boots for men

When I got an email this morning from DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) telling me that they had new reductions on clearance shoes, I became curious.  Now I'm not currently in the market for new shoes, but since the last three pairs that I've purchased have all come from the clearance racks of DSW, I thought that I'd see what they had to offer.

I didn't buy anything, but I did find stuff.  Man stuff.  Pansy man stuff? I don't know.  I'm talking about boots.  Men do, of course, wear boots for all kinds of reasons: ranching, construction, fire fighting, soldiering, etc.  All very manly things.  But are they a little too ostentatious for the day to day?  

Part of me feels that I should only wear boots if I'm doing tough work that requires tough footwear.  About the toughest thing I do as a grad student is carry 30 pounds of books back to the library.  If a guy is wearing boots whilst wearing normal casual clothes and not performing any type of manual labor, what kind of image does that project?  Tough guy?  Metro?  Trying-to-be-tough-by-wearing-boots-but-we-all-know-that-you're-really-a-wimp?

A sample of styles all from DSW:

 This first one is by Levi's.  It has kind of an old-school military look to it that I kind of like.  Though probably the one I could see myself wearing the least, it has a classic look to it.

 Number two here is by Natha Studio.  In addition to looking quite comfy, it totally looks like a boy scout boot to me; which isn't at all a bad thing.  I could see this one loosely half-laced with some nice jeans half in, half out of the boot.

 This black beauty comes to us from Rockport.  Perhaps a little high-brow for some.  I think that it would do well with a slim business suit, probably a three-piece, for a nice Mad Men kind of look.

I think that this last pair is my favorite.  It hails from Rogue and gives me only one living desire: wear it with some skinny jeans, go into a guitar playing hermitage,  and emerge to join an awesome rock band. That's all.

So, what do you think about guys wearing boots as shoes (as opposed to part of a work "uniform")?  What particular image or thoughts does that provoke for you?  If any.  Just curious.  About boots. That's all.

Cheers!

Adam