The All-Inclusive Shoe & Boot Thread

[Dropbear]

Hell yeh, brother! I’m gonna ask those PTO mums if they want to take a ride on my big hawg

 

[Dropbear]

I’ve had this pair of RMWs for 15 years, though once the second sole started wearing out they sat at the back of the closet for over 5 years. I sent them to Unsung to perform some heresy, giving an American work boot sole to the classic Aussie ‘bush slippers’

 

[fxh]

I’ve had this pair of RMWs for 15 years, though once the second sole started wearing out they sat at the back of the closet for over 5 years. I sent them to Unsung to perform some heresy, giving an American work boot sole to the classic Aussie ‘bush slippers’

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WTF?

You are a Trump agent mocking Australians.

 

[fxh]

I’ve had this pair of RMWs for 15 years, though once the second sole started wearing out they sat at the back of the closet for over 5 years. I sent them to Unsung to perform some heresy, giving an American work boot sole to the classic Aussie ‘bush slippers’

View attachment 49777View attachment 49778

I have 4 pairs of RMWs. The only ones I wear occasionally are the pair of dark brown suede craftsman. 2 pairs are Cuban heels from rock'n'roll 70s, still going strong. The black Santa Fe Cuban heels get worn to the odd rock or country gig. Waiting on my Wrangler Wranchers to arrive and if they fit the Santa Fe will get a run.

 

[fxh]

I have 4 pairs of RMWs. The only ones I wear occasionally are the pair of dark brown suede craftsman. 2 pairs are Cuban heels from rock'n'roll 70s, still going strong. The black Santa Fe Cuban heels get worn to the odd rock or country gig. Waiting on my Wrangler Wranchers to arrive and if they fit the Santa Fe will get a run.

The Santa Fe Boot | R.M.Williams

The Cult Boot That Just Won’t Quit.

www.rmwilliams.com.au

 

[Dropbear]

I have 4 pairs of RMWs. The only ones I wear occasionally are the pair of dark brown suede craftsman. 2 pairs are Cuban heels from rock'n'roll 70s, still going strong. The black Santa Fe Cuban heels get worn to the odd rock or country gig. Waiting on my Wrangler Wranchers to arrive and if they fit the Santa Fe will get a run.

That’s a bit too yee-haw for me, but I’m sure they are cool in Melbourne.

I have an old pair of Gardeners that I should chuck out now (cracked leather, worn-out elastic and third set of soles nearly flat), some suede craftsman that I just don’t wear, the Lachlans that are my daily pair and the ones above from 2009.

 

[Dropbear]

For those of you who do mtm dress shoes, what’s the typical turn-around time?

My only experience is with TLB Mallorca, who turned them around in about a month plus shipping time.

I was kinda shocked to see the current lead times on PNW work/heritage boots. Nicks are 6-8 months, Whites 8-12 and Wesco 18-24 months.

I can see for a professional wildland firefighter, putting it on the calendar to order new boots for the season in two years might be doable but this still seems like a crazy business model. Can’t they train more people to keep up with demand??

 

[sirloin]

For those of you who do mtm dress shoes, what’s the typical turn-around time?

I mainly use Vass for mtm. Turn-around is ~8 weeks for new orders and 4-5 weeks for repairs.

I can see for a professional wildland firefighter, putting it on the calendar to order new boots for the season in two years might be doable but this still seems like a crazy business model. Can’t they train more people to keep up with demand??

I had the impression from interviews on the Stichdown-podcast, that it was rather difficult finding people willing to put in the time to train.

 

[Dropbear]

The last few weeks I’ve been back down the engineer boot rabbit hole.

I did a deep dive into the new offerings from Nick’s boots. Their old Renegade model was typical PNW (much like my old Wesco Boss boots) - overbuilt, heavy, bulletproof and chonky! Definitely not something you could dress up at all and more than a little ridiculous in a streetwear/casual setting.

In an effort to cash in on the vintage/workwear/Amerikaji trend of the past decade, they have started offering a lot more options (not just adding an array of service boots like some). The Station Master is built on the 55 Arch Ease last, which I am a big fan of. The wide toe box and slimmer heel coupled with the arch support makes for an incredibly comfortable boot to stand in all day (my experience is with White’s, it seems Nick’s arch support is even better and more anatomical). Incidentally, they are now seeking an insert which mimics that arch ease.

