You can get pretty far with the right shoes. Where to? Now, that’s the burning question whose answer hangs on which pair you don. Pumps may take you traipsing to posh, champagne-popping playgrounds, sneakers to lowkey, beer-clinking hangs, but boots, ah, they take the trajectory a little further, past the preordained path of what shoes fit in where and with whom. Boots play by their own rules, dressing up for red-carpet events or down for raves in industrial spaces. Over yonder, past the boundary lines of comfort zones and dress codes, boots, you see, have always favored the bold. Be it those on the buccaneers of the Caribbean, the cowboys of the Wild West, the punks of London, or the club kids of New York City, boots, and all their laced-up glory—simply put—defy rules to define style on their own terms.
Upending the long-standing codes of a traditional rain boot, Dr. Martens’ latest 1460 rendition is anything but your grandfather’s stalwart stompers. A playful nod to the classic Wellington form while shaking off its polite park-path sentiment and countryside associations, the 1460 Rain Boot is built to deliver a knockout fit that hits so hard, caution be damned if the rain hits back.
Eye up the shine. Go on, let your eyes lick it up. Equally high on gloss and statement (and attitude), these Doc’s luster ever so with each crashing drop. Crafted to the silhouette of the brand’s legendary 1460 boot, this iteration cranks things up a notch with heat-sealed waterproof PVC to slick those pesky raindrops straight off their surface.
Dr. Martens, the British footwear disruptor that’s made a name for itself lacing up self-defined expression, knows just what it takes to travel the distance from comfort to cultural icon. The secret therein, as proposed by Dr. Martens, lies in embracing discomfort, taking style to that place where tension begets adrenaline, risk gives rise to reward. Truth be told, there might be few things more satisfying in terms of style than locking down a rainy day fit with uncompromising rizz. But beyond the gratification of aesthetics, there’s something to be said for DM’s decision to explore that concept of embracing discomfort with a rain boot as the vessel.
Rain, being rain, is likely the most discomforting of weather to bear with its fierce showers that can easily dismantle hours spent outfit planning, soaking socks, and stretching knits in mere minutes. Admittedly, it’s easy to see why many steer clear of glossy roads and skies brewing a darkness so deep it could send even the garden-variety goth indoors. Some might say it’s the ultimate roadblock, poised to subvert every wardrobe-bound challenge. But in any city or other that moves to the tick of its own clock, inertia is taboo, and all who reside in it must keep marching on to that very beat—regardless of rainy day mishaps.
Perhaps the message is to keep moving. Amid all the flotsam and jetsam of smeared makeup, hair wreaked havoc upon by humidity, and drippy fits (no, not figuratively, literally), there’s an opening that allows space to relinquish a smidge of the highly-groomed idealism in the looks you’d normally sport and enjoy getting messy in the process.
Fret not if, amid a heavy downpour, a grocery bag splits open mid-crosswalk, a missed connection gets only further dampened, or you find yourself stuck in a hellscape of a line whose unending length begs the question “Is this purgatory?” An aura boost can always be drawn from a bold pair of boots. Consider another notch cranked up.
Looking to conjure up some of that zing for your own? Head to Dr. Martens to scope out the new 1460 Rain Boot collection to get drippy—while staying dry.
