At first glance, they appear rugged and substantial, yet when worn, they reveal a clean, refined silhouette. Crafted from Brunello Cucinelli’s signature high-quality, supple calf leather and featuring a TPU sole, these mountain boots offer exceptional lightness and comfort.
Brunello Cucinelli’s styling proposals include unexpected combinations that diverge from the norm. This aligns with one of Brunello Cucinelli’s core concepts: styling inspired by the perspective of resort wear.
Conventional fashion thinking wouldn’t suggest pairing mountain boots with suits or jackets. Part of Brunello Cucinelli’s appeal lies in proposing such unexpected styling, like wearing mountain boots with a suit.
As I do not own a Brunello Cucinelli suit, I cannot personally pair mountain boots with one. Fortunately, I do own jackets for both spring/summer and autumn/winter, albeit casual ones. When wearing my beloved corduroy jacket for autumn/winter, I often have the opportunity to try Brunello Cucinelli’s suggested combination: pairing a tailored jacket with mountain boots. While seemingly an unexpected pairing, this style achieves a relaxed yet playful sophistication.
While discussing Brunello Cucinelli’s unique, unexpected combinations featuring mountain boots, the boots introduced here are also exceptional as standalone footwear. They embody Brunello Cucinelli’s signature relaxed sophistication, representing superb mountain boots that no other brand could replicate.
[ Brunello Cucinelli Suede penny lofer’s Article ]
These boots are exceptionally soft and comfortable to wear. I sense the same high standard of craftsmanship, quality materials, and shoemaking philosophy common to all Brunello Cucinelli footwear. I have experienced a similar sensation with their suede loafers in the past.
Crafted with meticulous care from premium calf leather to create mountain boots.
The colour is café (dark brown) and the laces are also leather laces in the same shade, so there is absolutely none of the bulky, rugged look inherent in the form of a mountain boot, nor any sense of clutter around the laces.
Introduction.
I myself had never owned or used proper mountain boots in the past, but about 20 years ago, I saw some wonderful mountain boots by the Italian brand Giacometti at Barneys, and I had it in the back of my mind that I wanted to get some somewhere.
At the time, I was regularly wearing a Moncler down jacket (from the mountain wear era, in a moderately smoky pastel green), and I vaguely thought it would be wonderful to pair my favourite bootcut jeans with those beautiful Giacomo mountain boots. However, Barneys stopped stocking them, and in the end, I was unable to purchase them. (At the time, I was fond of two pairs of boots: lace-ups and zip-up boots from Carpe.)
Mountain boots are designed for climbing, so they are heavier duty than regular shoes. They have a slightly unusual shape, and the thick soles and lacing structure mean they add quite a bit of volume to your feet when worn. They balance well with puffy, voluminous items like the mountain down jackets of yesteryear, creating a sporty style.
After that, I went through a period where I distanced myself from fashion, and I completely forgot about mountain boots. However, when I went to look at Brunello Cucinelli’s corduroy jackets, the mountain boots I’m introducing today caught my eye.
While their styling is refined and attractive, I was astonished by their soft comfort and lightness when worn – completely different from other mountain boots. Although my purpose was to buy the corduroy jacket and matching trousers, I was utterly won over by the excellence of these unrelated mountain boots and purchased them alongside the jacket and trousers.
A playful sensibility reminiscent of Brunello Cucinelli
On my first visit to the Brunello Cucinelli Ginza store, I purchased a corduroy jacket and corduroy trousers, which were close to the blazer set I had intended to buy. From a conventional perspective, if selecting shoes to match, the standard approach would be to choose either the Derby shoes offered by Brunello Cucinelli or, for a slightly more relaxed look, loafers. However, as I already owned John Lobb Derbies and U-tip shoes, I hadn’t given it much thought. Whilst having shoes shown to me, the item that caught my eye was the mountain boots featured here.
When I asked to try on the mountain boots, the Brunello Cucinelli staff suggested that pairing them with a blazer is a delightful combination, one of the playful elements of the Brunello Cucinelli style. The white corduroy trousers also pair with mountain boots as part of the brand’s concept. They suggested that pairing them with a blazer takes the typical blazer outfit concept a step further, creating a look that truly embodies the Brunello Cucinelli aesthetic.
At that moment, I honestly thought, ‘A blazer and trousers with mountain boots?’ I’d previously been shown how mountain boots look great with denim or chinos, so the staff’s unexpected reaction surprised me.
