You absolutely can wear work boots to work in an office. In fact, a growing portion of sales of certain work boot brands and styles are increasingly for casual use.

What a lot of people have woken up to is the value of well-made (or at least decently-made) leather boots and shoes for everyday wear. There's a lot of good reasons why, too.

This has led to a surge in people who work in office jobs buying a lot of 6-inch and ankle boots to get that solid work boot feel, rugged but handsome appearance and durability of a work boot, but in a format that makes them tolerable working indoors.

It's the reason why heritage boots have become such a big thing lately.

The Rise Of Casual Work Boots

In recent years, you've probably started seeing a lot more "heritage boots" from major work boot companies that are being mentioned online, in YouTube videos, or even seen them out and about in the world.

They look like a work boot, but maybe aren't as rugged (some of them really aren't) and the people wearing them aren't in a trade; people are wearing work boots to an office job. The guy who used to get Skechers or what have you is now wearing a pair of urban logger boots.

There's some good reasons for it.

The fashionable or done thing for most of the 20th century was to wear dress shoes, or at least something along those lines. Derby, Oxford or blucher-style shoes with leather or rubber soles that would ideally get polished.

What happened? Those people started to figure out that the soles wear out quickly and don't have a lot of traction. Some noticed that the soles can't be replaced on casual but dressy shoes from shoe brands carried by major department stores, leading to a wasteful consumption cycle.

It was definitely observed that polishing your shoes over and over again is a pain. Some of them noticed the beautiful patina that leather goods develop after years of wear if the grain isn't buried beneath layer upon layer of Kiwi polish.

In other words, there was a better way to get a pair of boots or shoes that look great, are comfortable to wear, and are even remotely practical. Next thing you know, some established brands in the work boot space are dusting off old designs and selling them alongside their more modern work boots.

Work Boots For The Office? Absolutely!

Big names like Wolverine, Red Wing, Thorogood and so on are starting to sell a lot of classic work boot styles to people who don't work in typical work boot trades, so to speak.

It's partially thanks to a number of people in social media, who started advocating for and showing off classic boot designs and pointing out their benefits over casual and dress shoes, which can leave a lot to be desired.

Sure, you can get a 6-inch boot from a fashion label, but they aren't going to stand up to use and abuse. You can't wear them if you live in an area that gets an actual winter, and they aren't any good off the pavement.

A lot of people have also noticed that a Vibram mini-lug or a wedge sole boot is a lot more comfortable to wear. Your feet take less pounding and you can have your boots resoled or rebuilt, meaning you get to wear them longer instead of just replacing them...or having to start all over.

Granted, wearing a pair of 9- or 10-inch logger boots indoors is overkill. Your feet will roast.

A 5- or 6-inch boot will give you the boot-like structure that a lot of people prefer, but without being too hot or heavy, which is why so many people find them preferable. A well-made pair that's maintained will also more than satisfy any dress code...and will look great with a suit.

Once you wear a good pair of lighter work boots...you might find yourself wondering why anyone wears anything else.