Interesting note on the history of Onitsuka – in 1962 a man named Phil Knight, having just graduating business school, traveled to Japan and stumbled across Tigers on sale at the local shoe store. So impressed by the quality and price he arranged a meeting with Mr Onitsuka and talked his way into being the US distributor of Tigers. He began selling the sneakers out of his car under the name Blue Ribbon Sports, which due to the great success of the Tiger in American allowed Knight to start his own company, called Nike. But I digress.

Known as the Mexico 66 because of their roots as the specially designed track shoe of the ‘66 Olympics, these sneaks are really growing on me. Available in Houndstooth, Plaid, and Tweed, aka my favorate patterns, these Mexico 66’s are a very cool spin on the traditionally solid colored leather/rubber sneakers, and will really jazz up a pair of jeans or if you’re feeling really bold, mix and match some patterns to create a totally unique look.

Anywhere you can pepper in something different or interesting is key to having a unique and memorable style, and something like Houndstooth sneakers is much more interesting matched with a denim shirt and slim kahkis or jeans and a knit sweater then boring black sneakers and a houndstooth jacket. Putting patterns/colors where they are unexpected is what differentiates true style from vanilla fashion sense.

Timberland has always been famous for durable, high quality boots, sold on a mass market to everyone from hippies to rap stars, but they’ve really outdone themselves with the new line called the ‘Earthkeepers.’ They are the manifestation of the company’s core values, i.e. loving and preserving the outdoors. The ads are sort of goofy, but the message is righteous: boots made from recycled tires and PET (the stuff plastic bottles are made from). Leather from green accredited tanneries, 100% cotton laces, post-consumer recycled shoes boxes, and the piece d’resistance the Earthkeeper 2.0, which is built to be recyclable itself. Send your old worn out boots back to Timberland and they’ll tear them apart and remake them new for someone else. I won’t pretend I’m super crazy about the green movement, but initiatives like this definitely make me crave a pair. Very stylish, super rugged boots that are not only for a great cause but relatively inexpensive? The Aldo boots I have on now were the same price as these and they are already falling apart after only a few months of wear. These are three variations of the 6″ boots, my personal favorites of the line:

What a beautiful boot, just rugged enough to be a real man’s outdoor boot, but also stylish enough to slog around a soggy city in style. And for much less than other, comparable boots (read: Wolverine 1000 mile collection), these are a must have for the long Winter ahead.

Founded in 1863 by John A. Frye, a prominent English shoemaker, The Frye Company is the oldest continuously operated shoe company in the United States. … Frye’s footwear has a long and illustrious history… Frye boots were worn by Union and Confederate soldiers during America’s Civil War, as well as soldiers in the Spanish- American War including Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders. When homesteading sparked adventurous New England families to go West in the mid and late 1800’s, many of these pioneers wore Frye Boots for the long journey.
Frye’s Harness Boot is rooted in tradition and continues to draw influence from the American Cavalry. During a 1938 trip to Washington, DC, John A. Frye’s grandson and namesake met a U.S. Navy Admiral who noted his difficulty in finding the Wellington style he liked so much. As a favor, John agreed to make him a pair. Frye continued to fill requests for these boots through World War II. By mail order, the company supplied thousands of WWII servicemen with Frye Wellingtons, known as Jet Boots. Our boots traveled the world on the feet of U.S. soldiers during the war – even General Patton wore a pair.

More recently you might have seen the traditional harness boot on people whose boots survived the 60s or hipster girls wearing them with skirts and tights. A far cry from General Patton, but good to keep the brand alive.
More recently, Frye has been putting out some more city-stylish boots. They have the same standard of quality but a much sleeker and hipper design. These are the Jesse harness:

And here are the Jayden Chelsea. A ‘Chelsea’ boot just means that they have an elastic section on the shaft for comfort (not my favorite, but the elastic doesn’t show under pants). I picked up a pair of these last fall and they are the best fitting and feeling pair of shoes I have ever had, hands down. They are light but thick enough to feel substantial on the foot, and the wood sole adds that familiar stomping noise you love about wearing boots. I’ve had the leather conditioned a few times by my local cobbler and they look brand new and feel even better. And with a nice pair of slim, cuffed jeans, an undeniably stylish but ‘manly’ look. The toe is a bit more pointed than the regular harness, which is a bit boxy in the front, but they aren’t ugly european pointy by any means. They are just right….perfectly designed. Check them out, they are a little pricey, but with good care will last for a lifetime.