When it comes to dress shoes and loafers, I have written about my favorite companies before.
And typically, those companies sell shoes that are a bit more on the expensive side. But I’m always open to reviewing dress shoes that are not expensive and are affordable for men who don’t want to spend over a hundred dollars for a pair of dress shoes.
A company that has been targeting the budget-conscious man and woman with its numerous dress shoes and sold on Amazon is the company, Journey West.
Made in China, I decided to give Journey West a try. And I was quite pleased with the comfort,fit and price of the company’s penny loafers and Belgian loafers, and now I am going to review their Journey West Men’s Chelsea Boots.
I own numerous Chelsea boots in a variety of colors but I figured I don’t have camel (which the company calls “Tan”), and these boots are available in black.
For those who are not familiar with Chelsea boots, Chelsea boots are ankle-high boots and most have an elastic side panel but there are some with zippered side panels in order for one to easily slip their feet into the shoes.
Typically they have a loop or tab in the rear and these boots dates back in the Victorian era, worn by both men and women. And the design is credited to Queen Victoria’s shoemaker, Joseph Sparkes Hall and were known at the time as J. Sparkes Hall’s Patent Elastic Ankle Boots back in 1851 (this is in part, thanks to Charles Goodyear inventing vulcanized rubber back in 1844).
But the name “Chelsea” is derived from a group of artists, film directors and socialists frequenting King’s Road in West London and were known as the “Chelsea Set” and fashion icons Mary Quant and Jean Shrimpton (to even the Beatles and Rolling Stones), were wearing Paddock boots, which would become known as “Chelsea Boots”.
As a shoe fanatic, I believe a man should own a pair of loafers, dress shoes and a pair of Chelsea boots.
Granted, I go a little further of getting black and shades of brown (and sometimes blue), but the Chelsea boots are something that I absolutely love wearing.
So, let’s take a look at the Journey West Men’s Chelsea Boots. These are inexpensive boots which the company says is handcrafted and hand -stitched and uses hand-selected calfskin and features a fully cushioned memory foam insole and is true to US size.
I like the addition of the burnished toe, I like the overall look and style of the shoes and they were easy to fit in thanks the zipper. leather is quite thin but nothing that stands out, compared to similar Chelsea boots in the under $170 price range.
Of the Journey West shoes I have reviewed, this is their most expensive at $169.
Now, how they will hold up in the long run, one would have to wear them a lot to give them that big of a test. But I’m not expecting anything significant, considering the price.
I went with the usual size I get for shoes and similar to their penny loafers, the fit is very good and comfortable. Zipper was sturdy, but to be truthful, I prefer the traditional elastic as zippers are not always perfect and break (especially if shoe companies use thin, non-sturdy zippers).
Similar to how I feel about the Journey West Penny Loafers, these are good shoes for the under $170 price (for a similar color, I do have a brown Chelsea boot, but that is nearly $500). Would even be better at the under $150 pricepoint.
These are for people who want Chelsea boots at an affordable price and are not going to spend hundreds or thousands on high-end boots.
I do feel Journey West does need to get rid of the yellow box design (as I felt in my last review of a Journey West shoe, they need to go black or dark gray) and the addition of a plastic shoe horn is a nice touch for an affordable shoe.
For the price and the quality at under $170 and knowing for those who are looking at the Journey West Men’s Chelsea Boots because of its look and price, are more than likely not looking to spend several more hundred on Chelsea Boots, then this shoe gets a five star from me.
