THE JOURNAL
Why R.M.Williams’ Chelsea Boots Should Be The Foundations Of Your Winter Wardrobe
Judging by the age-old adages about what prospective love interests and judgemental interviewers infer from our shoes, investing in the right footwear is one of the most important things you can do. And that’s before you factor in the seasonal variables. The temptation might be to play it safe. Gone are the fair-weather months of spring and summer, when we can wear shoes as merrily as Wham! It’s December – puddles and frost are afoot. It’s time to roll out the tanks. And it won’t be pretty.
But there is another way. Enter the Chelsea boot, which boasts a rich history dating back to the Victorian era – when the Queen’s bootmaker got royally creative. To this day, via The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and a contemporary refresh, the shoe fuses inimitable decadence with a rugged durability like nothing else on Santa’s Wish List.
But not all Chelsea boots are made the same. To find the best, we wander back to 1932, when Mr Reginald Murray Williams learned the skills of expert leathercraft from a passing horseman in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia. After quick success – and praise from cattle king Sir Sidney Kidman – he set up shop in his father’s shed in the suburbs of Adelaide. Building a reputation across South Australia for the finest boots, R.M.Williams later diversified into leather goods, but it is his boots that have stood the test of time.
“As Williams himself did back in 1932, the brand uses a single piece of fine leather to construct each boot”
R.M.Williams’ history manifests in its craftsmanship – time-honoured techniques, almost 100 years in the making, that yield boots of truly exquisite quality. It takes 80 artisans and processes to finish just one pair. Only the world’s finest hides – both soft and tough – are used, vetted and handled by experts, some of whom have been with the brand for decades, using tools and techniques handed down over generations.
Despite all those steps, the crucial figure at R.M.Williams’ Adelaide workshop, where all Chelsea boots are still finished, is just one. As Williams himself did back in 1932, the brand uses a single piece of fine leather to construct each boot, maximising strength, movability and waterproof qualities while giving them a smooth, rakish appearance. There is just one reinforced stitch at the heel of the boot, too. They all come with Goodyear welted soles. Then there are the renowned fabric tugs.
All these elements combine to create a true Australian heritage icon. You can see it today on MR PORTER in the Urban Turnout, a robust round-toe Chelsea crafted from Portuguese waxy pull-up leather in a rich chestnut brown and black. They’re built with a storm Goodyear welt on the sole, with an extra lip of leather for added protection. You can also see it in the Goodwood pair, crafted from brown New Zealand Crazy Horse leather with a buffed, water-resistant surface, finished with oils and waxes. And you can feel it in the Comfort Craftsman, an iconic chisel-toe boot handcrafted with premium Rapello calf suede from the British tannery CF Stead.
If you’re making one of the most important style decisions this winter, why not back the horse that’s been winning for nearly 100 years?