Staff say’s Furthermore, our staff advised that whilst we would typically recommend a Derby or loafer for easy styling versatility, the mountain boot option represents a choice that, if I may use an analogy, skips one or two steps beyond the entry-level Brunello Cucinelli selection. It is generally recommended as a playful choice for those who already confidently wear various items from the Brunello Cucinelli range.
The reasoning behind this recommendation is that the mountain boots, chosen as an accent piece to complement the corduroy blazer and corduroy trousers combination you selected, look exceptionally well put together. Furthermore, considering that you typically favour denim and might wear them as bottoms with non-Brunello Cucinelli items, mountain boots are more casual and versatile than derbies or loafers, offering greater wearability and more opportunities to wear them.
Indeed, pairing the corduroy jacket you’ve decided to purchase with the off-white corduroy trousers and mountain boots works well.
As often discussed when introducing Brunello Cucinelli, I’d normally think, “Well, they’re both Brunello Cucinelli, but one’s more casual, bordering on formal, like a blazer, while the other’s a mountain boot for hiking – they’re items with different philosophies and purposes. How will that work?” But contrary to my expected mismatch, it looks more natural and refined than I’d imagined.
Derbies and loafers are considered formal footwear when regarded as proper leather shoes, though they are more casual than boots. As they are leather shoes often worn as part of a suit or jacket ensemble, they create a harmonious and stable combination. Brunello Cucinelli’s derbies and loafers, whether in suede or calf leather, feature unique colour palettes and textures. When paired with jackets or suits, they offer a suitably relaxed, effortless feel. This combination is refined, something other brands struggle to achieve; seeking a similar aesthetic proves highly challenging.
Typically, one would follow Brunello Cucinelli’s established approach of pairing their derbies or loafers to embrace the understated sophistication and elegance the brand proposes. Yet, the suggestion to deliberately step outside this, introducing an element of playfulness by choosing mountain boots, is surprising. Trying this combination oneself reveals a worldview that makes perfect sense.
- The fact that the corduroy jacket and corduroy trousers were winter items also prompted the choice of boots rather than loafers. Subsequently, when ordering a jacket for spring/summer MTM, the style paired with Brunello Cucinelli’s slim-fit denim also saw the purchase of Brunello Cucinelli’s soft suede loafers.
These mountain boots are solidly constructed with thick soles, yet possess a surprising softness and lightness that belies their substantial appearance.
They are meticulously crafted, with leather that is suitably supple, and the lacing system provides excellent adjustability for a perfect fit. A further characteristic is that they are comfortable to wear and do not cause fatigue.
Brunello Cucinelli’s superb comfort
The comfort of Brunello Cucinelli garments, stemming from their fine materials and superb tailoring, can be summed up simply as clothes that feel good to wear. This phrase is frequently discussed in fashion media.
The suede loafers I’ve written about previously boast an exquisite combination of the suede’s softness and the sole’s suppleness. It might sound a bit exaggerated, but they offer a level of comfort rivalling that of New Balance trainers. My own reason for being such a huge fan of New Balance lies in their exceptional comfort and the sheer pleasure they bring when worn or walked in. Brunello Cucinelli’s leather shoes, crafted from an entirely different philosophy, possess a comfort level rivalling New Balance trainers, characterised by being incredibly pleasant to wear.
This sensation of comfort is largely due to a stress-free element; even after prolonged wear, there is minimal foot stress and fatigue. Speaking of stress-free footwear, John Lobb shoes, crafted from a completely different philosophy, also offer this quality. The leather is moderately firm, and the shoes are weighty. However, after years of wear, as the sole moulds and the leather subtly adapts to the shape of your foot, they become an extension of your foot itself. The comfort achieved when they truly mould to your foot is distinct, though the nature of that comfort differs. I plan to cover this aspect in more detail in an article dedicated to John Lobb shoes.
The mountain boots featured here, much like the suede loafers, offer a soft feel. They are considerably lighter than they appear and possess a moderate sole flex, making them exceptionally comfortable to wear. Within that softness, there’s a satisfying sensation from the sole’s structure, allowing stress-free driving. Conventionally, one might imagine the thick soles of mountain boots unsuitable for driving, yet Brunello Cucinelli’s mountain boots feel almost like trainers, allowing stress-free driving.
As an aside, driving shoes remain ideal for driving; when I drove a manual transmission car, I favoured Italian Pilotti driving shoes. They were available at Le Garage in the Axis Building in Roppongi, so I bought about three pairs and rotated them for regular use. The reason I chose Pilotti driving shoes was that their soles are reasonably firm and sturdy. Compared to other driving shoes, they didn’t wear down much, even with regular walking, not just driving.
