearing the jeans in a bootcut. 11:00
the shaft. I'm not going to recommend for the majority of men.
Now, if you got a pair of handmade boots and you really want to show off the handwork, then
I guess go for it. Now, that last style was a western boot. This is a roper. You're going to
notice the ropers have a shorter shaft and usually not as wide of a shaft not as pronounced. And
this is going to be, again, perfect for the boot cut. The straight cut is going to work great,
slim or skinny jeans. Yeah, you want to avoid. 11:21
Now, what about baggies? For most of it, I'm not going to recommend that style. I know it's coming
back. If I were to have to choose a pair of boots to go with, it would be something that's heavier a
little bit more clunky. You could go with a hiking boot kind of an explorer boot. You could also
look moccasin style boots. I love them because they're incredibly comfortable, but that larger
toe box with the overall, you know, features the contrast in, you know, the design and everything
right here makes the boots look a little bit 11:44
bigger than they actually are. So, if you wanted to go for something that would balance out that
looser fit, then these would probably be it. If you go with a relaxed cut which is fine especially
for a lot of guys that just like a looser jean and a relaxed cut is not the same as baggy and
it's usually going to have a little bit larger of an opening, so a relaxed cut jean would work
with either one of these. Straight cut as always will work with these right here. Boot cut would
work as well. Skinny or you know taper jeans. 12:08
you'd want to be careful. You could possibly pull it off with the right style
of taper or if you want one size larger. Next up, we've got the dress boot. As the name implies,
this is going to be one of the dressier styles of boots out there. This pair right here, it
has a bit of a brogue design, a brogue as many of you guys know. Holes cut into the leather this
comes out of, I believe it was the UK, maybe it was Scotland or one of those northern areas that's
always starting fights up there. They said, hey, we're going to walk through these marshes and
we want the water to be able to leave our shoes. 12:36
that's where the brogues originated from. These are not
going to go all the way through, it's more of a decorative design, but it is considered
something really nice that makes it a little bit more difficult to clean. In either case,
we've got one from suede, we've got one more in a polished leather right here. Either one of
these straight jeans, of course, would work. But, you maybe could find a pair of tapered. You
don't want to go for a tight tapered, you want to go for something that fits maybe a little bit
looser. Again, go with that dark-colored denim, black denim right here, mixed in with that
brown. And if anyone thinks that brown 13:04
doesn't go with black, just look at the soles right there, look at
how they're black. So, you can clearly see that black does go with brown. I think it's a really
smart combination especially when you want to dress it up maybe with a sports jacket or maybe
a really nice sweater during the winter. Skinny, I would avoid that type of jeans. And, you could
go maybe with a relaxed fit on these. Boot cuts, I think would be too much for the beautiful I
think more delicate nature of these boots. But, yeah, you could go with a pair of
relaxed jeans. Definitely not, yeah, don't go with baggy. Now, what about
the humble work boots? So, first up, 13:34
Don't be confused by the name. A work boot
maybe 40-50 years ago was a work boot. 13:38
primarily used for work. Nowadays, we see where you can dress them
up, you can dress them down. You can wear them, of course, to work, but you can also wear them
every single day as you're just exploring New York City. That's what I like about this style
is it's incredibly versatile and it works with a wide variety of jeans. I mean, this pair right
here, I could wear with a pair of slim cuts, I could wear it with a straight cut, a loose
fit jean. Heck, I'd even stretch it and say you could try to wear this with baggy jeans.
I probably wouldn't be able to pull it off, but who knows, maybe you could. I
think the key here is finding the right 14:08
you know, sharper looking a little bit more delicate looking if you want to use that word.
This one right here just heavier clunkier. Why? Look at the sole. So, if you wanted, you know, a
pair of boots like this and you want to wear them with a bigger jean that has more, you know, excess
fabric on it, then look for a larger sole. So, what video to watch next? Well, let's talk about
the upper body. Guys, I got you covered how to correctly match jeans with a sweater. You got the
boots down, let's talk about those jumpers, the sweater. Let's get that right. Don't mess this up,
guys. I got you covered. Boom. With this video. 14:38
right here. Oh yeah.
