Cowboy boot toe styles (and why Alvies boots rock classic toes)

As you search for the perfect cowboy boot, you’ll probably come across a bunch of different names for toe styles. Sometimes a name describes exactly what the toe looks like, and sometimes it’s just a letter or number. Most toes have at least a couple of different names. For instance, the J toe we use on Alvies boots is also called a Pointed toe or a 1 toe. And only one of those gives you any idea of what the toe actually looks like. Different toe styles sometimes even use the exact same name. And some brands make up their own names. Confused yet?

Here are some of the most common toes you’ll find on cowboy boots.

J toe, aka Pointed toe, aka 1 toe

Snip toe, aka X toe, aka N toe

R toe, aka Classic toe

Round toe, aka W toe, aka Roper toe

A toe, aka Fashion toe, aka X toe

Square toe, aka French toe, aka Hognose toe

Broad Square Toe, aka Wide Square toe

S toe, aka Pointed toe, aka Roach Killers

Alvies toe styles 

At Alvies, we prefer a more classic cowboy boot with a J toe, which never seems to go out of style. When my grandpa handed down his boots to me, they all came in a J, R, or round toe. I loved the J toe boot the most because of its timeless style. I used it for most of our boots because of that, and because it holds true to building something my grandfather would be proud of. 

We also offer a snip toe in our Comal and Rio Grande boots, which to me is for people who want to stand out a little. It’s a little less common, a little more interesting. And more recently we started offering an R toe (also called a 6 toe or a Roper toe) in our Manchaca deerskin roper. 

Toe styles shouldn’t affect fit

It’s a common misconception that the toe shape of a cowboy boot affects the fit. We especially get that a lot from people with wider feet, because they’re concerned that a pointier toe would make the boot narrower. The toe shape is actually supposed to have zero impact on how a boot fits, though some companies lose sight of this when constructing their boots. The fit should always start behind the toe of every pair of boots, with the toe shaped for the desired style.