The search for the perfect shoe
For as long as I have worked an office job, I have been on the hunt for the perfect shoe. In the R.M. Williams Comfort Craftsman, I reckon I have finally found it.
My brown pair, ready for a bit of care with a brush and balm / Credit kaytomas.com
After years as an IT consultant, I got tired of my shoes simply falling apart from walking. Several expensive pairs literally came apart at the seams, the sole separating from the leather. Like so many of you, I did the research, read the reviews, watched the videos, and fell down the rabbit hole of expensive, handmade boots.
My first pair was the Red Wing Roughneck, then came the Iron Ranger. Both are rugged, tough boots. The Roughneck for winter, the Iron Ranger for the wetter, rougher spring and autumn.
But I needed something for summer. As a die-hard fan of slim fit jeans, I have always had a soft spot for Chelseas. Those smooth, ankle-high boots with no laces, the kind you just slip on.
Enter the R.M. Williams Comfort Craftsman.
I cannot quite remember what first pointed me toward R.M. Williams, but I do remember they were cheap enough used that I was willing to risk a pair just to see how they fit and felt.
New, they sit north of $500 (€525 on R.M. Williams’ own site), but I have only ever bought mine secondhand, for a fraction of that. And I have never looked back.
Every Comfort Craftsman is handmade in Adelaide from a single piece of yearling leather, with that iconic chisel toe. It has been R.M. Williams’ best seller since 1966. The boots are Goodyear welted, which means the sole can be replaced when the day finally comes, instead of the whole boot ending up in the bin.
The Comfort version differs from the standard Craftsman in that it has a softer, hard-wearing rubber sole instead of a leather one, a padded, removable comfort insole, and a bit of extra cushioning in the heel. It is built, quite simply, to be worn every single day.
My first pair was the brown one you see in these photos, Chestnut in R.M. Williams’ own palette. A fantastic colour, I think. Personally I like brown leather better than black, with both black and blue jeans. It is somehow easier to match with belts and other accessories.
My second pair was a blue suede one. Nice too, but I struggled to match them to my trousers. Maybe because my trousers are usually black, blue or grey. Blue suede shoes carry a bit more x-factor than I possess. That pair was also in my perfect size, 7.5 G, with a thin insole. I sold them anyway, since I could not make them work with anything. That is down to personal style, of course.
My second pair, in blue suede with brown details | kaytomas.com
Front and back: the brown loops and elastic against the blue suede | kaytomas.com
Now I am on my third pair. Day to day I wear a pair of Comfort Craftsman in black leather, size 7.5 G.
Comfort
People have different preferences, but I love how these feel on the foot. It genuinely feels like they were stitched to fit me.
The expanding gusset, the elastic on the sides, lets your foot slip right in, provided you use a shoehorn. And if you do not have one, the R.M. Williams boots come with loops front and back. You can hook a finger into each and pull them on.
Once your foot is in, they sit incredibly comfortably.
Precisely because they are so easy to just slip on, these are the ones I reach for every time I head out. Even, sometimes, when I am in shorts. Have I got socks on? Well, then it is these.
Am I stylish? Hardly.
Do I care? Nope.
The low, smooth Chelsea silhouette that matches slim fit jeans / Credit kaytomas.com
Here they are on the foot, on the steps outside, the way they actually look once you have them on and head out.
The sole
The sole is completely smooth underneath and gives little to no friction. In practice that means they should not be worn on ice, or late in the autumn when there are wet leaves and the like on the ground. There is simply nothing on the sole to stop you from an embarrassing fall, right when the whole plan was to look good.
That is the one thing that bugs me a little about them: they are best suited to dry spring and autumn. This is not a winter boot. That said, there were a few very cold days this past winter when I slipped them on anyway, because it was cold enough that the snow was dry and there was dry tarmac underneath. But I can count those days on one hand.
Smooth rubber sole with no tread, fine on dry ground, lethal on ice / Credit kaytomas.com
Sizing
R.M. Williams, unlike Red Wing, is true to size. I have learned that the hard way: 41 (7 G) is too small for me, while 41.5 (7.5 G) fits perfectly. The number is the size (a UK 7, or EU 41), and the letter G is the width, that is, how wide the boot is. G is the standard men’s width at R.M. Williams.
It is a fine margin, yes, and I have walked plenty in the 41 too. But what I notice is that the pressure on the ball of my foot lands in slightly the wrong spot, even if my toes are not exactly curling. If your boots are a touch too big, you can make them tighter with insoles. But you cannot make them bigger. It only goes one way.
That is, by the way, why the brown pair in these photos is now up for sale secondhand: they are 41 (7 G), a hair too small for me, but they might be spot on for you. If you have the chance, try these on in a shop. If you are buying used, make sure they fit.
Care
How you look after them depends on the colour.
On my black pairs I have no qualms about laying on black Kiwi or other pigmented polish, as long as I am a little careful not to colour the welt or the stitching.
On the brown ones, with their natural colour, the story is different. There I avoid pigmented polish as far as I possibly can, unless the leather has picked up clear scuffs or nicks. Mostly I just use a neutral balm with no colour. It puts moisture back into dry leather and makes the boots last longer. The balm also gives a bit more shine and a slightly darker finish right then, simply because you brush off the dust and feed the thirsty leather.
Patina over time
Patina is the marks wear leaves in the leather over time: the colour deepening, the creases forming, the little scuffs here and there. What I like best about these is that, whatever the colour, they only get better for it.
The patina actually changes a little what the boot is good for. The more worn it gets, the more casual it becomes, at least that is how I read it.
Brand new, they are smart enough for the wedding suit (and the night out). Toward the end of their life, when they are weathered, darkened and marked by wear, you can wear them with shorts.
That is what I love about leather shoes: they live alongside you. Together you write the story of a life.
The leather only gets better the more you wear it / Credit kaytomas.com
Styling
Brand new and fresh, these suit everything from a suit to chinos to worn-in jeans.
As they get used, they lose a little of that stiff, formal look, and then they work for anything everyday. I like that arc, at least.
Where they really earn their keep is with jeans. The brown leather sits beautifully against dark, almost black denim, and the low Chelsea cut tucks in clean under a slim fit leg.
They work just as happily with proper blue jeans, where the warm brown picks up a bit more contrast against the lighter denim.
The boots from every angle
Here is the brown pair from every side, from the chisel toe and the elastic gusset to the insole’s “Made in Australia, rubber sole” stamp.
Alternatives
Red Wing actually makes a Chelsea too, but it has been in and out of production over the last few years, and there are few of them on the used market. It is a tougher, more rugged alternative if you want the Chelsea shape in a heavier package.
Red Wing’s Chelsea, a tougher alternative that has been in and out of production | kaytomas.com
Three pairs later, same verdict
Three pairs in, and the answer to the question I opened with is still yes: the Comfort Craftsman is the everyday boot I had been looking for all along. It slips on in half a second, it gets better the more I wear it, and it matches most of what I own.
The smooth sole is the only real downside, and that is a deliberate choice from R.M. Williams, not a flaw. If you know what you are buying, you also know when to leave them by the door and put on winter boots instead.
For me, these land easily on a six, the same as my two Red Wings. They do one thing, being the smart, easy everyday boot that goes with almost everything.
And that? That earns a six.
