I bought a pair from the small, original Clarks shop on Regent's Street in 1990. They were still Made in UK (Street,  Somerset) at that point, but I think it was a couple of years later, just before Britpop kicked in, that they launched the Clarks Originals brand and shifted most production to Vietnam. I think the main differences were that in the UK original the toe shape was more refined, slightly more elongated, and the sole was made from natural crepe rather than the composite one they shifted to (which made them fatal on wet surfaces). There appears to be a direct correlation between the development of branding and marketing and the physical decline/outsourcing of the actual original feted article - viz. Clarks and G.H.Bass. Also going further back Gant, Ben Sherman etc... This said, Clarks now make their desert boots, and Wallabees, in Portugal and my impression, based on a superficial inspection, was that the quality had massively gone up. They had the old bendiness back, and the quality of the calf leather was good.

The real problem for me with any of their recent product is the nudge-nudge-wink-wink 'iconic' aspect of it.  Boots with a Union Jack, boots in lurid colours.  However, back in 2012, I bought a pair of actual army issue desert boots and went yomping around Gerona and Barcelona in them.  Returning home, close to midnight and short on English money, I had to do a pretty long walk in them.  Ouch.  I wished then that I'd worn my favourite Italian dessies - or even the slightly despised Clarks'...

They can be a bit slippery this time of the year with the fallen leaves on the ground. I had a pair on yesterday and nearly went A over T.

I'm pretty sure we could agree with Robbie and Uncle Ian that they should be kept indoors in wet, slippery weather.  Leaves and loose gravel can be as bad as ice for throwing you off balance.  As Uncle Ian rightly says, they are desert boots. 
Colours: natural/sand/khaki through to snuff/cinnamon to cola/chocolate.  Nothing grey or green, let alone bearing a Union Jack.

I have a photo of me in about 69 and I have a pair of Clarks on with Red tag Levis, turned up to reveal the sand boots. They look like today's offerings. Maybe Clarks did a couple of styles back then. I can't remember.

The clumpy part would generally rule them out for me.  Sight unseen, however.  I once had Sanders with rather too thick a sole.

Last edited by A Fine Sadness (2021-11-07 02:24:46)

^ Right.  Although something appears to have been made in England a few years ago: now being sold (at least on Ebay) as some kind of classic.  This is often where my problem lies - as with the old Baractua Harrington - such and such a thing becomes 'iconic'.  Instant turn-off for me.  Like a woman being touted as sexy.  I want to be able to make up my own mind.
The phrase 'design classic' is also likely to see me heading out of the door.

Marketing, I suppose, Robbie - believing their own spiel.  I think the wearing of the G9 compares well with the wearing of the classic desert boot.  Legends can be created then spun.  'So-and-so wore one therefore it must be 'cool', 'hip'...  '  They then come up with some vague idea about Mod revival/Britpop or whatever and the guy who wants a plain sand/khaki boot is faced with shit in, as you say, primarly colours: even 'grape'. 
My daughter turned up yesterday teatime in big DMs.  Another source of amazement to me, the number of women who are willing to torture their feet and legs wearing this ugly boot (at almost £200 at time).

It does indeed.  I know marketing goes back a long way with our style of clothing but the old advertising had wit and class.  I have a lovely framed B/W ad for the 'Ivy League Stetson Hat' that would have been found in a magazine.  Very 'less is more'.  They probably knew well in advance who they were selling to.  John Simons' 'wealthy customer'.  The idea now seems to be 'More, Much More, And Then More Again'.  Not our approach.

@ Runningeez - what’s your take on the Huttons Geez?

I seem to remember reading, quite some years ago, that a teaming of tweed jackets with desert boots was a football casual look around Merseyside.  I don't know how far it spread but I was certainly eyed up by Italians mooching outside a bar in Pisa whilst wearing Clarks'.  A couple of days later, on a main street in Florence, I was asked by a young Italian, once he learned I was English, if I knew Harry The Dog.  As I was with my wife and daughter, it was rather odd.  Even odder is the fact I haven't bothered much about football since 1971. 
Back on topic, I very much like the look of those Huttons - more so than, say, Playboy.