Dealer Boots vs Chelsea Boots?
dealer boots amidst rustic still-life
socks: Stocaí Bunúsach in Donegal Tweed
Q: I see that you wear this style of boot a lot, so hopefully you can answer this. What is the difference between a Dealer Boot and a Chelsea Boot? I was recently corrected in a shoe store, but remain none the wiser as to the actual difference!
Firstly, if someone corrected you in a shoe store about your use of nuanced footwear terminology, that is hilariously pedantic. Especially considering that this particular question has no precise answer.
That said, you intuited rightly that, owing to my decades-long obsession with this general style of boots, I am willing and able to provide a long-winded answer!
Both Dealer Boots and Chelsea Boots are colloquial terms, describing a general style of boot that developed in Victorian England. This was originally a modified riding boot design, requested by the Queen. Annoyed by her laces, buckles, and various other offhangings getting caught and tangled whilst on horseback, she tasked her cobblers to create some boots that were free of such annoyances. The result was a streamlined, minimalist ankle-boot, with a firm flat sole and hardy pull-tabs to enable easy on/off action. The Queen was delighted.
Due to its practical qualities, this style of boot grew in popularity over the following decades, and eventually another element was introduced to the design: the elastic side inserts - making the boots even more effortless to don and remove, and more comfortable to wear. After that, the design really took off among the general population, branching off into several stylistic directions.
The Dealer Boot variant refers to a style that became ubiquitous among rural tradespeople - especially farmers dealing (hence the name!) in cattle and produce at the weekends. This style walked the line between rugged and dressy. It featured an articulated, yet fairly wide foot (to accommodate warm socks), and chunky soles meant for country walking.
The Chelsea Boot variant developed in Chelsea, London as the more elegant, city version of the above. A Chelseas Boot would typically be narrower than a Dealer Boot, with a more articulated ankle, and a thinner sole. It would also be made of a finer leather, and might feature embellishments, such as wingtip toes with perforated decorative borders.
To summarise the difference: Chelsea Boots are dressy 'city boots,’ suitable for formal business attire. Dealer Boots are chunky ‘country boots,’ suitable for tweed and corduroys and the like, and ideal for country walking.
Needless to say though, fashion evolves. And in today’s stylistic post-modernism, there is a lot of fusion happening. It can be difficult to draw a hard line between what constitutes a Dealer Boot and what constitutes a Chelsea Boot. Many people use the terms interchangeably, including some of the manufacturers themselves. (For example, Dr. Marten describes their pull-on boots as ‘Chelsea Boots’ whereas they are clearly in the Dealer Boot category. On the other hand, Solovair uses the correct terminology for the identical model.)
Perhaps more important than focusing on the differences, is to keep in mind the similarities and understand what differentiates this general style from other types of boots. Both Dealer Boots and Chelsea Boots are characterised by their ankle height shaft, their pull-on style (with elastic inserts at sides and pull tab at the back), their flat soles, and their lack of laces, buckles, closures, or hardware of any kind. So an ankle boot with a zipper is neither a Dealer Boot nor a Chelsea Boot. And a high-heeled ankle boot is likewise neither of these things.
In my 20s and early 30s, I wore mostly Chelsea Boots throughout university and later at my place of work. I then switched to Dealer Boots when I transitioned to my current, more creative and casually attired career. (In fact I do not own any Chelsea Boots at the moment; otherwise I would have included both in the photo for comparison!)
Either way, I appreciate this general style of footwear for its effortlessness, its practicality, and its suitability for my personal use-case scenario. Whilst I do not ride horseback, I do cycle for transportation and also walk an average of 5km a day over mixed terrain. So the century and a half old design is still very much relevant for me. And of course it helps that I wear lots of tweed!
