Beckett Simonon Review: Are These the Best Dress Boots?

With so many shoe brands on the market, many start to look alike. 

But every once in a while, I stumble on a brand that’s truly unique. 

Beckett Simonon is one of those brands. 

Over the past two years, I’ve picked up both their Douglas Jodhpur boot and their Elliot Balmoral boot, and they’ve quickly become one of the brands I recommend most often.

Keep reading if you want to learn what it’s like to shop with Beckett Simonon and whether this brand is right for you.

What Is Beckett Simonon?

The folks who founded Beckett Simonon are veterans in the leather-goods industry. 

They used to manufacture and sell through retailers, and they noticed that retailers were pricing their products at up to 10 times the cost. And that’s because a lot of it went unsold. That’s a sad reality of the retail business. 

But they wanted to change that. So in 2011, Beckett Simonon was born. The brand operates entirely on a pre-order basis. 

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That means they have very little in stock ready to buy. When you order, they’ll take your order and handle the manufacturing themselves. They know exactly how many shoes, what sizes, what leather, etc. they need to produce.

And that translates to vastly lower prices. Just think about it: if you had to produce 1,000 pairs of shoes in sizes 6-15, in every leather color, the price would be astronomical. Plus, there’s no way you’d sell all of those shoes. So you’d need to bump up the price of each pair to cover the ones that don’t sell.

Beckett Simonon avoids that problem altogether by producing only as many shoes and boots as they need. 

The benefit is that you get a high quality product at a much less expensive price, and there’s no excess waste or harm done to the planet.

Beckett Simonon Shipping Time

Beckett Simonon’s biggest strength is also their biggest weakness. Because they hand make all their shoes and boots to order, the process can take up 12 weeks before you get your new boots. 

I’ve picked up two pairs of boots from Beckett Simonon now. The first time I shopped with them, I got the Douglas Jodhpur, which took about four weeks to arrive. The second time I picked up the Elliot Balmoral, and that took about six weeks.

With supply chain issues and their increased popularity, the wait time has increased for some models up to 12 weeks now (it still beats my Nicks Boots waiting time: 24 weeks).

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Now, Beckett Simonon does give you frequent updates throughout the shipping process, so you’re always in the loop. It’s actually pretty cool because you get to learn about the entire process, and I found that their updates actually made me appreciate my shoes even more once I got them. 

I’m fine with the wait, because I think Beckett Simonon offers some of the best value for money you can find in footwear. 

But if you have an upcoming event and you need your shoes now, I can see the wait time being a deal breaker. If that’s the case for you, check out the alternatives section below. 

My Beckett Simonon Reviews

I’ve shopped with Beckett Simonon twice now: I have the Douglas Jodhpur and the Elliot Balmoral boot. 

I have more detailed reviews of each of these boots in case you’re interested in learning more, but I’ll give you a quick rundown of my thoughts here.

You can also watch my video review below if you prefer that to reading:

Beckett Simonon Douglas Jodhpur

The Beckett Simonon Douglas Jodhpur is a take on the Chelsea boot style, but with a leather strap and bucket that runs around the shaft. 

I picked my Douglas boots up in Black, and I absolutely love the leather. I’ve owned these boots for about two years now and they’ve creased so gently and gracefully—you really can’t tell they’re older than three months. 

The Douglas features a leather sole, which makes a nice sound on hard floors. Obviously that’s not a huge feature, but I personally love it. I always scuff up my leather sole a little when they’re new because otherwise they can feel super slippery. I recommend you do the same here. 

The boot uses Italian full grain calfskin leather, and it’s the nicest leather I have on any boot in my collection under $300. It’s on par with my Aldens, Allen Edmonds, and Grant Stones (those boot range from $350-$500 for reference). The leather is the shining star of Beckett Simonon shoes, as it looks rich and top-quality. 

The Douglas is made with Blake stitch construction, which means it’s fully recraftable, flexible, and lightweight. 

I wouldn’t wear these out in the rain, because Blake stitch doesn’t offer much protection from the elements, but otherwise, it’s a solid construction method that’s plenty durable for everyday wear. 

What I Like

• The Italian full grain leather and vachetta leather lining make for the finest leather combo I’ve ever seen in a sub-$250 boot. 
• The shape of the boot is sophisticated, modern, and slim. It’s a nice balance of power and style, which is perfect for the office and date nights. 
• I like the rubber half-toplift in the heel—it helps boost the durability of the boot. 

What I Don’t Like

• The wait time takes this boot out of contention if you need something soon. 

Beckett Simonon Elliot Balmoral

After my first experience with the Douglas Jodhpur, I went back to Beckett Simonon about a year later and picked up their Elliot Balmoral boot.

I actually like the Elliot more than I like the Douglas (and I like the Douglas plenty). 

The Elliot Balmoral boot is my number one pick in my list of best dress boots for men. I don’t think there’s a better value for money dress boot out on the market. 

