Meshach

October 21, 2020
4:16 pm
One Comment
Meshach

Aiden boot by Marc Nolan

Steps outside. Imagines himself being up north where the weather is a bit chilly. Inhales that lovely cold air. Exhales slowly and says; “It’s boot season baby.”

Now unfortunately I do not live up north. In fact, I live in the southernmost part of the United States. Good old Miami Florida. The fact that fall and winter are my two favorite seasons doesn’t make matters better for me either! Now, instead of settling and wallowing in defeat, I counter that move by Mother Nature with something we stylish folks like to call boot season!………..or as the hip kids say nowadays, boot szn……

Sorry.

Luckily for me though, the boots that I’m here to talk about today don’t necessarily feel like boots. I’d honestly equate them to more of a chunky sneaker than a boot. I’m talking about a boot from maybe my overall favorite footwear company at the moment. I’m talking about a review of the Aiden boot by Marc Nolan. Cue the funky music.

Now, with any sensible review, we’re going to talk some good and we’re going to talk some bad. I’ll just go ahead and get the spoiler out of the way now, the good outweighs the bad. So without further ado, let’s kick off boot season on the right foot!(Sorry)

Price

Is it kind of deflating to discuss arguably the most anticipated segment of the article in the first bullet? Maybe……………………….so the best thing about Marc Nolan’s products, besides the quality, is easily the price tag. I always expect to spend around 170 bucks for a quality pair of boots. Unfortunately, that’s just how the cookie crumbles nowadays. I bring all of this up because I’m happy to say that these bad boys will clock in at only $145. That’s easily one of the best price tags you’ll find for something like this. The fact that they also support afterpay kind of makes this a no brainer(afterpay, all of this free promo is going to have to come to an end soon). So $145 or an installment of $36.25 every two weeks for four installments is an absolute steal. Don’t think too hard on this one folks.

Looks

(Takes another deep breath, and exhales again). Now it’s time to speak on my hands-down favorite part of the boot(insert smiling devil emoji). The look. Mama mia, my oh my are these boots beautiful! The aesthetics of the boot itself is impressive on its own; from the long toe that runs into the tongue, to the ribbed, stacked midsole. However, what truly elevates this piece of footwear from attractive to “you should carry emergency neck braces for the poor soles(see what I did there?) who pass you by” is this screaming colorway.

Now, if I were to cover the midsole of the boot, you’d probably think nothing of it, due to its all-black upper. Sure it has a suede midsection on the side that runs to the ankle, and sure it’s covered in pebbled leather, but that’s not quite that exciting. Now, when I remove the hand and reveal the blistering contrast from the fire engine red sole, then and only then will you understand what drove me to make an impulse purchase. Guilty as charged.

As stated in my unboxing video, which you can check out here, the Aiden boot by Marc Nolan does come in 2 other colorways. A dark brown one with a green suede midsole and a medium brown one with a blue midsole. Beautiful in their own way? Sure. But also a little too safe. The black and red colorway, which I might as well dub the Chicagos, is inspired by Michael Jordan and the Air Jordan XI that was worn in the 1996 NBA finals. Being that Marc Nolan is a Chicago based company, the team wanted to pay homage to his Airness, thus making this the best color scheme of the bunch, and also providing a super cool backstory to go along with it.

Unfortunately, things can’t always be chamomile and lavender. There is a certain element in the look that still doesn’t quite sit well with me, and that’s the suede segment at the top of the tongue. I’m not a fan. I would’ve preferred for the tongue to be leather all throughout. Now, this is just a tiny blip of disappointment for me, so it’s not that big of a deal. I can also foresee a time in which the suede begins to discolor a bit, especially on the tongue. Sometimes black suede can discolor and develop a green like hue on the surface. Once again though, these are just minor hiccups in what is otherwise a flawless execution in my opinion. Moving on.

Comfort

Let me begin by saying that there is a lot of room to work with here. Even while wearing my thickest of socks, I never once felt restricted and uncomfortable. If I can get a little personal, the bone on the outside of my right pinky toe sticks out juuust a little farther than my left foot. Because of this, I have experienced a level of discomfort in some shoes; varying from how they’re constructed, to whether it’s a narrow shoe, a shoe with a stumpy front, or a shoe that runs small.

I had no such issue with these. In fact, they still feel a little roomy even though I sized down. That isn’t to say that they look or feel big, because they don’t. They should however appeal to any wide footers out there. This is your kind of boot.

I’ve tested them out with several multiple hour sessions and I am happy to report that there was no discomfort. I’ve worn them sitting for extended periods, standing without much movement, and walking throughout a mall(a massive one at that), and not once did I feel the need to take them off. They’re light, they’ve got room, and the insole is very soft. Meshach Berry approves.

Laces

Not much to see here folks. No seriously, there’s not much. Not a lot of lace to talk about. I’m not going to spend a lot of time bashing the laces, because they aren’t necessarily bad; I just prefer thicker laces with my boots and these are very thin. It’s more of a personal preference rather than a defect with the product itself. They do have a wax coating on them to help with durability, thus fighting against any unraveling of the sort, so that is a plus. Is it the company cutting costs? I’m not sure. Could be. Is it just a design preference? Also a possibility. At this point, it is what it is, and the boot is still amazing in my opinion, so don’t let this deter you in any way.

Weight

Boot? Sneaker? Sneaker boot? No, but if I told you to close your eyes and slip these on, you’d be forgiven if you thought they were sneakers. That’s how light these puppies are. Keep in mind that aesthetically, the Aiden boot by Marc Nolan is a hiking boot at heart. Swap out your standard lug sole for an athletic EVA rubber sole and you’ll save yourself a couple of ounces. Couple that with their standard memory foam insole and you’ll feel as if you’re walking on sunshine, err I mean air.

A typical work boot can clock in around 50 or so ounces. These weighed in at 34 ounces(forgive the large typo in my Youtube video, which again, you can check out here). We’re talking in the ballpark of an entire pound of weight, depending on the specifics. Yes, the colors stand out immediately, but I’d go as far as to say that the weight of this boot is its most interesting feature.

That brings us to the end peeps! I hope you found this article informative; not only for this particular boot but maybe even for footwear in general. I will link to the website down below if you’re interested in this company and what they do. If you haven’t already I highly suggest that you subscribe to my YouTube channel, where you can find the other half of this Aiden boot journey and the information that comes with it. Just to reiterate, my YouTube channel and my website work together to bring all of my content full circle, so if you want to keep up with everything then make sure to keep up with both. I will also link to my Instagram and Facebook so that you can be updated on when my new content will drop.