Ichiran

^^ Ichiran, those are very very nice, look better than the redwing chukkas, but do you know the insole is mesh or leather. Cuz i have a pair of danner but the insole is mesh which i really hate

Sorry fattybfat, I don't know what the insole is made out of. I agree that they have a somewhat nicer look than the Red Wing chukkas. By the way, it seems that they also come in white, which I think is craaazy:

I just came across these Danner "Roseburg" chukkas on Rakuten, and thought they were pretty awesome:

They also come in black:

Wow, incredible color on those! Interesting that the laces appear to be the same color as the leather. I'd be curious to see how they'll look after a good shine or two. Please post some pictures of the soles!

I called the Red Wings store in Hackensack, NJ a few times. They said they didn't stock any moc-toe boots. Being in a mall, they might be specializing in the fashion-style models that RW thought could revitalize the company....

I've been to that store twice, and it is part of a strip mall. The majority of the stock there is actually work boots, including a number of moc-toes, but by work boots I mean stuff like this:

Although there are a number of what I assume you mean when you say fashion-style models, along the lines of this:

I would only add an obvious observation, and that is that although many of the boots we admire on this thread are inspired by classic work boots,

the vast majority of real-life workers out there wear boots like the one in the first picture for very practical reasons. And so, as much as I hate to say it, the RWs we discuss here would probably be considered "fashion" models -- albeit of a different sort -- too! Just my two cents...

Unless it has happened again, they're open for business. B. Nelson has always done a good job on my shoes, though I've only used them for dress shoes and not any of my boots. I assume that they'd do just as good a job on those as can be evidenced by Greg's Superleather Indy boots.

Thanks for the reminder, amlai -- I hadn't thought of the Superleather Indys. I just went back and looked at them, and the work does look excellent. Greg, do you happen to remember whether B. Nelson kept the original welt, or whether they switched it for a new one?

I recently had a pair of boots that needed a complete resoling. I went to Cesar's in Manhattan, and was really disappointed in how sloppy the new stitching on the welt looks. They were very nice and helpful, and other aspects of their work was perfectly fine, but the stitching is the most visible aspect of a cobbler's work on a job like this, and I have to admit that it bothers me a lot. I know it is just a cosmetic issue, but if I'm paying hundreds of dollars for a well-made pair of boots, I'd like the quality of my repairs to be in line with the quality of my footwear.

Anyway, I know that several Manhattan cobblers have been discussed here, including Alex's, Minas, and B. Nelson (Yelp says that they've closed for tax problems?), but I I'm just wondering if anyone has had specific experiences with these or other cobblers in NYC in terms of welt re-stitching on their shoes. Has anyone felt that their cobbler really does good work in this respect? I follow the hukurokuju blog and really admire the craftsmanship there, but unfortunately I won't be jetting to Japan anytime soon! Thanks as always, guys!

I've often seen that sort of riveted construction on pairs of vintage boots, such as this one:

Looks like J.Crew has rolled out another specially-made RW boot, an 877 Irish Setter:

I guess they must've done well with their previous RW collaboration...

^Thanks for the info, fatybfat! Those 2143s are looking nicely worn in! How old are they?

I'm sure we'd all be curious to see the soles of those boots, crownzip...

like, super in a superglue kind of way?

It was confusing to me because even on the Red Wing site itself, it'll refer to it as "SuperSole welt construction for durability" -- so I'm not sure how boots with this sole are constructed. Even on Goodyear welted RWs like an 875, the Vibram is just glued to the midsole, I believe. With the SuperSole, I don't see stitching, but I'm not really sure what's going on there.

Just wonder if anyone could tell me about RW boots with a Supersole, such as this 2911:

What is the construction of a boot with this kind of sole -- is it goodyear welted? Is it possible to resole a boot with a Supersole? Thanks for any info!

Holy crap, that is so random. I literally made up that boot this morning with the help of a customer. We're calling it the Jumper Boot, making it in shell cordovan.

Mmm... everything's better in shell. Looking forward to seeing some pictures of the finished product on your website!

I randomly came across these boots on German equestrian supply website:

The details are here, but in German. If anyone happens to know about this maker ("HOBO"?), I'd be curious, since I think the boots look pretty sharp.

I was looking at some vintage elastic-sided ankle boots recently. Although I saw some really nice-looking boots, the elastic on some of them had really stretched out and looked a bit sloppy. I've never owned chelsea boots before, and I was just wondering whether anyone has had experience trying to get replacement elastics for this type of boot. Thanks!

does anybody here know anything of these WWII service boots M1939.

they are much like the buzz rickson ones but seem to be much cheaper and the color looks great.

http://www.atthefront.com/us_boots_sshoe.htm

It can be tough to ascertain the quality of reproduction boots on vintage militaria websites. They can be made with military re-enactors in mind who would only wear the boots on rare occasions, and may not necessarily be suitable for everyday use.

I once ordered these reproduction ankle boots, and although they look great in the photo, they were made in China with very shoddy workmanship and cheap materials.

I'd advise getting a look at the boots in person before buying, or at least being very clear on the store's return policy.

I came across an article in USA Today about Red Wing from last fall. Here's an excerpt:

Ironically, Red Wing's traditional work boots seem to have caught on in Japan without the company purposely luring Japanese buyers, Hager said.

"I think Red Wing has been big in Asia for at least 10 years, but as far as I know they never catered to it. They just kept plugging along doing their work boots," he said.

Twelve percent of Red Wing's $400 million in annual sales are overseas, but Murphy wants to see that grow to 20 percent. His goal is for casuals to be a "significant part" of the company's business in five years, he said.

Murphy said the success of Red Wing's more traditional-looking boots in Japan and Europe is going to influence the look of its casual shoes in the U.S.

"The more we capture that flavor, the better we do. And that's because it is much more authentic," he said. He noted on a recent visit to Amsterdam he saw a man and a woman working at a trendy shoe store, each wearing Red Wing boots aimed at engineers.

The entire article can be seen here.

Great looking stuff, guys! A couple of questions:

fattybfat: How's the leather on that Rawlings bag? I've seen some of their stuff online, and thought that it looks good, but always wondered about the quality and how it would wear.

demonito: Are you using any leather care products on your RM wallet, or is that just all natural?

Thanks!

Those 405's look great, coleslawyum. Were your pair the ones posted recently on the hukurokoju blog, by any chance? The new soles look great -- is that the original welt, or did you get them re-welted?

I randomly found a website for this Japanese shoe store that I hadn't seen before. The site's all in Japanese, but the store seems to be in Tokyo:

http://www.kanda-mimatsu.com

They've got a lot of good brands frequently discussed here, including RW, C&J, Danner, etc., but also some I hadn't heard before. I found it interesting to see what brands and styles they've chosen to stock, including this RW boot I hadn't seen before in the U.S. (unsurprisingly, I guess):

They identify it as 1903, in a "Hawthorne" color with a "Muleskinner" finish, including an interesting double-stitched storm welt. Just thought I'd share. Hey, this thread's made it to page 400 -- awesome!

Fuck'n' OCD. You are a disgrace for the heritage of this range of products.

If obsessive and compulsive people were excluded from this forum, it would be a pretty lonely place...

why would you buy 1 mercedes when you can buy them all eh?so jealousy is the key? to hate? anyways ill try to flame up the threads a bit

I don't know if you did it on purpose, but "flame up the threads" actually strikes me as a really clever and funny pun in the context of this forum.

I use waxed cotton lacing I buy locally from a shoe repair... it gives the boot more of a shoe appearance (not necessarily a plus!). It has no tips, so you buy it by the inch so it's infinitely adjustable. It's stronger than Alden's stock Indy laces and doesn't wear out very easily. It has the main property you want from waxed lacing, non-slippage.

Those laces sound very good! I actually think that the shoe-like laces of the GTs lend an extra bit of class to those boots in a way that would otherwise be lacking. That sort of lace nicely complements the "not quite a work boot, yet not quite a dress boot" vibe of both GTs and Indys.

Would you mind giving the details of where (I assume in NYC) you buy these laces -- what colors do they come in and how much do they charge per inch? Does the lack of tips cause fraying at the ends? Please feel free to PM me if you prefer. Thanks for more great info as usual, Greg!

I know it says no sneakers, but I think these look way better beat.

Um... Yes... Those little gold stars are quite cute indeed...

here here!!! i have a pair of the black GTs, and the laces are really nice...if I could find a brown pair of the same type of laces, i'd be happy

Way back in this thread, GregNYC posted about buying some WWII repro waxed laces from What Price Glory. (He put up some pictures on page 127.) Greg, how did those end up working out, especially regarding quality, how well the hold a knot, and durability? They look pretty nice, although perhaps a bit thicker (and stretchier?) than GT laces. Plus, they only come in one color (brown), and it'd be weird buying laces and paying more in shipping than for the laces!

^^ same lace problem on the indies.. yes and where to ge a pair?

It's been said here before, but the RW GTs have some of the best laces around. Wish I knew where to get extras of those!