Men's Doc Marten Black 1460 Sizing, Fit, and Review
My Doc Marten 1460 in black suede paired with black selvedge military chinos from Polo Ralph Lauren.
For a long time, I had associated Doc Martens with punky goth teens and a store in the mall called Journey’s that always seemed to flaunt Doc Martens in the display window. It was only recently I had discovered that Doc Martens were actually had some really interesting historical and cultural significance that went way beyond eyeshadow and black nail polish. These boots are cool, man.
In this post, we’ll talk about sizing and fit for the 1460, their signature 8-eye boot. The pair that I got my hands on is actually a black pig-skin suede, and although its not their signature patent leather, still is rockin’ and in my opinion, is a really sweet twist on the classic silhouette.
Sizing:
Sizing on the 1460: I sized up to a 10, but as you can see the boots are cut a bit big and you can see how close the laces get when I tighten them.
A big problem when it comes to Doc Martens is that they don’t have half sizing, which is really odd to me because that is literally hurting half of the population! I am usually a 9.5, so I had to choose between the 10 and the 9. The Journey’s website said to size up if between sizes, and I ultimately took that advice and went with the 10. In terms of length, they fit pretty true to size. I ended up trying a 9 later on in stores just for the hell of it and found it was too tight on the toe, so I would recommend sizing up if between sizes.
Fit:
The fit was another point of concern and there are 2 reasons why:
The fit on these is big and loose. It ‘doesn’t hug the foot vs my Red Wing Heritage boots which fit like a glove.
Firstly, the heel cup feels too wide for my foot. That means there is the back of my foot does not feel secure, especially when walking up stairs.
Secondly, the top of the boot is too high which results in the boot not holding my foot snuggly in place. You can clearly see this as an issue as the two sides of the laces on mine, and most other people’s boots are completely touching, instead of spreading apart to accommodate the width of my foot. I ended up adding a heavily padded insert to make things a bit more snug which helped a lot.
Overall the boot feels a bit loose and there is definitely a fair amount of friction when I walk due to an insecure fit. My conclusion is that these do not make a very good long-distance walking boot.
Pros
But the Doc Marten 1460 is still undeniably a timeless icon, and so is there anything I do enjoy about these boots? I can say that the gum soles are as advertised; airy and bouncy. This makes them considerably lightweight and also gives them a soft landing, much like a crepe sole does on Clark’s popular desert boots.
Additionally people have really railed on Doc Marten for the decline in their build quality after moving production to cheap labor factories such as in Vietnam. I personally do not have anything to complain about regarding quality. In fact, perhaps my bar was pretty low, but I’ve been really impressed with the leather on my suede 1460’s and was equally impressed with the ample options of leather types when I went to try on in their Williamsburg location.
Value
Picture of Pete Townshend of The Who rocking Doc Marten boots, probably 1460’s in black. Courtesy of Therake.com
Finally, I think anyone who is wearing the Doc Marten 1460 is usually more in it for the statement and bold look than the build quality and toughness of the boot, and I am no exception. If you can find them on sale like I did, and you can usually find them on shoes.com for well under $100, there should be a place for them in every man’s boot collection. The combination of style, attitude, quality, and history of this boot is what makes it a true icon!
I’m itching to get my hands on their made in England boot, which stays true to their British origin and utilizes higher quality leather and rubber sourced from local tanneries.
