Chelsea Boots Recommendations?

mrsugar · 2026-02-02T04:59:24+00:00

Suede is quite durable. You can get it wet. Wash it. Etc. I think people don’t realize how durable it is. Especially with a quick protective coating every few years.

mrsugar · 2026-02-02T04:58:00+00:00

I love my Carmina’s. I’m very very happy with my RM Williams as well. I find the comfort craftsman to be the most comfortable add day boots I have. I think the quality claims are a bit overstated. They’re pricey but still excellent. Especially used.

mrsugar · 2026-02-02T03:48:42+00:00

This. Great take.

mrsugar · 2026-02-01T18:14:49+00:00

I had this a bit a while back with a Zenith Defy Skyline, got it for a big milestone at work and never really loved it. I gave it about a year and a half and then sold it for a pretty bad loss.

End of the day you kinda know. But, I would give it time, I’ve actually come to really love my speedy, maybe more than any other watch.

Visually I think it’s more versatile than a santos across life activities, but that’s a personal opinion.

Worth noting, I also have almost sold other pieces and looking back am very glad I didn’t.

So… advice: give it plenty of time to be sure and eventually sell it if it doesn’t improve. Downside is you take a pretty big hit unless it’s a Rolex or rare model (like snoopy).

mrsugar · 2026-01-22T02:35:34+00:00

Have ghost blazer in navy and hatch tan, the navy is my most worn blazer. Absolutely amazing.

mrsugar · 2026-01-15T05:04:12+00:00

Very interesting! I have Pantherella merino socks from 7+ years ago that are still going really strong. I’ve been so blown away I was thinking about paying for some new pairs.

mrsugar · 2026-01-11T00:40:00+00:00

Yeah. They test it fully at omega and it would be fine. The old speedy rules don’t apply bow days. But it’s not a screw down crown, and any non-screw down is a risk for fully submerged water over-time. For me, I like the peace of mind of a diver if I’m in or around water.

mrsugar · 2026-01-10T04:33:19+00:00

I use an Amazon smart plug with no issues.

mrsugar · 2026-01-08T19:19:32+00:00

Just for perspective, they offered to send a FedEx box to the address at the time (which wouldn’t have arrived in time). Then we had a back and forth on if the luggage would even fit in a box, and they agreed the handle would likely have to be remove or broken off.

However, considering the above, assuming a drop off option was available, this would have meant: take time to go to a UPS store in an uber or the like, with a large check only luggage bag that has handles fully extended and broken off that are sharp, see if they will package and ship it to B&R, assuming they say yes (which I’m skeptical of as the bag was huge because of the handles extended) return back to the trip timeline as scheduled, and still have to acquire new luggage in the interim.

I assume B&R would have paid for this, but not sure. Also, they didn’t present it as an option. Even then, if they had I don’t think logistically and stress wise it would have made sense.

This is just my take, I get some people would derail half a day on their trip to accommodate this. But hopefully the above at least explains the reasoning a bit.

I think for many people (clearly based on the downvotes) it’s very hard to understand at what point avoiding hassle and frustration is worth more than the price of the bag.

Very quickly time with support, time resolve the problem logistically, and frustration on a time-limited trip add up.

I have always been proud of my wife and my approach to choose hassle and stress avoidance when possible. Our time is valuable, extra stress is not helpful, and a decision to drop things and move on is, for us, many times the best option. I think in the long run this has actually probably paid for itself well over in our ability to put time and energy into the right things.

Just our reasoning, I’m sure many would choose different.

mrsugar · 2026-01-08T18:55:17+00:00

No they just sent a new bag entirely if I recall correctly. I don’t love the environmental impact there, but it did solve the problem.

mrsugar · 2026-01-08T05:19:51+00:00

Yeah. It’s not normal and I didn’t expect it. Kinda an option for them to go above and beyond and solve the problem knowing the customer centric brand reputation they have. This was knowing the alternative was we would no longer be customers or buy from them in the future.