The big appeal for me was the option to keep the 55 last while slimming down the profile a little (like opting for a single row of welt stitching). And then there is the array of leather choices. Some of these look like real stunners - The Wicket and Craig Double Stuffed Walnut and Horween Italian Brown Cypress are stand-outs for me.

However, I still decided against trying Nick’s. It is still a big chonky work boot and lacks the elegance and style you see from the likes of Unsung, Role Club, Clinch and Attractions for example.

As my youngest would say: ‘just put the fries in the bag, dude!’, so getting to the point: I ordered another pair of Briselblack (formerly Benzein) boots, from Bandung Indonesia (I’ll just keep quiet about my previous shenanigans shooting at the Indonesian army years ago).

These are the specs:

The Keeper 'Type 2' - 8" Engineer Boots
Last : Kapak
Size : Modified 44EE:
Length: 28.5cm
Width: 11.2cm
Ball: 27.8cm
Instep: 26.8cm
Heel: 35cm
Ankle: 26cm
Upper : Maryam horsebutt overdye Dark Brown
Lining : Tan Half Lined
Midsole : Single
Outsole : Dr Sole Black Half Sole
Welt Color : Dark Brown
Edge Color : Dark Brown
Welt Stitch : Brown
Construction : Flatwelt 270°
Toebox : Unstructured
Heels : Woodsman Heels
Buckle : Raw Brass Buckle
Note : add height heel 10mm

Basically a shorter version of this:

 

[Great White Snark]

I don’t understand all this hand wringing trying to get perfection and sleeking down a work boot. It’s like trying to make a Jeep into an SUV. That one in the pic looks too smooth and dressy. You’re gonna end up with something that’s neither nothing nor something. Fryes exist for a purpose - chunky and solid. I’ve had mine since 2002 and they’re still going strong. The only thing you need for a big bike.

 

[Dropbear]

Yet another service boot, but man is their work clean:

 

[Dropbear]

Fred Astaire, kicking off his work shoes and putting on some slippers after a long day (1941)

 

[Sammy Ambrose]

Great pic. Now who can name the shoes?
Shooman, come in please.

 

[sirloin]

the feeling, when wearing Big Johnny Lobbs

 

[Dropbear]

Need to hide your blow in your Big Johnny Lobbs?

 

[Dropbear]

If I were ever to buy a pair of monkey boots, they would be Sagara, using shell cordovan and they would have that cool Norwegian braided storm welt:



(Not a fan of this particular make-up with the tan hide and double sole though)

 

[Dropbear]

 

[Dropbear]

Purdy!

 

[Dropbear]

my new boots are now being lasted

 

[Dropbear]

Eight Months later …

 

[Sammy Ambrose]

Hundreds of Victorian Shoes Have Washed up on a British Beach https://share.google/a6a8NpRlWtDDShYWS

Shooey might like this. Or was he involved!

 

[Dropbear]

Exactly what I wanted and a perfect mtm fit

 

[Dropbear]

Just got the message that my MTO Sagara boots are done and will be shipping soon. Look at that gorgeous stormwelt and Badalassi Nemesis leather.

 

[Dropbear]

Very happy with the fit! The Badalassi Nemesis leather is nice and that storm welt is super cool:

 

[Dropbear]

These could be the most comfortable boots I’ve ever owned.

 

[Dropbear]

 

[Dropbear]

Hand-painted “patina”:

https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/s/z102IKuEiN

This is worse than paying someone to burry your shoes in the back garden for a few months

 

[Great White Snark]

You’re not the only detractor. Among the comments: “It’s like the leather developed skin cancer”

 

[Dropbear]

 

[sirloin]

Walking on nails

 

[Thruth]

These have become my go to winter boots. I'm rotating 2 pairs this winter. Primaloft insulation, Gore-Tex liner, Continental winter tire compound rubber sole (comparable to Vibram Arctic Grip), Boost midsole. Stable, dry, supportive, and warm up to -30Cish (-22F).

 

[Dropbear]