A REAL alternative to the All Saints boots

I have often reported on alternatives my readers have found to the elusive All Saints Layer Boots, from the popular River Island Double Eyelet Boots; passing the TopMan and Aldo look-a-likes; to the more recent Peacock Boots; before coming full circle back to All Saints.

Well, Magnoli Clothiers in New Zealand have gone the extra mile by producing a replica boot especially for Eleven cosplayers!

At first glance they look pretty good, and have the unique contrasting layer of leather at the ankle.

However, on closer inepection (going by the photographs released) they are made form a black leather rather than the very dark brown as you can see on the originals (see top of entry).

The toe cap is also quite high as are  the heals.

But my main gripe is they are far too pristine in appearance and look little like the pre-aged originals they are trying to ape.

Still, they are undoubtedly the best option out there at present, but with a US$450 price tag, far more expensive than the Layer boots ever were when they were current (they retailed at GB£110, equal to US$180).

I’d expect these to sell well though.

Eleven degrees of separation

Last year Matt was seen wearing the iconic All Saints Layer Boots (see below).

Along with the Paul Smith shirt, they set a trend of being easily obtainable off-the-peg items – which went out of stock the moment they were identified!
I managed to nab pretty much the last pair in the south of England before the scramble was on to find them.

Lots of people missed out on them, so the hunt was on for something that could be worn as a next-best option.

First up was the River Island Double-Eyelet boots, which had the distinctive layered leather ankle. Unlike the All Saints boots, they also had a second set of eyelets (as their name would suggest) which some people found distracting.

The also had a distracting zip on the instep of the boot, which made them easy to slip on and off without fussing with the laces.

Nevertheless, they were the best alternative, and as you can see from the comparison photo (see right), they certainly filled the hole left by the All Saints originals.

These had just come onto the River Island range, so were widely available and easy to find. However, they have now been discontinued.

So what alternatives are there now to the All Saints alternatives?

New look made an aged pair in black and brown (see above) and Aldo had something similar too (see below), but these were all much of a muchness.

Well, another alternative boot has recently come to my attention, which I thought I’d share with you.

They come from Peacocks, a budget clothing shop not far removed from Primark!

Just like the River Island Double-Eyelet boots, these sell for a bargain £25! They bear an uncanny resemblance to the River Island boots, so much so you’d be forgiven for thinking that was just what they were!

And finally, in a bizarre full circle, All Saints has just added a new style of boot that’s not that dissimilar to their original Layer Boots! Funny how things come around, isn’t it?

They are called Grain Boots, and have a layer of lighter coloured leather around the ankle. They come in a choice of Graphite (grey); Ochre (tan) or Sepia (mid-brown).

The Sepia seems to be the best match (see left).

A friend of mine put me onto them and he took a photo while trying them on in-store.

Do tell me what you think of them. Will you be getting a pair?

All Saints buses

A little while back I wrote about a spate of Paul Smith Shirts on eBay. Well over the past couple of weeks history has repeated itself – this time though in All Saints Boots!

So far there has been a run of three pairs of boots for sale – and like buses, they al seemed to come at once!

ALL SAINTS BOOTS – UK size 10

First up was a pair in UK size 11. They were erroneously listed as Worker Boots (they should have been Layer Boots).

The boots were in excellent condition, and the heal, despite looking like they had been re-healed (that’s the design of the boots), are original with minimal wear.

This was the description for the boots:

Here for auction we have a 100% genuine pair of All Saints Layer Worker Boots, the exact some ones as worn by Matt Smith as The Doctor in Doctor Who. These are SUPER rare now, and very seldom come up for sale.

This pair are in great condtion, they have only been worn a handful of times and still look great with years of life left in them. The heels, which are the originals, even have hardly any sign of wear! I really doubt you'll find a better pair than these. Remember these were sold out in the shops over a year and a half ago now, so the chance of finding a pair that have this tiny amount of wear is going to be VERY slim.

These really have no problems at all to report.

Not only are these a super rare purchase but they are also super boots to wear, really comfy and have a nice feel and fit to them.

They are a UK 10 44

I am selling these because, as much I like them, I never wear them! And it seems silly to leave them in the wardrobe when someone could be enjoying them.

Thanks for looking and happy bidding.

The starting price was 99p start, and after 9 bidders slugged it out with 18 bids, they sold for £265

ALL SAINTS BOOTS – UK size 11

Next up was a pair of UK size 11, sold with original box.
These were in less than perfect condition, with a notable hole in the sole of the right boot.
The seller was honest to show it, but it didn’t put off bidders.

