Will These Boots Do For The Winter?

[merc05]

I've seen this pair of boots on topman's site:

This would be my first pair of boots as all I own at the moment are boat shoes and smart shoes that aren't at all suitable for the winter months. My question is, do you think they will be comfortable and stop me from falling over if things start getting icy? They're £85, which I know isn't very much for a pair of boots, so I'm a little bit concerned about their durability and quality, but I don't have much more to spend. If there's an alternative, preferably in brown or tan leather and maximum of £100, any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Jay]

I don't know about the quality of those, but Topman can be a bit ropey at times.

How about someting a little smarter?

Tan 'Columbus' brogue ankle boots -

They're at the very top of your budget admittedly, but I've owned Base footwear in the past and have always found them to be well constructed and have lasted well.

[Sam]

I'm normally the first to extol the virtues of Topman but I have concluded that its shoes are exceptionally bad. I suggest you avoid them if you want a shoe that will hang in there; I'd try something from the Allsaints Archive (discounted past season stuff) for a reasonably priced boot.
Something like this, for example: AllSaints Panel Jupitus Boot

[merc05]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Jay, that pair you linked to looked great and have been reduced in price since, unfortunately they seem to be completely out of stock though. Thanks for the suggestion of All Saints too Sam, I really like their clothing but I'm just not a fan of their footwear, to me it's a bit too distressed and battered looking. I've seen this pair of brogue boots on Selfridges, Kurt Geiger should be a much better option right?

[Jay]

Those look great; they're much better than the ones you originally posted in my opinion.

Buy them!

[Pin Money]

I'm normally the first to extol the virtues of Topman but I have concluded that its shoes are exceptionally bad. I suggest you avoid them if you want a shoe that will hang in there; I'd try something from the Allsaints Archive (discounted past season stuff) for a reasonably priced boot.
Something like this, for example: AllSaints Panel Jupitus Boot

I have these and swear by them. They are shearling lined, too; absolutely perfect for winter.

[merc05]

Those look great; they're much better than the ones you originally posted in my opinion.

Buy them!

They're £40 over my original maximum budget but I do really like them. My only issue is that they don't look like they have a very grippy sole. I have a store card for Next so I was thinking of getting a pair of boots from there as well as the KG brogues above. For a really hard-wearing and well soled boot that will provide grip in icy conditions, do you think Timberlands or Red Wings would be a good choice?

I have these and swear by them. They are shearling lined, too; absolutely perfect for winter.

You mean the ones from my first post? Are they good value in your opinion?

Thanks for the help guys, really appreciate it

[Sam]

I wouldn't want to jump to conclusions but I assume Pins is referring to the Allsaints boot - which you don't like, and fair enough, they're not everybody's cup of tea. The Kurt Geigers should be good from what I've heard but I've never tried any so take that with a pinch of salt; they look nice though

[Topher]

As all the others - please, please, for your own good, don't buy shoes from Topman. Countless pairs from there have become knackered due to their shoddy quality.

[Sam]

I agree; I was tempted into one of the Mr Hare collab. pairs but they did not last - the eyelets, which were pretty much the key design feature, fell off! It would have been much better if Hare had collaborated with a slightly better brand - Loake would have been a good choice, for example, as they'd probably still undercut the prices of a genuine Mr Hare. Hell, even Clarks would have been better than Topman!