Red Wing has dabbled in the Chelsea boot game over the years, but their offerings have always been a bit, well, Red Wing-y: casual, rugged, begging to be beaten. With their just-released Williston Chelsea—adapted from the plain-toe Williston 6-inch boot, which also provides a sleeker profile than their Beckmans or Blacksmiths—you can get something more formal than you maybe ever expected from Red Wing, while still wearing…Red Wings.
It’s built with black or teak Featherstone leather, which is more supple—if less hard-wearing over time—than most Red Wing leathers. I can’t speak to break-in, but given the leather I have to imagine it’s far less brutal than the sometimes terrifying (but worth it!) gauntlet known as a fresh pair of Iron Rangers. I really dig the Gro-Cord outsole, which has only recently began making it onto US Red Wing models, and has a unique enough old-school look that you may be tempted to store at least one boot upside-down. And even though they’re delivering a Chelsea boot, it’s not like Red Wing could slap a leather sole on these…
All photos courtesy Red Wing