Are Dr. Martens worth it and where to get them on sale

Given the popularity of these shoes, I can understand if you’re curious whether Dr. Martens are really worth it or if it’s just hype. Dr. Martens has been around since ages ago and I honestly don’t think they’re dying down in popularity. At least in the Netherlands almost everyone has a pair of Dr. Martens. It’s almost as if there’s some sort of unspoken rule that everyone should get a pair. Anyways, the 2020 mid year sale is happening right now and I couldn’t help but notice that there are lots of Dr. Martens on sale really cheap. As I am a huge fan of their Holly Buttero shoes (and I also got mine on sale), I thought to write this article and share the good and the bad of my own pair. And, lastly, share where you can get these Dr. Martens on sale and cheap!

Here’s why I like them

#1 Easy to pair and a fashion statement

My Holly Buttero is super easy to pair and you can wear them to almost any occasion (I certainly did with mine). This alone is enough of a reason for me to say that Dr. Martens are worth it.

If you want to know more about this bag, check out my other post here.

I also said that it’s a fashion statement cause I honestly feel edgy and almost artsy when I have these on. I get tons of compliments from people whenever I have it on and it feels like a major bonus point. Nothing wrong with having a little boost of confidence in your daily life.

#2 Durability and value for money

I know that this should be the number one reason why I like them, but how it looks matter more to me than its actual practicality. Anyways, I’ve been wearing my Dr. Martens Holly Buttero almost everyday since I got them in October last year. They feel super durable and to this day it still looks almost brand new. Granted, they are black and the platform is 5cm high so barely anything touches the leather part. But, I honestly think that durability and longevity are the key strengths of any Dr. Martens shoes. To be clear, I definitely don’t think Dr. Martens are 100% indestructible (though which shoes are?), but it’s definitely durable. If you’d like to know more, there are tons of discussions on this (e.g. this one, or this, or this). Upon doing my research, I did hear that there’s some discrepancies in quality when it comes to where it was manufactured. But, I really don’t know the merit to this.

As for the value for money: though they’re not the cheapest shoes there is, the cost per wear of these shoes are now so low for me now as I wear them super often. My Dr. Martens Holly Buttero have been to parties with me, sloshed with alcohol, to work, in the rain, in the sun, to school… I would like to say they’ve been through everything, but that’s also an overstatement. Anyways, my Holly Buttero is still holding up so well and it hasn’t broken down at all. The quality is literally so good for what you pay for. These Dr. Martens are definitely so worth it.

The downsides of my Dr. Martens

Okay, so a huge disclaimer before I go on about the downsides: my Dr. Martens are a size too big and I don’t think I can give a fair assessment. I should have sized down with my Holly Buttero but they didn’t have my size and I didn’t want to wait for my size to come back. So, just take everything with a grain of salt as maybe this is only applicable to Dr. Martens that are in the incorrect size. Definitely see if you could try it on for yourself.

#1 Sizing is off and my socks keep slipping

I’m a size 39 with most shoes, but with Dr. Martens I should have sized down to, at least, 38. The shoes kept slipping in the beginning, but as they no longer had a size 38 (and I was impatient), I stuck through with this one. I just added an extra insole (Dr. Scholl works great for me as it’s super thick and bouncy) and wore thicker socks that won’t slide down (Nike’s socks for the win). The most annoying thing in the beginning was using thinner socks, cause it literally won’t stay still. It slides down every few steps and I always have to stop to adjust it. In my case, I think it’s because the shoes are not in the right size. But, definitely if you got it in the right size, you should be fine.

#2 These shoes can be painful

The usual complaints when it comes to breaking the shoes in usually come from the people who complain that the shoes are too tight. But, despite having these shoes a size too big, I still needed to break them in and it was a painful process. Blisters left and right and it was just painful in the beginning. Not sizing down because of my impatience definitely made it worse. Don’t worry about it too much though, it’ll definitely pass.

Specific to my Dr. Martens Holly Buttero: these shoes are super heavy in my opinion. I think it’s because the platform is super thick. It’s definitely fine if you’re not doing intensive, fast, walking. But, I walked with them once the entire day and it honestly feels like an exercise on its own. Despite this, I still think that my Dr. Martens are worth it because of all the points I’ve mentioned before.

Where to get Dr. Martens on sale and cheap?

1. SSENSE (sale is on starting from today and the Dr. Martens are so cheap here!)
2. Dr. Marten’s own website gives you 10% off if you are a first-time customer
3. Farfetch (though with limited stock)
4. on ASOS sale, or 20% off their new stock if you’re a new customer with the code: ASOSNEW20 or ASOS20. Alternatively, if you’re a student, you can sign up to their student discount program which should give you about 10% off.
5. Zalando! which is also where I got mine 💕
6. Caliroots (they’re not on sale right now, but I could’ve sworn I’ve seen them on sale here before)
7. HBX (they have more of the special editions Dr. Martens but they’re so cheap! check them out below)

*please note that some of the links above are affiliate links, but I am in no way sponsored to write this article.

Anyways, I hope this little article helps you decide whether Dr. Martens are worth it. I’m definitely recommending Dr. Martens to everyone I know, I love these shoes to bits (despite the blisters and the pain) and my Dr. Martens are worth it 1000%. I honestly think that getting it in the right size will make a world of difference in the long run. As for the list, I’ll definitely add more to it over time and feel free to share more links in the comments if you’d like, I’m sure we can expand this list together. Again, I hope this helps and let me know what you think. I’m curious to know if others had the same experience as I did with the Dr. Martens shoes ♡

x
Hana.