About a decade ago, Allen Edmonds did a study that pointed out that women are more than twice as likely to say shoes reflect their date’s (or husband’s) fashion sense, personality, and financial position.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of shoes. I had to work in a suit for most my life, so a large part of my collection has been from Bally, Bruno Magli, Ferragamo, Allen Edmond, Magnanni, Hugo Boss, Saint Laurent and To Boot, to name a few of my dress shoes. And while I do have sneakers that range from Adidas to No Bull to Louis Vuitton, Golden Goose, John Varvatos, Converse, Puma, Nike and more, what I wanted to do is take a moment to review a pair of boots that just stood out to me. I like to call them the Givenchy men’s locket boots. (At least that’s how I find them in Google.) Their official name is the Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots In Leather.
There are not many times where I am sitting around online shopping or in the store and thinking, “Wow, I just have to have that piece.” But when it does happen, that’s usually when I’ll pick up items like a Ralph Lauren Polo Bear hoodie or a leather jacket that just calls out to me. This time around, what touched my soul was a pair of Givenchy boots with a lock on the ankle.
Discovering the Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots in Leather for the First Time
Last year in June, when I was scrolling through the Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus websites looking at their thousands upon thousands of items, I saw a pair of boots that just had that “it” factor — boots that I wanted to call my own. The Givenchy Mens’ locket boots combined class with a sense of edginess, then brought it all together with a piece of hardware that just captured my eye in the right way.
Usually, I try to steer away from footwear that goes over my ankle due to a previous surgery, and I tend to go for a lot of shoes that expose my ankle, or have a lot of padding around it.
But when I first saw this pair of boots, I knew I had to have them.
What really stuck out on this particular boot is clearly visible locket on the side. That additional hardware gives the boots an oomph that you can only find with a fashion forward brand like Givenchy. Plus, if you tuck in the bottom of your jeans, that silver hardware grabs appreciating looks from passersby.
Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots
Trying on the Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots in Leather for the First Time
Unfortunately for me, sometimes I’ll wear an 8.5. At other times, I’ll wear a 9. So I usually have to go into a store to try them on.
I tried calling around a few stores like Nordstrom, and at the time only the Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills had the Givenchy Men’s locket boots I was looking for in stock. So I rushed down there as quickly as I could to try on a pair.
My lovely sales associate was so nice in assisting me helped me try on a pair of 9s. I loved them but also noticed that they ran big, but I didn’t want to lose an opportunity to own both a pair of 8s and 9s, so I took the 9s home with me. They looked absolutely phenomenal, and if I wasn’t able to get my hands on a pair of the 8s, I was more than happy to keep the 9s.
While Givenchy does make an 8.5 in this shoe, it didn’t seem to actually be available anywhere. It is nice that Givenchy does do half sizes in these, however, as most designer brands just skip to full sizes for boots, which is kind of insulting if you really think about it. There is this brand that is going to charge 2 to 15 times more than a less famous brand and they do not even have the courtesy to offer half sizes to the people who have the budgets to purchase these items? I have absolutely no idea how they get away with this stuff…
Getting the Smaller Size Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots in Leather Delivered to Neiman Marcus
Thankfully, my sales associate at Neiman Marcus went out of her way to order a pair of Givenchy Men’s locket boots in size 8 to the store that I could try on. When they arrived, I brought my pair of boots with me that I had purchased and went to try on the 8s. The fit was so much better than the 9s, but it had me questioning a lot of things as well.
While a little snug around the ankle area, my toes fit fine. Here I was wearing size 8.5 to 9 my whole life, yet this shoe ran so big that I had to go down from an 8.5 to an 8. Did this mean that I would need to try on all sizes of a shoe going forward to see what the actual best fit was?
Regardless, I decided to do the right thing and take these Givenchy Men’s locket boots home with me.
Through this process, when I first saw the shoes online, I sent a link to them to my friend in Paris. She said they were dope and that I had to get them. When I tried them on and showed her photos, she said these were the shoes to get.
What the Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots in Leather Cost
These boots definitely were not a cheap purchase. Though I bought them on sale, the retail price of $1,495 definitely exceed that of my Saint Laurent shoes, My Louis Vuittons and everything else in my collection. It was definitely a splurge. While the quality of the leather on the boots itself may not justify the price point, the lockets on the side may, as Givenchy does sell similar keychains with lockets for around $300 each. So if you factor in two of those keychains in the form of removable lockets from the boots, that would accommodate for about $600 of the boot’s value.
At $900 for the boot itself, while not a great deal, it is a reasonable price for a pair of designer boots that come with a zipper, rubber grip on the leather sole, fine craftsmanship, quality leather and subtle brand markings imprinted into the leather.
Here’s a photo of the back of the shoe, so you can see the grip that allows you to put the boots on with ease, along with a picture of the leather sole, which comes with a rubber grip in the center to prevent wear to the leather and a rubber heel protector that displays the signature imprint of the Givenchy logo.
Wearing the Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots in Leather Around Town
When I first tried the boots on at home, I didn’t think I would be able to fit my jean pant legs into the boot due to how tight they were when I tried them on in the store. However, my jeans did fit in them, which is great (sorry for the blurry picture, this was taken from a video and I’m left handed so I don’t know how to take a proper photo of the outside of my foot).
Styling these boots are a breeze as well, since the black leather and the locket just tend to go with any outfit you pick out of your wardrobe. There was one problem, however. On the right boot, the locket that is attached to it gets loose and doesn’t close all the way, so there is a hardware issue. That issue didn’t exist in the pair of 9s I bought, nor on the left shoe for the pair of 8s, but it does come loose on the right side. I do fear that it could fall off one day, so if you are buying a pair, make sure to ensure that your lockets do lock and stay in place.
For color options for those who were wondering, there is a brown and a grey suede version of the Givenchy Men’s Locket Boot that is available as well. There are also variations of this boot for women that look phenomenal, and even though one of my first jobs was selling women’s shoes at Macy’s, I personally wouldn’t be able to talk about the comfort of that particular boot.
However, the comfort that comes with the Givency locket boot for men was more than I expected. I thought I would potentially feel pain after a few hours, but my feet were fine. Not to mention all the looks and compliments the boots receive as well.
Also, due to the price point of these boots, you don’t see other people wearing them, which makes them quite a unique piece to wear out. They are definitely my favorite shoes in my collection.
Pros
- Extremely stylish.
- Unique and not many other people have them.
- Quality leather that seems to be quite durable and could last for many years.
- Zipper and grip to get in and out of the boot with ease.
- Half sizes available unlike other designer brands who don't actually care enough about their customers to make half sizes.
Cons
- Quite expensive compared to other boots.
- My lock doesn't stay in place on one shoe so the hardware could have questionable workmanship.
- Runs big so you need to order smaller sizes to get one that fits right.
Where to Buy Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots In Leather
You can buy the Givenchy Men’s Locket Boots at Saks Fifth Avenue or Givenchy.
Givenchy Lock Ankle Boots In Leather
In My Expert Opinion
If you don’t mind breaking the bank to stand out when you are at an outing, then these are the boots to get. They will add a sense of edge and class to your look, but it will cost you a pretty penny. But if you live in Los Angeles, please don’t get them, so we don’t wear matching boots to the same venue or event! (haha jk).
