FOOTWEAR FOCUS ROAD TEST Henry Harington road tests Josef Seibel’s Corrado T
here are blokes I know who live in the country. They are real blokes. Mostly they wear blue or green overalls over jeans and a t-shirt and they either wear wellies or working boots. The working boots are mostly steel capped pull-on boots with elasticated sides. If they were
chaps who lived in town they might be called "Chelsea" boots, except the boots these blokes wear have treads as big as their tractors.
For some reason, the working boots the local farmer's cooperative sells
are yellow - not you might call a bloke-ish colour. But, I think they are supposed to match the yellow buckskin of De Walt or Caterpillar boots that are worn by men (who live in town and never go anywhere near a building site – well, not to do any work) and who are desperate to appear manly - or even macho.
So, what is a man to do if he wants boots that look really manly, but not to
wear yellow clodhoppers like the village idiot or, if he isn’t gay or even curious, a pair of boots that advertise he’s cruising. Trust me, there is no metro sexuality outside the metropolitan heartland, particularly where I live on Dartmoor.
When I received the box with the boots that my editor sent me to road
test, I was immediately worried that my madness had caught up with me and that I had been sent some footwear to match. It said on the box that I had been sent a pair of “Crazy Horse boots” from Josef Seibel. In fact, the Josef Seibel Corrado Brasil leather boots were anything but crazy. Indeed, they were comfortingly conventional. And, I think I can stress the comfort over the conventionality.
There is no mistaking that Corrado is a ‘man's’ boot, but it is supremely
comfortable and not lacking in the style department, with its distinctive leather upper and stitch detailing, allowing it to be worn for dressier occasions. That may be mostly down to Josef Seibel’s reputation for making comfortable footwear, but the big (quite macho - but not in the tractor category) treads certainly give an extra cushioning and a durable grip, so perfect for wintry conditions.
Brasil is the colour of the boot, which I’d describe as a shade of nut
brown, but a Brazilian gaucho would definitely feel comfortable in these. They are a smart boot and he'd look fine in a pair of boot cut Wranglers or chinos kicking about town after a long day in the "office." And, some of the savannah’s senoritas might just take a closer look at the man in the man’s shoes…
• Genuine Italian Leather Upper • Leather Lining • Removable Leather Insole • Lightweight Synthetic Outer Sole
Trade Price: £34.38 RRP: £75.00
Contact: Tel: 01603 307860. Email:
enquiries@josefseibel.co.uk www.josefseibel.co.uk
A Man’s boot for all seasons Details: Josef Seibel Corrado
Hand stitched pull-on boot made from leather with an elastic side gusset for easier on/off. Has a removable Air Ped insole and leather/textile lining.
16 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• JUNE/JULY 2012
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