This was the description for the boots:

All Saints Layer Boots Size 11

For sale are my All Saints Layer Boots, the same kind as worn by the eleventh doctor Matt Smith in Doctor Who. They are a size 11. The boots are in good worn condition apart from the soles. One of the soles has a small hole in it and will need to be replaced (see pictures). The boots will be sent in their original box.

All fair offers will be considered. For overseas shipping, please ask for a quote.

After a couple of offers the boots sold with a BuyItNow for £250.

ALL SAINTS BOOTS – UK size 11

Next, and currently still on eBay, are a further pair in UK size 11.

This was the description for the boots:

All Saints Layer Boots

as worn by MATT SMITH as the 11th DOCTOR WHO

UK SIZE 11- US SIZE 12 - EUROPEAN SIZE 45

100% CLEAN AND SCREEN ACCURATE

No tears, scuffs, holes or blemishes. Boots are supplied in ORIGINAL All Saints box.

Recent life-change forces sale of this immaculately kept, pristine condition pair of boots.

Bidders from overseas are welcome but please CONTACT ME VIA EBAY as your postage charges will vary.

Bidders with zero feedback please email before bidding.

5-day auction for quick sale. Buyer may pay cash on collection.

I am happy to upload more photographs for serious bidders.

NO TIME-WASTERS, PLEASE

I will consider ending the auction early for a good, solid offer.

GOOD LUCK!

This pair were the subject of some minor debate on the forums, when the seller mentioned he was looking to sell them.
A couple of people with limited funds appealed for a quick, cheap sale – but market forces prevailed and they were listed with a starting price of £180, a BuyItNow of £260 and a reserve in there too to cover the seller! (By contrast the first pair I mentioned here started at 99p with no reserve)
An invitation to submit ‘solid offers’ also showed the recent realised prices had set a trend.

Well, the original listing went un-sold and they were relisted, this time with a £149 starting price and a BuyItNow of £250. they still failed to sell (see below).

Could the sole have finally fallen out of the All Saints Layer Boots market . . . .

Costume index - appendix

With filming well underway for Series Six, I thought it was time to catch up on a couple of Eleventh Doctor appearances which have happened since the end of Series Five.

Doctor Who BBC Prom

Jacket Harris Tweed in Mackenzie two-by-two dogtooth weave

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. These jeans can be quickly identified by the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see left)

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Doctor Who Live

Jacket Harris Tweed in Mackenzie two-by-two dogtooth weave

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Death Of The Doctor
(The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Jacket Donegal Tweed

Shirt Pale Blue contrast dress shirt from TopMan

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Series Five costume index

A while back over on my Third Doctor Blog I ran a series of features about Jon Pertwee’s costume changes during his run as The Doctor.
I wrote it because I was curious to work out the transition from his first year when he wore the same clothes all season, through to his last where he rarely wore the same thing twice!

Matt  Smith’s costume appeared at the outset to be a fairly fixed affair, but as the series has progressed a number of subtle variants have emerged. What follows is an attempt to document these in one place.

All of the images below have been grabbed from the HD transmissions. Click on them to view in full resolution.

The Eleventh Hour

Jacket Donegal Tweed

NB: There is a minor continuity error in the closing scene, where a close-up shows The Doctor wearing the Harris Tweed jacket (see right) which does not appear for two episodes.

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. These jeans can be quickly identified by the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see below).

Boots All Saints Layer boots

The Beast Below

Jacket Donegal Tweed

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots 

Victory Of The Daleks

Jacket Harris Tweed in Mackenzie two-by-two dogtooth weave

Shirt Blue Paul Smith

Trousers Plain charcoal skinny jeans
NB. These jeans can be distinguished from the dogtooth jeans by their clean closure at the waistband with no visible button (see right).


Boots Unidentified brown boots

The Time Of Angels
Flesh & Stone

Jacket Harris Tweed in Mackenzie two-by-two dogtooth weave

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith
NB. The cuffs have two buttons (so it is not the French Cuff Shirt I featured last month - sorry Ryan), but Matt wears the shirt with only one of these buttons done up (see below, bottom left)

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. These jeans can be quickly identified by the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see above, top left).

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Vampires Of Venice

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Blue Paul Smith
NB. The matching blue bow tie has an interesting woven knot (see above, top right)

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. Note the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see above, top & bottom left).

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Amy’s Choice

Upper Ledworth scenes

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Blue Paul Smith
NB. The blue bow tie Matt wears, as well as being narrower than the burgundy one, appears to have a faint woven pattern in it (see above, bottom right). Bow ties are cool!

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. These jeans can be quickly identified by the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see above, top left).

Boots All Saints Layer boots

TARDIS scenes


Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

The Hungry Earth & Cold Blood

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan
NB. These jeans can be quickly identified by the visible metal waistband button at the top of the fly (see above, top left and bottom right).