I like the Elliot for many of the same reasons I just listed above with the Douglas: the Italian full grain leather is exquisite, the Blake stitch construction is reliable and lightweight, and they’re super comfortable.

What puts the Elliot over the top is the leather color. I picked mine up in Bordeaux (which you can also get with the Douglas—I just didn’t). 

The Elliot has five eyelets and four speed hooks—I love the speed hooks as they make it so much easier to put the boot on. It’s a Balmoral style boot, which means it’s basically just like an Oxford shoe, but in boot form. 

Because it’s so closely related to an Oxford, the Elliot Balmoral is the most formal boot Beckett Simonon offers. Still, even though it’s technically a formal boot, it looks fantastic paired with jeans and chinos, so I wear it sometimes as a date night boot. 

What I Like

• The leather quality is the best I’ve found at this price. 
• I like the slim rubber sole on the Elliot—it helps with traction and comfort when walking.
• The speed hooks allow for easy on and off, which is super helpful when you’re trying to tie your shoes and you’re wearing a suit. 

What I Don’t Like

• I think it’d be nice to have an option between leather soles and rubber soles, just in case you want to go classically formal with a leather sole here. 

Beckett Simonon Sizing

Finding the right size for your Beckett Simonon’s is quite simple, and you’ll want the same size regardless of whether you’re shopping for their shoes or their boots. 

I recommend getting your sneaker or dress shoe size. So take a look in your closet—what’s the most common shoe size you have that fits? Get that. 

The same is true for Beckett Simonon boots. Many boot brands recommend you order a half size smaller, but don’t do that with Beckett Simonon. Get the same size Beckett Simonon boots as you would sneakers or dress shoes. 

For me, I’m a 10.5 in my running shoes, sneakers, and dress shoes. I’m a size 10 in Red Wings boots, Thursday Boots, and Wolverines. I picked up my Beckett Simonon boots in a 10.5 and I love the fit. 

You can also read my Beckett Simonon sizing guide to make sure you know every last detail about their lasts before you buy.

What do Other Reviewers Say About Beckett Simonon? 

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Beckett Simonon has over 4,000 reviews on their site at the time of writing and there’s a lot of positive strewn throughout. 

Many reviewers mentioned they immediately bought a second, third, or fourth pair as soon as they got their first pair. The quality is immediately apparent, and once they tried the first pair on, they were ready to buy again from Beckett Simonon. 

Some reviewers just stick with Beckett Simonon entirely now—once you find a good brand, why go elsewhere? 

On the negative side, many reviewers find the wait time tough to go through. But they also mention that Beckett Simonon is on point with their communication, so you’re always fully aware of how long it’s going to take. It’s just difficult to wait when you’re used to two-day shipping. 

Beckett Simonon Alternatives

I’m a huge fan of Beckett Simonon, but if you need a pair of boots or shoes within a few weeks, Beckett Simonon just doesn’t cut it. 

Here are a few brands I think make great alternatives to Beckett Simonon if you’re not willing to wait. 

Thursday Boots

Thursday Boots is another one of my favorite brands, and like Beckett Simonon, I think they offer some of the best value for money in the game.

Thursday’s quality isn’t quite as good as Beckett Simonon. The leather certainly isn’t as rich as Beckett Simonon, but Thursday does Goodyear welted construction on all their boots and the sole quality is outstanding. 

From a durability and ruggedness standpoint, Thursday outperforms Beckett Simonon. They also have several styles that are more geared toward casual wear. I like Beckett Simonon for their dressy styles mainly. 

Still, Thursday offers Oxfords, loafers, and even a sweet pair of Wingtip boots that are excellent choices if you need a pair of dressy shoes or boots in a hurry.  

Allen Edmonds

Allen Edmonds is much more closely aligned with Beckett Simonon from a style perspective. They offer classic dress shoes and boots, and have a huge variety of sizes. 

If you have particularly narrow or wide feet, definitely take a look at Allen Edmonds, as they offer the most variety of sizes I’ve ever seen. 

Allen Edmonds boots and shoes are made in the USA too, so if shopping domestically is your thing, AE is the only way to go. 

Allen Edmonds is significantly more expensive by about 175% compared to Beckett Simonon. Part of this is due to the domestic production, and likely another issue is the cost of keeping so many different sizes around (precisely why Beckett Simonon went with their “pre-order” business model).

Still, I own a pair of the Allen Edmonds Higgins Mill boots and there’s no doubting its quality. It’s a fantastic boot and I think the price is fair. Still, when you’re looking at similar quality at nearly half the price, Beckett Simonon is tough to pass up. 

My Thoughts Overall On Beckett Simonon

Beckett Simonon Discount Code

I’ve netted an exclusive discount code and coupon for Beckett Simonon. Just enter the code Spy15 at checkout for 15% off your entire purchase. 

Beckett Simonon also runs some pretty steep discounts around major holidays when you can get an excellent deal on some of their sneakers, loafers, shoes, and boots.

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