Clarks

Desert Boots

Men's

Teenage companion. Living in Lagos, Nigeria in 1971, these were the only real quality shoes you could buy. The only other brand was Bata. I thought they were the ugliest, but had a lot of teen "firsts" while wearing them. They held up extremly well in the tropical heat and downpours of equatorial Africa. My dad and brother wore them too. Our "dessies" felt right at home when we were in Kenya's Tsavo game park sneaking through the red dust and acquiring its color while trying to photograph rhino. Their last encore was dinner at the swank Dorchester Hotel in London where strangers of equally swank pedigrees complimented us on how well one of their national icons fared in a posh setting. Years later, in 2001 I renewed my bond with them and still attest to their comfort and classic styling and compliments received even though my safaris are limited to the hot and dusty streets of urban America. Cheerio!

I love these boots. I get many compliments on them and they go with everything. Only thing is...I wear a 10 in Nikes. At least a 9.5, if not a 9, are the only way to go. Definitely size down.

Cute but not so comfy. I purchased these for my hubby for Christmas. He wore them a couple of times with very heavy socks, but the backs still cut into the backs of his legs and made him bleed. He has since glued "foam" into the backs of the shoes, but they still hurt him. I think I may have wasted a few bucks on this pair of shoes!

This is my fourth pair of Clarks and I have never been disappointed. The look and comfort are well worth the price. Clarks run big and stretch out, so consider ordering a full size down. I am 11.5 to 12 in almost every other brand, but I wear a 10.5 in the Desert Boot and Wallabee. Zappos was, as always, amazing.

Be prepared to "break these in". The leather is stiff around the ankle to begin with and so you need to wear thick socks or leg warmers to protect your skin. However, once broken in, they are very comfortable. I have plantar fascia in my left heel, and usually I am very careful to get a good arch support. While this has none, the crepe rubber sole's shock absorbing ability makes this a comfortable shoe. If you need the arch support, get an insert. The main thing is these look great and the leather will age to be as soft as butter. I really love them. I had to order a half size up because the toe was rather narrow to wear with socks.