Boots All Saints Layer boots

Vincent And The Doctor

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Navy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

The Lodger

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Navy Paul Smith

Trousers Dark grey skinny jeans from Top Man

Boots All Saints Layer boots

NB. This episode has probably the best close-up of The Doctor’s watch (see right).

The Pandorica Opens

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

The Big Bang

Jacket Donagal Tweed

Shirt Burgundy Paul Smith

Trousers Dogtooth design skinny jeans from TopMan

Boots All Saints Layer boots

If you spot a variant I have missed, please drop me a line at tennantcoat@me.com so I can amend my information.

River Island Double Eyelet Boots

Although I have a pair of actual All Saints Layer Boot (see right), I am now terrified of wearing them!

Firstly due to their scarcity; and secondly because they have real smooth leather soles, so the potential of falling arse over tit is quite high!

Let it not be said I don’t stand by what I publish – so I thought I might go and seek out a pair of the River Island next-best option that I recommended as an Alternative.

It was one of my clients, Peter Lack, who first drew them to everyone’s attention, so a big thanks to him for sharing his find with us all.

I was going up to central London today anyways, so I took a little trip down Oxford Street to see what I could find. This is the most perfect place to buy shoes, as this is the street cited in The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy in the short film about the Shoe Event Horizon . . . .

I found the flagship River Island store (see above) and went to the footwear department. I was surprised to see that there are a number of similar boots on offer.

I have listed their individual product codes here, as their website is flash-based so I am unable to provide direct links to the shoes concerned.

Its worth looking at the Military Lace Up Boot (code 245950); the Leather Military Boot (code 242717); the Military Zip Boot (code 246409).

But two caught my eye: the Distressed Military Boot (code 242172) (see below, right) and the Double Eyelet Boot (code 243710) (see below, left), which I recommended previously.

I ask for them in a size 10 and after a bit of scrabbling around (one of them was part of the display) they found a matching pair!

I tried them on (see above – out with Ten, in with Eleven!) and they were a good, comfortable fit. They also have a rubber sole, so less likely to be slippery on wet or shiny surfaces.

You might be able to see from this picture that on the inside of the boots there is a zip. This allows you to put the boots on easily and is not entirely a bad thing!

There was a minor bit of customer perusal damage to the one that had been in display, but nothing too major. Since they were the only pair in the sore in my size, I negotiated a 10% discount and left happy.

When I left the store I noticed that right next door was a branch of New Look (see below).

I had read on the forums that someone had spotted a pair of shoes in New Look that were a contender to be a next-best to the All Saints boots.
I thought I would take a look.

After going up two floors I eventually found their men’s shoes department and amongst all the All Star wannabe slippers, and cheap formal TopMan knock-off shoes I found what I think they were referring to (see below).

It comes in a brown or a black, and is of soft, pre-worn leather with a similar look to the All Saints boots, but it ends there.
They lack the layered ankle, which i what makes the All Saints boots SO distinctive.

It was as I was leaving I suddenly realised I recognised the escalators in the store. Funny thing to say, but they are buy one of the side walls and you have to walk a long way to get to the next one going down.

This store used to be a branch of Boarders, before it folded in the credit crunch.
It was in the good times that I went there to meet John Barrowman, and later the cast of Sarah Jane Adventures (see right).

I had also read in the Eleven Costume Breakdown that some boots in Aldo were also a possibility, so I headed down Oxford Street to find their store too (see below).

I found their men’s boots (see below), but again they lacked the design nuances of screen-used boots.

So far for me, when it comes down to it, I think the Double Eyelet Boots from River Island (see below) are the top of the next-best options.

So much so I bought I a pair myself!

UPDATE

I have now owned and worn my River Island boots for a good week now, and I can report how much I like them.

Below are some comparison pictures between the All Saints Layer Boots (always on the left) and the River Island Double Eyelet Boots (always on the right) so you can see how they compare.

They were a perfect fit from day one, and have never rubbed or given me blisters the way some new boots or shoes can!

They are very comfortable and hardly feel like I am wearing them, which is the way a good fitting pair of shoes should be. They have a rubber sole, compared to the leather one of the All Saints boots, and this gives them better grip.

My only criticism of them – and there were warning signals before I bought them – is the inside of the zip, which has a flap of fabric to (I presume) soften the feel of the zip on your foot.

On the display pair (which I bought as they were the only pair in stock in my size) the flap had become trapped in the zip and had shredded. I bartered a 10% discount because of it and snipped it off when I got them home.

Within a day or so the other boot had the same problem, and the zip got totally snagged and it took half-an-hour to free it!

I then cut this flap off too and would recommend cutting them away before wearing them if you want to avoid the same problem.

All that is minor really, compared to the fit and comfort as well as the similarity to the All Saint boots.