Doc Martens just might be the world's best boots. They're comfortable, stylish, snug, durable, and all around great. The cushioned soles pamper your feet even if you decide to hike yourself all the way to the moon. DMs last forever; you can pretty much pass them down to your children. They even boost your mood. Slipping on a pair of Doc Martens and stomping around your house is guaranteed to brighten your day when nothing seems to be going right.
(Note that we may be exaggerating slightly in effect. Doc Martens probably won't let you hike to the moon, and their mood-altering properties have not been scientifically verified. - Editor)
Here's our top 10 list of key Dr. Martens advantages.1) Doc Martens Define Durability
Most boots have a finite lifespan. It's the core of bitter truth you have to accept when you lace up a new pair of boots: Somewhere down the line, no matter how much you pamper them, no matter how well-made they are, they're going to wear out sooner or later. Soles crack, leather splits, seams rot, linings disintegrate, and eventually, you're left wearing the equivalent of bombed-out 90s Toyotas on your feet.
This is not the way Dr. Martens age. Your Docs are very likely going to outlive you. DMs are tough. Unless you give them up to someone else or set them on fire (and there might be reasons to do that - see our section on breaking DMs in), your Doc Martens are going to stick with you all the rest of your days. In fact, it's more likely than not that your DMs will end up passing through a charity shop and into the hands of some lucky kid after you've gone toes-up. We're not exaggerating much at all when we say that same pair of Doc Martens stands a good chance of outliving its second owner and getting inherited a second time.
2) Doc Martens Are The Most Comfortable Boots Around
Let's be honest here: Breaking in Doc Martens can be a challenging process. (To minimize the hassle, follow the breaking-in instructions we provide below.) Once your DMs are properly worn in, though, you'll have a pair of custom-fitted kicks that will comfortably carry you through endless miles of walking. In point of fact, a comfy pair of broken-in Docs might just encourage you to start walking further and more often. You'll wonder why other boots just can't seem to duplicate the astounding comfort and wearability of Doc Martens.
3) Doc Martens Treat Your Feet Right
Unless you're a tender young babe in the woods with fresh, unspoiled feet, the odds are virtually certain that you've experienced your fair share of foot anguish - and that fair share is usually a pretty ample serving of pain! Blisters, calluses, corns, ingrown nails, pain, discomfort, squashed toes - there's no wonder that chiropodists and other foot-care professionals never have a shortage of desperate patients. After enough years of endless foot issues, it's all too easy to start hating your feet.
Your Doc Martens are here to rescue you! Once your pair is thoroughly broken in, you'll be amazed by how healthy, strong, and beautiful your feet become.
4) Your Feet Love Doc Martens Right Back
Properly-fitted Doc Martens are roomy. Treating your feet to DMs is like moving out of a cramped apartment into a spacious country house with a few acres of room to stretch around it.
It's no accident that the company chose "Air Wair" as the motto for its signature boots. The exquisitely-designed boot soles will snuggle up to the balls of your feet and cushion your embattled heels against all the iniquities of a hostile world. And up at the front, Doc Martens will cradle your toes firmly and securely while also giving them all the space they could possibly need to breathe.
A few months in Doc Martens may well start to broaden your horizons and make you a more optimistic person. If you develop a sudden interest in new musical genres, it might be your Doc Martens at work.
5) Doc Martens Are A Statement, Not A Fashion Fad
Doc Martens are such quality footwear that they've been appropriated by more than a few fashion trends. Multiple groups from original punk rockers to fashion designers have attempted to co-opt Dr. Martens and make them a part of a narrowly-defined image. Doc Martens are simply too universal and too well-made to slot into one single style. They can be made to work with countless different trends and looks, and to this day they remain spectacularly flexible from a fashion standpoint. This is just one more way in which they make a perfect complement to denim jeans: They share jeans' universal cross-category appeal.
6) Doc Martens Are Simple, Strong, And Exquisitely Well Made
The Doc Marten is nothing less than the platonic ideal of the boot. They're stripped to the essentials and fashioned with the greatest skill and care that English shoemakers can muster. Beyond the infamous breaking-in period, I've never experienced a real problem or spotted a bonafide flaw in a pair of Doc Martens. Part of the reliability of DMs stems from their rejection of fashion trends as described above. They don't have to flashing lights or acrylic fishbowl heels; Doc Martens are first, foremost, always, and only, perfectly-engineered boots. The soles are thick and comfortable, the leather uppers are sturdy and roomy, and the laces are tough enough to keep them on your feet. They might not come with frills, but you have to appreciate just how well they take care of their core job.
7) Doc Martens Have Stood Out For Decades And Always Will
Dr. Martens can be a sort of a paradox. They fit with every look because they don't quite fit with any look. Doc Martens do, sadly, have some haters out there. That crowd is populated almost entirely by foolhardy folks who have never slipped on a pair of DMs themselves. Once you get your feet into a pair of your own, you'll understand the appeal and have no trouble ignoring the naysayers.
8) Doc Martens Are All About Confidence
Doc Martens are, as should be abundantly clear by this point, serious boots. They have a job to do and they don't fuss with frivolities. Wear DMs long enough, and you'll start to absorb this sense of assured toughness by sheer osmosis. Bonding with quality footwear is an excellent way to achieve true peace of mind and self-confidence.
9) Doc Martens Laces Are The Best
Just try and find a boot that wears its laces as boldly and stylishly as Doc Martens. The simplicity of the boots themselves gives you the opportunity to make a splash by adding your own distinctive style to your DMs. You can even go without the laces for a raw, down-on-your-luck look.
10) Doc Martens Are All About The Love
People who understand Doc Martens and appreciate them are a special band apart. Once you've joined the club, keep your eyes peeled for others who dare to sport the DMs: It's an easy way to find people of quality wherever your own Doc Martens take you.
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