/\  I like Docs, they are pure rock, used to get great Docs at the legendary 99X on E. 10th Street in NYC, what a punk shop that was, Vans, Pumas, Fred Perry, etc.  .....

back in the day the Docs were all made in England and so was the Fred Perry, there was punk blaring all the time and the clerks were freaks, got a lot of great things from that place, wasn't being a skin, their stuff was just rocking ... as a sneaker fetishist I'd check them frequently, all of 10th Street was awesome in the '90s 

over the years my shoe size increased by a half-size so I don't have my old Docs anymore, am on the lookout for another pair so I can get to do my '70s glam rock Ivy thing again, that would be hunky dory!

I'll always have a soft spot for DM's. I was a young police officer in the 70's back in the days when cops actually still walked a beat for 8 hours a day. DMs were your friend on those long shifts, nothing was better for comfort and durability. Skinheads had made DMs popular, but that phase was all over by the time I become a customer for their work footwear. Shops that sold them at discount prices used to advertise in Police Review and you had to ring up and order them over the phone, Blackmans was one of them and there was a place in Camden too. They were all made in Northampton, England then and the quality was great. The leather was good so if you were minded to, you could shine them up like a guardsman's boots. Later on Punks wore them, so the people you were rousting up had the same boots on as you. Now cops all wear tactical stealth sniper SAS SWAT Team style boots with fabric panels and its a waste of time to try and polish them, which doesn't matter as the rest of their uniforms look shite as well. These days 90% of DMs are made in China or the Far East and by all accounts they wear out quite quickly. You can still buy Made in England ones in their classic styles, but at a premium price. DMs have retained a rebellious image and still worn by hippy types who want to cultivate an edgy, anti establishment image. Paul Boateng used to wear DM lace ups shoes with a grey suit when he was a left-wing Labour MP, I don't know if he still wears them now he's stopped being anti the establishment and become a member of it. I would still wear them with casual gear if I was contemplating any serious urban walking in gritty neighbourhoods.

some nice boots there, Johnny. /\

I'm with Woof here - still got a soft spot for the DM.
back in the mid 70s we used to pick them at the Army and Navy. They sold 'Hawkins' which were a Northampton upper welted onto a Dr Martens sole. Came in 6, 8 and 12 hole - black and cherry. The police (at least up north) were kitted out with the black 6 hole boots. No stitching on these. They were cheaper than the stitched 'Airwair' boots which were found in places like Millets and specialist shops.

'Solevair' were occasionally found but I didn't really see them until I moved down to London in early 80s. They were  ubiquitous at Shelly's shoes, got some nice dark brown shoes from the Old Kent Rd in '82. Again, no stitching on these.

Of course the popularity of DMs ultimately worked against them - as well as the bad connotations. I suspect if they were an American 'heritage' company they'd get more kudos, a bit like Redwings maybe...

Biggest problem has ALWAYS been the re-soling issue. Usually, just as the leather was wearing in nicely DM soles would become bald, life-threatening slicks of smooth rubber ready to upend you at the slightest hint of precipitation. It was always crazy chucking a perfectly good pair of boots away just because the sole had worn. Yes, I know they now offer a resoling service but I don't recall that back in the day.

Last pair I bought was about ten years ago. They were the prestige Made in uk shoes in cherry red. Ridiculously thick leather and solid as fuck. But there was some sort of deal with the licensing when the main operation went overseas. The soles are now single colour ( sort of snot brown) not like the 70s when there was a black welt inlay around the top of the soul.

Are they Ivy? Of course not. But you're walkin' on air, man. No bovver : )

Nothing against them, in fact I owned a pair of Made in England boots until about three years ago, but I sold them to a lucky polish old school Skinhead... aother pair of Solovair branded Derby shoes went to a similar lucky DM fan of the old days,  an older Englishman working here in Vienna that was really well dressed - his own pair of 1980s DMs were well shined oxblood Longwings.

These days I am much more into Red Wings and other American related stuff, but if I was younger I would get me a pair of Solovairs - as they are the quality of the originals but to a rather realistic price, in fact DMs were always Solovairs until the early 2000s, but branded as DMs - in a heartbeat. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and therefore I have a soft spot for Clarks Dessies, Original Made in England DMs/Solovairs and Original Made in USA Converse All Stars (I saw rather expensive Made in Japan All Stars for a heavy price that looked EXACTLY like the old ones I had during the 80s and 90s, now I know how much they degraded them)...

Are they Ivy? No, definitely not hahaha... Are they cool? Well, I think so. For me they are. Are they comfortable? Yes, after breaking them in for about two weeks with blisters and pain...

PS. being an established member of the establishment these days I kind of use my Vass Budapesters as some kind of weird DM substitute

Last edited by Leer R. (2019-04-26 00:44:11)