Six smashing upgrades for your foul-weather footwear.

This season’s key trends pay homage to the romantic allure of the great outdoors, and as we head towards the colder months, the prospect of pulling on oversized sweaters, tweed overcoats and down-filled gilets also has us looking forward to lacing up our boots and getting back to nature. Not any old boot will do, however. So whether you're planning on kicking through leaves or kicking back in the pub, we’ve picked out six pairs that are as sturdy as they are stylish.

While the shape owes a debt to a vintage ski boot, it’s the painterly patina applied by Berluti’s artisans that really sets them apart. The result looks like the kind of hiking boot that an 18th-century Romantic poet or landscape artist – albeit one with a generous patron – might have pulled on before trekking out into the wilderness in search of “the sublime”.

This season sees Grenson renew its collaboration with Mr Toshinosuke Takegahara, the Tokyo-based, Northampton-trained shoemaker behind Foot the Coacher. Mr Takegahara is fascinated by vintage footwear, and this Sport model is inspired by the design of a 19th-century football boot. Intricate details such as the additional strap of leather reinforcing the toe add a touch of authenticity – but don’t get carried away. Grenson stopped short of fitting these boots with actual cleats, just as you should stop short of using them to play actual football. Stick to the terraces, lad.

The house of Givenchy takes a typically fashion-forward approach to a design classic with this sturdy, pebble-grain leather brogue boot. The Goodyear-welted rubber soles are stitched with black thread, but have metal staples punched into them at the toe and heel – a punky detail that mimics the appearance of white stitching.

The name Red Wing is synonymous with hard-wearing utilitarian footwear, and this charcoal-grey boot is modelled after the 875, the boot that started it all. Originally released in 1953 along with a taller version, the 877, it became an immediate success with workmen all across the US – and it wasn’t long before it made the leap into their casual wardrobe, too. A true American icon.

Heschung was founded in 1934 amid the wild and mountainous landscape of the northern Alsace in Eastern France – and the majority of production still takes place in the region to this day. With chunky, Norwegian-welted rubber soles and ankles wrapped in stiff woollen fabric, these rugged boots are inspired by and designed for the environment in which they were made.

With Yuketen, Japanese footwear fanatic Mr Yuki Matsuda has spent the past three decades paying homage to traditional and Native American shoemaking methods. His hand-stitched, made-in-the-USA moccasins have a cult following and are designed to get better with age as they adapt and mould to the wearer’s foot. This particular boot puts a contemporary twist on the classic style with the addition of checked woollen panels.

Leather jackets, ripped skinny jeans and beaten-up biker boots. It’s punk-rock 101, and no less than we’d expect from one half of The Clash. If you’re not in a world-famous rock band and no longer in your early twenties, give this one a wide berth.

The young photographer Mr Ken Whitmore hit the big time in 1956 when he was chosen to go to Egypt with director Mr Cecil B DeMille to shoot stills for his religious epic, The Ten Commandments. He made the wise choice of investing in a pair of 877 Red Wing work boots before he left.

In the fickle world of Hollywood relationships, Mr Paul Newman and Ms Joanne Woodward were happily married for 50 years. A shared interest in oversized outerwear must have helped. His boots are the solid foundations to a classic winter look.

We’re aware of Mr Beckham’s penchant for all things motorcycling – he is an ambassador for Belstaff, after all – and his love of smart tailoring is similarly well documented. Put the two together and this is what you get: biker boots and a navy blazer working smoothly in the same look.

Since his first appearance in a compendium of fairy tales in the middle of the 16th century, Puss in Boots has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in the media, including his own animated feature film with none other than Mr Antonio Banderas providing the voice-over. Not bad for a cat whose standard outfit consists of over-the-knee boots, a tricorn hat and no trousers. Hey, it’s a look.