CLIFF

Pull-on, square toe, and nothing on the outside that needs adjusting. That is the entire mechanism of a boot like this one, and it is the reason the style has outlasted almost everything that tried to improve on it.

The record for this style names the shape and the closure and stops. Rather than dress that up, take it at face value: a western boot you step into, with a broad square front. There is no lacing to set, no buckle to forget, nothing that comes undone halfway through a day.

That suits some people completely and others not at all, and the difference is instep. A pull-on has to be loose enough to get past the arch and snug enough to stay put once it is on, so try it at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest and take the pair that goes on with one firm pull rather than a fight. Wear them with the jean over the shaft. They ask for very little else.