Summer is a time for more relaxed footwear choices. One of my favourites right now are desert boots, the perfect shoes to throw on with a pair of jeans or khakis. In fact, I guarantee you that they will be the first pair of shoes you grab when you’re stepping out of the house by the fall. Two of the best available both come from the U.K. Nathan Clark made the original desert boot in 1950 and his namesake shoe company, Clarks, still make some of the best examples today. They offer a wide variety in both leather and suede and in a number of colours and patterns, including those in grey at right.

Another pair of note are made by Loake, the esteemed maker of benchmade shoes in Southern England. Their example is called the Sahara (which can be seen on the left) and go up a level in terms of quality of construction.

Clarks Originals Desert Boots are available online in Canada at Zappos.ca at a retail price of $107 U.S. The Loake Sahara can be purchased online at www.loake.co.uk at a price of £79. Considering how well the Canadian dollar is doing against the British Pound, now is as good a time as any to pick up a pair of these fantastic boots.