First pair of DMs I owned were 8 hole with white stitching not the horrible yellow that you get nowadays. Bought them in Shoefayre in Kingston for 30 bob...shillings...£1.50

I personally didnt get past 8 holes until Punk declared war on society. Even then I think they were 12 holes, black with no stitching. I will never get over why they chose to add that bloody awful yellow stitching Yuk!

Last edited by baxta59 (2009-11-13 12:05:25)

Oh, and another opportunity to kick Hewitt's theorizing into the long grass.

One thing I'm curious about is the worn history of Red Wing's "Gentleman Traveler" boot.  Been around since early 1900s iirc, look very much like DMs in styling, and according to Red Wing's own lore, were made for those who needed a boot that was tough as nails yet smart. Yet I don't think I've ever seen a vintage photo of anyone wearing GTs for the purpose of his occupation.  If the English skinheads back in the 60s were adopting so many American clothes (brogues, shirts, Levis etc) I wonder what prevented them from adopting the GT as their boot of choice, esp as Dr Marten was technically not english right, but rather German.  And as far as a tough work boot goes, the Red Wing GT is a much tougher boot than DMs, in terms of construction and materials used to make it.

i think by that time the docs trademark had long been owned by an english firm. klaus maertens sold it in the late 50s/early 60s i think, thats when they simplified the spelling.

redwings were more than likely a regional niche brand back then. when there were 9 zillion or so small bootmakers im sure no one would have thought to import them. when i was a kid timberland, wolverine, and i think even sears diehard were all higher quality, most of their offerings US made. if you want to go back another 15 yrs to the skinhead era there were about 8 times the number of mfgrs-even hanover shoe made a work boot.  it was only when everything began to get outsourced that brands like carhartt and redwing, that most people would have thought of as way, way too expensive a few yrs earlier, began to get popular.

on the other hand i have seen that general style of boots on mods/skinheads (pretty common pictures, one for example is at the beginning of the knight book).......

Anybody remember with fondness the polo neck of c. 1972?

This thread, and others like it, will appeal to some but anger others.  Depends a little on your age perhaps.  My life at around twelve and thirteen was dominated by variations on skinhead style - the loafers, the awful Budgie jacket, the army and navy Harrington, big boots etc.  Blokes I know now who had left school by then look back with wistful nostalgia: often terrace terrors.  Blokes I know who are younger find it all slightly hard to fathom, having caught the tail end of punk rock, the mod revival, Dexys Midnight Runners or what have you.
Gibson Gardens has a view on skinhead culture that I tend to share.  The ones I knew tended - then - to be mindless Person of Pakistani heritage-bashing, anti-intellectual thugs - not the thoughtful, very precise chaps Rowlands and Elms claim to have known.  The skinhead revival was even worse - much worse, in fact, in England, where it was routinely assumed one had far right leanings. 
I come from a dull, gritty Midlands town which had its sole moment of post-war glory under Brian Clough before sinking back into apathy and mindless violence.  Your future was pretty well worked out for you: engineering, while times were good.  Little house, wife, kids, football, lots of nostalgia.  Never read a book, look at a picture, eat gnocci, drink grappa, watch a movie by Bunuel or wear a sack suit and horn rims.  Vegetate.

Comments by John Simons on certain brands of shoe are certainly worth rereading.

Comments on DMs amused me.  My mother was down even on loafers let alone boots football hooligans wore.  Yet, when my father wisely divorced her, she inherited two stepchildren who were full-on suedeheads: a girl who dressed in monkey boots, tank tops and yellow blouses; wearing her hair somewhat Rod The Mod-ish.  I bought my own DMs and forgot all about her objections.  Now my younger daughter wears them.  Awful.