Evening Latte

• Company/Brand: Thursday Boot Co.
• Item:  President in Brandy
• Purchase Price: $199 (including shipping)
• Regular Price: $199

How I Got Here (skip if you just want details about the item itself)

I am a big fan of wardrobe specialization: having many pieces that are each good for one or two specific situations. For 10+ years, the slot of “more casual than dress shoes, more formal than hiking shoes, in the wet” was mostly filled by a couple pairs of Doc Martens (one brown, one black). They hadn’t fit my personal look for quite some time, but they did the job, and I already owned them.

A few months ago, my brother’s partner got him a pair of boots, and he raved about them. That is notable because he’s a recovering sneakerhead: at one point, he had almost 90 pairs. Him raving about any footwear that didn’t say “Nike” or “New Balance” on the side meant something. I asked the brand, and he said Thursday Boot Co. I looked around their site, saw some stuff I liked, and mentally filed it away.

About three weeks ago, Portland entered winter proper, meaning most days have been 45-55F with some version of precipitation. Things will likely stay that way for a few months. After I wore a pair of Docs out, I remembered my brother’s recommendation and ordered these the next day.

Fit/Comfort

I normally wear a US 10 in most brands. I followed the manufacturer’s recommendations and ordered down half a size. I can confidently say these are the most initially comfortable boots I’ve ever owned, and they’re right up there with pairs I’ve broken in over years. The first time I put them on, my heel was locked in solidly, and the (moderate) arch support was right where it was supposed to be. The toe box looks sleek/narrow, but for my foot, it’s a nice width to feel stable without pinching. The height is tall enough to feel secure, but short enough to not inhibit range of motion. The cork-bed midsoles give just a little at contact points and seem to be quickly forming to my feet.

The best overall description I can give is “fitted.” Similar to the nicer leather dress shoes I’ve owned, my impression is the leather is constructed to closely follow the contours of my feet as opposed to acting like a “foot shell” with gaps that may or may not work out with time. Example: the ankle sections of the uppers of my Docs formed better over time, but everything below (heel counter to toe box) has stayed pretty loose and even boxy. My pull-on Ariat boots are stable in the heel, but the toe box has stayed pretty stiff even after years of use. These Presidents simply fit my foot better than any other boots I’ve owned, and probably any other leather shoe as well.

Quality/Practicality

I’ve only owned these about a week, so I obviously can’t comment on long-term durability. But the quality of the leather seems to be on par with my favorite belts: thick, but pliable. Welt and upper stitching is tight and neat, heel construction is solid without ridges or seams between parts. The studs in the outsole protrude just enough to help grip without scraping while walking or making you feel high-centered while standing.

Look

My read is that the President model/line is pretty much the “default” option from Thursday. Laced, no toe cap/moc stitching, no wingtip designs, etc. Which is exactly what I want: a timeless, refined design that will look good with a variety of outfits. I feel fine dressing these down with jeans and a t-shirt, but they also don’t out of place with chinos and a linen or poplin button-up. I frankly have a slight preference for the cleaner upper of a pull-on boot like The Duke, but I plan on wearing these when it’s wet outside, so have porous elastic goring only an inch and change above the welt doesn’t seem like a great idea.

My only slight initial disappointment was with the leather coloring. The manufacturer’s picture above shows a nice multi-tone effect with the dye getting darker near the stitch lines and welts. But out of the box, the color was a pretty flat brown. After I applied the leather conditioner recommended/sold by Thursday and buffed them, things did improve a bit

Paired so elegantly with yoga pants. It’s now more of a chestnut to my eye, and it still doesn’t have the two-tone look of the product pics, but it has a little more character than the initial look. I’m hoping wearing them in the wet will eventually darken the leather near the welts. Side note: I did finish the buffing job by wiping away the rest of the excess conditioner.

Use

As I mentioned: I’ve only owned these for about a week. I put them on the day they were delivered to check the sizing/fit, and they were so comfortable that I ended up wearing them around the house for 5+ hours while I worked. I applied the conditioner that evening, took pictures the next day, and again wore them around the house for a few hours. I wore them out for the first time last night, walking probably 10-12 blocks between dinner and drinks as well as having them on while sitting for an couple hours.

I did notice I the fitted cut meant I was a little more limited in how I could position my feet while sitting. With lower-cut shoes or boots that are looser in the ankle, I can hook the heels on a crosspiece of a stool I’m sitting on or prop the ball of my feet up on a table support. But with these, the locked-in fit limited range of motion just enough to cause a little discomfort when I tried the same. As with most things, a balance has to be struck, and I much prefer the overall comfort of the more contoured fitting over a looser fit that might be more comfortable in specific scenarios.

Pricing

Taken in the grand scheme, I think $200 for this pair of leather boots in 2024 seems pretty fair, if even a bit of a deal. It’s pretty easy to spend $200+ on a nice pair of dress shoes or “lifestyle” boot models from well-known outdoor brands. In both cases, the next major pricing tier seems to be $400-450. The pitch from Thursday is they do almost everything in-house and in small batches to minimize overhead and inventory costs, then they mark up their products far less than industry average and sell direct to consumer. You’re supposed to be getting the quality of that next tier up for half (or less) the price.

From what I can tell, the pitch seems realistic. I’m definitely not a boot expert, but I’ve owned many other leather goods (dress shoes, belts, wallets, coats, luggage, etc.), and the Presidents were more supple at delivery than anything but my overnight bag that was over twice the price. Combined with positive reports from my brother after months of regular usage, it seems like Thursday might be a real “pay less for more” situation.

Summary

The contoured fit instantly made these my favorite boots by a pretty significantly margin. If they maintain or improve their comfort and wear like their initial quality suggests they will, I’ll probably buy at least one more pair (black to complement this one). I also like the Rogue for a different look/vibe, and it’ll be tempting if they offer a more modern slip-on dress shoe (not a loafer). If you like the styling of one of their models, I think the value to quality ratio is good enough to give them a try.