A wee bit later than planned…but here are a couple of images of next month's Shoe of the Month from England; our Desert Boot!

 There are two schools of thought on origins of this style. A relative newcomer; the boot was initially worn by British army officers in the early 1940s on the North African Desert Campaign. They were non-issue kit so there is very little documented evidence of their conception. Some maintain that the Desert Boots were made by local shoemakers in Cairo; other sources believe the boot to be a version of the 'George' Boot; popular mess wear. After some pretty extensive research I am rather inclined to believe the second version…that officers based out in the desert; tired of their utterly unsuitable issued boots, had their shoemakers back home run up unlined lower-leg versions of the George boot; substituting dress calf for soft sand-coloured suede, and leather long-soles for rough; but light crepe.

 Our version is a two piece pattern; beautifully simple clean lines in biscuit-coloured suede, and remarkably comfortable due to its unstructured, unlined upper. I have substituted the typical stitch-down construction for Good Year Welt..and added an antiqued storm welt and waxed cotton lace. The Desert Boot is an ionic peice of footwear; worn notably by Steve McQueen in The Great Escape, and in chocolate brown by ledgendary SAS founder David Stirling.

Available in Jan 2009…..

-Annejkh