R.M.Williams

R.M.Williams cuts its signature boot from a single piece of leather, so no seam runs down either side of a Craftsman. That is why it holds its shape for years, and why the firm has changed the construction so little since 1932.

It was designed in the Australian outback for stockmen who needed a boot that would survive work and still look right in town, not for a shop on New Bond Street. Nine decades later the London flagship puts a genuine bootmaker among the fashion houses, which is rarer on this street than it sounds.

Getting leather boots New Bond Street staff can actually fit you for

There are no laces to take up slack, so the elastic-sided construction has to be right first time. The same nominal size behaves differently across yearling, kangaroo and suede, and a half size out is a boot you will not wear. Allow time to be measured and to try more than one last.

Beyond the boots

Belts, moleskin trousers, knitwear and outerwear fill out the floor, cut in the same unfussy register. Boots can be resoled and returned to the maker rather than replaced, which is the point of paying once.