style inspiration

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! And no I don’t mean Christmas. October is easily my favorite month of the year, because that means Halloween and fall colors and all the spooky things! This outfit was inspired by the witch aesthetic, which seemed appropriate for this time of year and has been a bit of a rising trend for a couple of years now. This dress from Abercrombie & Fitch could be easily styled in a more clean-cut way, but I feel like it works great for a more witchy vibe. This aesthetic is all about the accessories, and this felt hat from Brixton is perfect for it!

Featured in this outfit are Thursday Boots’ Captain style lace-up in their Natural finish from the classic collection. I recently purchased these boots, along with a pair of Sutro’s Santa Ana Chelsea style boot in their Honey finish. I will be making a separate post about those in the future, but in the meantime, I have since gotten to know both pairs a bit better and wanted to do a quick side-by-side review of them both.

First off, Sutro boots run about $50 more than Thursday Boots. While Thursday’s retail at about $190, Sutros will set you back about $245. Interestingly, both of these brands manufacture their shoes in Leon, Mexico, so they are exactly equal in terms of their origin. The cool thing about Sutro is that they offer a “Factory Seconds” line, which they sell at a discount for minor aesthetic defects. You can get a pair of Sutros at about the cost of a Thursday Boot if you buy the factory seconds line, which is pretty awesome! Both companies use good year welt construction, which is crucial if you want a “buy-it-for-life” shoe that will hold up to everyday wear and tear. Generally good year welted shoes will have visible stitching along the sides of the shoe where the leather meets the insole. This means that the insole and the upper can be easily pulled apart, repaired and replaced as needed, and won’t damage the shoe’s construction. When you’re dropping a lot of money on shoes, you’re going to want them to be repaired, not just tossed out with the Monday morning’s trash.

One thing that does differ between these two is the weight. Thursday Boots’ Captain style weighs about 1.5 ounces more per shoe than Sutro’s Santa Ana. Since these are the only styles I have bought from both companies, I can’t tell you if this is true across all styles, but the weight difference is pretty noticeable. Another difference is the quality of the leather and conditioning. I actually purchased these Sutros from the Factory Seconds line at a discount, but the quality of the leather and conditioning still surpasses Thursday Boots’ offerings at full price. Additionally, both companies use wood block heel construction, Sutros use a much thicker wood sole across the entirety of the shoe, while Thursdays use more rubber than wood toward the toe of the boot. Thursdays do have a wood block construction running through the entirety of the sole, but they also use a thicker rubber layer below it. Sutro, on the other hand, uses an entirely wood constructed sole and a much thicker wood layer. You can see this as evidenced in the photos below.

Overall, Sutros’ conditioning and leather quality is a hair superior than Thursday’s. Couple that with the more substantial wood sole and the lighter weight, I would call Sutros a slightly better boot. I should note that Thursdays are no slouch either, and their price points are fair for what you get, which is a very well made boot! Since Sutros run about 50 bucks more, the slight bump in quality does make sense. The adage of “you get what you pay for” does play out while comparing these two, but at the same time you can’t really go wrong with either company. As for getting the most bang for your buck, check out Sutro’s Factory Seconds line. You will get a great pair of quality boots for a significant discount! My personal experience buying from that line, I couldn’t even find a significant defect with these shoes so it’s kind of a no brainer!