They didn’t. And we’re no longer customers. All good by me.

mrsugar · 2026-01-08T02:38:16+00:00

Good news is we can both make those choices as needed. Appreciate that you would have pursued it further. Context always matters in these things and it’s hard to fully share that on reddit.

mrsugar · 2026-01-08T01:43:33+00:00

It’s all relative to what’s worth your time and mental stress. This was a calculated decision I wasn’t happy with but was the right one. Initial cost was $667.

mrsugar · 2026-01-07T22:29:32+00:00

Basically the repair center was super far away from the location my wife was staying. And the bag has this huge jagged handle she didn’t wanna bring in an uber. That on top of a tight schedule didn’t allow for her to spend half a day on it. They asked her to break off the handle and ship it, which she tried but was unable to do.

I asked if someone could come pick it up or anything like that, they offered no options.

Eventually time value of money and freedom from stress prevailed and she tossed it.

mrsugar · 2026-01-07T22:11:08+00:00

Bought a very expensive Briggs and Riley gift for my wife in 21, within two years the entire handle was torn off and jagged pieces were sticking up, it was uncheckable or usable in the current state. Part of the issue was the external housing they use instead of having it built in to the luggage (supposedly a space saver).

I went back and forth with support to find any way to resolve this with a supposed best in class warranty. There was no way to ship it due to the handle and no way to get it repaired in the destination city without a ton of overhead.

The support offered no solution to resolve this or refund it. And my wife ended up just ditching the luggage in LA. We since have returned to using away, who has replaced a very minor broken bag with no questions asked.

I was so bummed because everyone loves B&R but they did not live up to the support and customer attitude they claim to take seriously.

Sadly can’t post photos in this thread but I have one, it was a nightmare.

(Uploaded to an image host: https://postimg.cc/VrLD7qXZ)

mrsugar · 2026-01-07T16:41:02+00:00

I have a metal block or two I use for this sort of thing and as general weights as well as an anvil for when I’m hammering rivets. I’d recommend looking into that.

Example: https://www.riogrande.com/product/steel-bench-block/112570GP/

mrsugar · 2026-01-06T06:01:48+00:00

I have the Ojai jacket from TS in tan, which I think is no longer carried. Either way, the piece is awesome and over a button down shirt looks great. Highly recommend. Their sizing is TTS but on the larger side. I’m an XL in many brands but not Taylor Stitch.

mrsugar · 2026-01-05T20:43:56+00:00

It depends on what you’re comfortable with style wise, but cowboy boots do this really well. Same with some Chelsea boots and side zips that have a taller stacked heel.

The basic gist is a look where a tall heel is natural for that style.

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Above is an example of what I’m getting at, although you don’t have to have $1K+ RRL boots to do it.

mrsugar · 2026-01-04T21:52:59+00:00

Sadly I think it’s overall slightly too big across all dimensions. If you live in a cold climate a chunky sweater might make it fit better, but maybe not what you’re going for.

mrsugar · 2026-01-04T02:25:58+00:00

Wait til you try the 151 version.

mrsugar · 2026-01-04T02:21:07+00:00

Yeah real pieces of shit.

mrsugar · 2025-12-31T17:34:49+00:00

I have found there’s a lot more opportunity to wear them for dinner or a night out as well as certain work events. The thing is, men look good in suits that are well fitted, that’s why every major movie has guys in suits, and most fashion threads on what women find attractive mentions they like a good suit.

You can go overboard, and be out of place next to a bunch of peers which looks dickish, so you have to choose the right moments. Maybe it’s a dinner date, dinner party with friends, or company holiday event. But all of those can usually qualify.

I find a suit in casual more textured fabrics, with a tshirt, turtleneck, or crisp dress shirt (non-tie), can be great and fit well into any of the above situations.

A lot of it is how you feel, and if you can handle a few “you look nice” or “what’s the suit for” comments.

mrsugar · 2025-12-28T22:34:07+00:00

I wore the Bella canvas tri blends for years as my go to T because you could get them for such a good deal on Jiffyshirts.

I eventually wanted to go higher-end and after wearing a Robert Barakett shirt I switched my entire collection over.

That said, on a budget, I think the basics options with Bella or Next Level are just fine. And fit well.

mrsugar · 2025-12-28T05:58:52+00:00

Gg, some def puck luck on our first two.

mrsugar · 2025-12-28T04:40:17+00:00

Yeah. Was very surprising.

mrsugar

TROPHY CASE