First Birkenstocks… now Doc Martens?!
I was at Nordstrom’s last week and ran into a whole display of… Doc Martens boots. Huh?! I thought those went away with the 1990s! Well, they’re back.
Now I am a child of the 90s. I also grew up in the Northwest. Dr. Martens were a staple to have in your wardrobe. It was coincidental that Doc Martens were highly popular during the rise of the Grunge movement out of the Northwest. I assure you as a grade-schooler I did not know about Nirvana and Green Day. They are also very practical shoes to wear in a place where it rains all of the time. No wet socks for me!
Company history first… because I think it is interesting.
Dr. Martens is a British brand, founded by Klaus Martens. He was a German Army doctor who injured his ankle while skiing in the Alps. The regular German army boot hurt his foot, so he designed a new boot with soft soles made from discarded rubber from the Luftwaffe (German air force). The German housewives loved how soft and comfortable his shoes were, and 80% of his boot sales were to women. His company was bought out by a British shoe Manufacturer in 1959. The rest is history.
Let’s take a look at a selection of their shoes:
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| “Brielle” Boot, this is a new look to me. I think this boot would be rather nice to have if you lived somewhere that had a lot of snow. |
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| ‘Mary Jane’. A classic. I had a pair of these once. They were nice. |
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| classic oxfords. I had a pair of these at some point as well. |
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| An original, the ‘Pascal’ boot. I always thought this looked like an army boot… didn’t know it was designed as an actual Army boot until today. Go figure! |
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| ‘8053’. This was the last part of Dr. Marten’s that I owned. When I went off to college and was walking a few miles a day, the weight of the shoe really started to hurt my bad knee. And that was the end of Dr. Marten’s for me. |
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| ‘Hackney’ Boot. I tried these on at Nordstrom. The smaller sole on them is really nice; it makes for a light weight boot. If I were to purchase another pair of Dr. Marten’s, it would be one like this with the thinner sole. I can’t wear heavy shoes anymore! |
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| They don’t make these anymore. This is what I would wear in the Summers. With socks, of course! |
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| Jessica Alba wearing the Dr. Marten’s boots |
While they may be in again, I don’t think I’ll be joining this trend. While the shoes are comfortable, they weigh too much and make my knees hurt. Sucks getting old.
Here are some of my favorites:
