Shoes that look better with age...

[mikedbt5]

Picked these Sanders up today , Have seen these on the bay previously , sometimes as issued boots . Got a nice deal on these and was knocked over by the quality , though not surprised as Sanders footwear is underrated in my opinion . Top notch heavy calf , sturdy leather uppers , double eather soles and leather lined . Gonna get the works , sole covering , metal heel quarters and toe . Hopefully will do me for a few years .

[smittybat]

Yes I know what a calf is, but they don't turn female baby cows into veal/meat. They turn boy calfs because you only need so many bulls, but you keep every heifer you can get because they can make you more calfs and more money.

So I'm thinking Lady calf is some made up term to sell leather... unless it's 12 year old dairy cows they slaughter and and call the leather "Lady Calf."

I didn't know either so I asked LeatherSoul. Here's their answer:

"Lady calf is a calfskin that has been put through a process so that it is much softer."

[Happy Hooligan]

I didn't know either so I asked LeatherSoul. Here's their answer:

"Lady calf is a calfskin that has been put through a process so that it is much softer."

good to know.... it's just a made up term then. At least it's not pink...

[Chicken]

been going cheep:

1/4/10

1/4/10

purchased these clarks desert boots a while back. after moving to sunny california, i kind of got tired of hauling around in heavy duty boots, so i thought these would be a nice change of pace. the antique finish was a little cheesy, but figured it might get interesting with age.

so after a couple years of wear, the leather was getting nice aging, but the original crepe soles were starting to disintegrate. i decided to bring these into a no-name cobbler nearby, just for a little adventure. i had to convince the guy that there was such thing as honey vibram. and after a little back and forth, he was able to locate them.

12/28/11

the cobbler did a surprisingly good job, but a noob mistake. i totally forgot to tell him not to polish my boots. but i really didn't think anyone was going to try to polish an antique finish surface. i was shocked initially, but started to enjoy them.

12/28/11

12/28/11

i've been wearing these quite often. they're really easy to get in and out of, but i could wear them at places where they require a little more formal clothing than what i usually wear, too (no jeans). here are pics after a little hike near vegas:

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

[illumin8em]

Does anyone own a pair of RW pecos (the ones with crepe soles)? I tried them on and they fit pretty tight around my foot but when i'm walking I experience some serious heel slippage. Is this normal with pecos and/or will this go away when the leather adjusts to my feet?

.

I have worn Pecos boot off and on since grade school and I can tell you that if you want comfy room in the toes the heel slippage will always be there. It will be less over time, but all pair that I own currently slip. I have found that a half sole insole works, but it will make the top of the foot more snug. this issue is solved with an engineer boot.

Edited February 8, 2012 by illumin8em

[twenty9]

been going cheep:

12/28/11

i've been wearing these quite often. they're really easy to get in and out of, but i could wear them at places where they require a little more formal clothing than what i usually wear, too (no jeans). here are pics after a little hike near vegas:

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

Nice. I have the same shoe for less than a year and to see yours, i am really looking forward to see how mine will turn out in the future. Btw, is that still the original lace cos it looks different now

Edited February 8, 2012 by twenty9

[joelz]

chicken - did they have to totally rebuild the sole? I was looking at doing something like that and my cobbler said that it was basically paper at the bottom, and it would be another $80 to totally rebuild it.

[erk]

So back in December I sent my whites back to be rebuilt on a custom 10.5C/D last. D at the toes and C through the rest. The fit is great, totally fixed the issues I was having. And all for the cost of soles. They arrivedlasts night and whites has delivered once again, further impressing me. Their customer service is unbelievable.

So when I decided to do the rebuild, I thought I might as well try them on the single leather soles. I'm a total believer in these. Much more comfy and nimble. I'll post some pics later when I get home from work.

Edited February 8, 2012 by erk

[CrashTestBrummie]

Current Rotation:

- Chippewa Shorties

- Alden's Longwings

- C&J Gerrard

- Rider Plain Toe

it's very, very rare that i feel truly envious of stuff posted in this thread, but coleslawyum's post from several months ago got me wanting some decent co-respondent shoes, or spectators. specifically, ones that weren't just two different colours of calf leather, but with a little contrast in texture and material.

these ones need a little more tlc as the nubuck isn't in the best shape, but they're pretty striking as they are. labelled 'mcafee', a brand that was eventually taken over by church's and one who have re-badged a lot of shoes by different makers over the years (cheaney and church's doing all the shoes since the takeover, before the brand became dormant):

the similarities in design between these and a pair of lotus shoes is purely coincidental, i assure you

and secondly, an old pair of church's 'consul' on their classic 73 last. i wear formal shoes more than boots these days, for work at least, and for me church's are the quintessential english brand for business dress.

the 73 last is now defunct (apart from some lower-grade shoes made by church's for herring shoes on the old last) but the shoes made on it manage to combine an elegance and classicism that these pictures can't pick up.

these ones are old, possibly from as far back as the 60s, but have been well looked after and i'm looking forward to giving these the wear that they deserve:

hand-worked nails and channelled soles, not seen these days outside of a few top brands:

and an old design on the liner inside:

[Chicken]

Nice. I have the same shoe for less than a year and to see yours, i am really looking forward to see how mine will turn out in the future. Btw, is that still the original lace cos it looks different now

yup, i ripped through those cheap laces pretty quickly. so i got myself a pair of leather laces at a local shoe store while back.

chicken - did they have to totally rebuild the sole? I was looking at doing something like that and my cobbler said that it was basically paper at the bottom, and it would be another $80 to totally rebuild it.

yup, it was a rebuild, but my guy only charged me $60. i love finding undiscovered places. i'm definitely going back to him, but i just have to make sure now if i need a polish or not beforehand.

[beatle]

chicken in the house...cheers

[Chunky]

Edited February 8, 2012 by Chunky

[klue]

natural indigo dyed bloots

[erk]

newly rebuilt White's

[joelz]

in the spirit of 'new shoes that will look better'

[Happy Hooligan]

the whites look great! I actually like the single leather sole more than the rubber one myself. I think we wear the exact same size....

[smittybat]

in regards to white's rebuild service, can they change a boot from a swing last to a standard last? I've got a pair that I like with the exception for the clown-shoe swing last and they're in need for a resole anyways.

[erk]

in regards to white's rebuild service, can they change a boot from a swing last to a standard last? I've got a pair that I like with the exception for the clown-shoe swing last and they're in need for a resole anyways.

I bet they can do that. It shouldn't be any harder than changing the width. I think it will cost you around $200 though.

and thanks Happy Hooligan. The single leather sole is so much more comfortable. and I think it looks better too.

Edited February 8, 2012 by erk

[Colin.Cosmo]

newly rebuilt White's

Do those have the 1/4" lowered heel?

Either way, they look great. One day I will neeed to pick up a pair of the SD's.

[erk]

Do those have the 1/4" lowered heel?

Either way, they look great. One day I will neeed to pick up a pair of the SD's.

thanks, thats just the heel height used with a single leather sole.

[rockon99]

Joelz excuse my ignorance, but are those just semi-dress with the cap toe or were there any special options? i'm thinkin about a pair of whites soon and those look gorgeous. or at least something better than my shitty doc martens... hah

[joelz]

They are a pair of semi-dress with captoes on the swing last. Single stitch trim. I'll post more shots of them soon. Really happy with them, and they are fantastically comfy

[killer b]

just got these back from the cobbler. 10 years of heavy wear, this is the second re-sole. still going strong...

[marineabilly]

John just sent me some updated Engineer Boots pics. More pics posted on my blog.

[lAo_Bo1]

been going cheep:

1/4/10

1/4/10

purchased these clarks desert boots a while back. after moving to sunny california, i kind of got tired of hauling around in heavy duty boots, so i thought these would be a nice change of pace. the antique finish was a little cheesy, but figured it might get interesting with age.

so after a couple years of wear, the leather was getting nice aging, but the original crepe soles were starting to disintegrate. i decided to bring these into a no-name cobbler nearby, just for a little adventure. i had to convince the guy that there was such thing as honey vibram. and after a little back and forth, he was able to locate them.

12/28/11

the cobbler did a surprisingly good job, but a noob mistake. i totally forgot to tell him not to polish my boots. but i really didn't think anyone was going to try to polish an antique finish surface. i was shocked initially, but started to enjoy them.

12/28/11

12/28/11

i've been wearing these quite often. they're really easy to get in and out of, but i could wear them at places where they require a little more formal clothing than what i usually wear, too (no jeans). here are pics after a little hike near vegas:

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

12/29/11

very nice...are these beeswax?

[J.W.]

Let's see how these are going to age: ordered from Paris on Monday evening, arrived in Germany this afternoon:

Here we go: Unboxing

Fresh out of the box:

The upper leather is really soft:

Rear view:

Bottom view:

On my feet:

Biro mark on the tongue: How did that get there?

Roughouts rough stitching:

Look inside:

My first impressions:

These boots are real beauties. The upper leather is soft, but the sole is pretty stiff. Looking forward to breaking them in.

I think I'll get an insole for more comfort. The stitching on the right boot could be a bit more accurate (it looks careless), but these are supposed to be rough boots, so that's something I can live with. The biro mark is somewhat annoying with 180 Euro boots. The last couple of days, I considered not waterproofing the boots because they look really cool with the sueded upper. But as the seams are stitched through and there is no inner lining, I'll be dubbing them after all, to prevent any water from getting into the boot. The sole is different from what I expected from the various pictures I have seen. But it seems to be made by Vibram, so that shouldn't be too bad.

What I've been wondering: Apparently, the original roughout boots had reenforcing rivets. Chamboid's and mine don't, the roughouts you can find at wwii impressions are shown with rivets and without. Does Corcoran (which is the alleged manufacturer) make inconsistent product lines?

Edited February 9, 2012 by J.W.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

i remember juan saying his new run will have the rivets.

i think back then only the first issues had the rivets and the later runs didn't

somehow I can't see your pics and I'm ask for a username and password

[J.W.]

Very strange. I can see them and will look into it. Might take some minutes.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

I guess it's an issue with your pics are not for public and they are somehow protected. but you can surely see them.

[beautiful_FrEaK]

pictures working now! they are very similar to my corcoran boondockers. but mine don't have that tag on the inside of the tongue...mine have the size and stuff printed on the inside heel.

hell they are a lot bulkier than my boondockers. compare