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Shoes that look better with age...


mizanation

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Thanks for the info greg.

By the way, your Conistons are very nice. I tried the black on myself and am now kicking myself for not buying them. I like the slimmer more elegant profile compared to trickers. They look a little more formal or dressy, and the scotch grain leather is fantastic.

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fre$co, bill posted this few pages back, but he said most people don't need custom fit unless they have some unusual thing going on. (like me, with extremely small chicken ankles and maybe greg with his wide duck feet. :D ) otherwise, the regular sizes they have should work on most people.

(oops, bill might have posted it on the stronghold thread.)

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Bill, is the packer available in 5" height? Also, is it available in semi-dress brown?

Thanks in advance...

Miz: Yes! we can get you Packers in an ankle height. It will be 6", not five however.

For both the Packer and the Smoke Jumper, ankle heights are customizable in 2" gradients (i.e. 6", 8", 10" etc...). Only and Inch taller than the Semi-Dress, and I can tell you from experience, that the overall effect and silouette of the boot is exactly the same.

-B

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Datasupa: thats what I posted. The guy at the trickers factory shop told me about the method. I didn't try it with my Trickers wetherbys because they were pretty easy to break in. These damn Stows on the other hand...... are putting up a real fight.

Thanks to the recent pictures of Whites. I now officially want a pair of semi-dress.

My question to the experts is this:

Is there a difference between buying off the self, from sayhttp://www.bakershoe.com/whites-boots-catalog/whites-semi-dress.html

or ordering direct from White's? Or indeed ordering through Bill.

When ordering direct you send in your foot measurements but I assume they just make you a shoe in the nearest size to your foot measurements. If you just want a standard single leather sole in standard colour, then you can buy off the shelf, right?

First question: Off the Shelf vs. Custom order: For the most part, yes. If you want the very basic Semi Dress model, Brown, in either single leather or composition vibram, you can order them directly from Whites (as this model is the only way they show them on the webiste etc...). The phrase "off the shelf" is misleading however. While your boots will be made the "standard" way interms of hide etc..., they will still be made to order for you at the factory (when you order from either us at Stronghold, or through White's direct...I don't know about Baker Shoes, didn't know about them).

Second question: Fitting: When you submit measurements to the factory, they first check and see if you will fit properly into a stock last. Most people do, most people get stock lasted boots, that are matched up to their measurements (my measurements put me perfectly into a 9.5D).

Adjustments are made to lasts to accomodate irregularly shaped feet that will not fit properly into a standard last (i.e. Narrow Heels, Bunions, High insteps etc. . .). Adjustments to the foot portion of the last add about $50 to the cost, and 2 weeks or so to the build time on a first time order.

Adjustments to the ankle part of the last (i.e. the shaft of the boot) can be made more easily, and neither effect the buildtime nor cost (like what Chicken did for his skinny ankles)

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Miz: Yes! we can get you Packers in an ankle height. It will be 6", not five however.

For both the Packer and the Smoke Jumper, ankle heights are customizable in 2" gradients (i.e. 6", 8", 10" etc...). Only and Inch taller than the Semi-Dress, and I can tell you from experience, that the overall effect and silouette of the boot is exactly the same.

-B

man, that's awesome. i bet they'll look real nice at 6" height.

i was thinking about having my packers lowered, too.

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just got my pair of Red Wing 1911's :D

now i just need to find myself a belt to match, and some quality leather lotion

has anyone tried Allen Edmond's leather lotion? i'm in toronto, but where ever i go, all i see is Kiwi wax shoe polish

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just got my pair of Red Wing 1911's :D

now i just need to find myself a belt to match, and some quality leather lotion

has anyone tried Allen Edmond's leather lotion? i'm in toronto, but where ever i go, all i see is Kiwi wax shoe polish

I have been looking for a matching belt for my 1911s for a month now and haven't found anything. I've been wearing a black belt, which looks better than brown, but I still haven't found anything that comes close to the color of the 1911s and that can be worn with jeans.

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===They are kind of hard to find info on via the internet, but I do think they are vintage or at least NOS. I went to a cobbler here in NYC last year (not Minas) who had stacks of these Cat's Paws collecting dust. I expressed interest in them, and he said, "Oh, get these vibrams, they are so much better." I'm gonna try to find this same cobbler, it's around my office in midtown. I have a vague impression that Cat's Paws were something used in the 40s, 50s and 60s before mega-deep waffle soles became popular. People wanted a non-slip, non-leather sole. Those white circles on the heel gave the impression that here is something we're putting on to help slow down the wear on the high-tread area. Is it possible that the Cat's Paws on Lone Wolfs might be a huge NOS reserve, or maybe repros, or locally licensed....

newsflash. this is what i got so far in my search:

We do manufacture a variety of Biltrite Cat's Paws Soles, Heels & Sheets. We sell to boot and shoe manufacturers as well as to our authorized wholesalers who sell to shoe repair shops, etc. Unfortunately, we do not sell direct. If you provide your location I can let you know the name of the closest wholesaler.

Linda Bradley

Vibram/Quabaug Corporation

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I have been looking for a matching belt for my 1911s for a month now and haven't found anything. I've been wearing a black belt, which looks better than brown, but I still haven't found anything that comes close to the color of the 1911s and that can be worn with jeans.

Depends on your style I suppose, but I imagine that a cordovan colored belt would be good. I have a 30mm #8 shell cordovan Alden belt which I wear with everything that is probably a pretty good for color, but it's pricey and a bit dressy. I imagine the thicker 35mm version of the belt would span the gap though. They run about $210 though.

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somehow--and i might be all alone here--alden's strike me as too nice for boots. a style contradiction, as it were. kind of like denim slacks. or silk overalls.

There are people who consider a good boot as the dressiest shoe one can have. Particularly if one is wearing a balmoral boot (which hardly anyone makes anymore) or a button boot (which hardly anyone makes anymore either). So, it depends on the purpose. I could see how one might see a contradiction in style if they were making a true work boot (and making them to Alden New England standards).

I think the real question is whether or not one should wear them with denim... and I say the answer is yes. :)

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I would just stick with black. I got my 1911's last week and I'm not sure I've seen leather this colour before. I'd rather have something clearly not the same then try to match and have it look off. Besides I like that my boots are so unique they stand out.

I'd email Horween and see if they can make a belt out of the same leather. They seem to have a product section on there website.

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Thanks for the info greg.

By the way, your Conistons are very nice. I tried the black on myself and am now kicking myself for not buying them. I like the slimmer more elegant profile compared to trickers. They look a little more formal or dressy, and the scotch grain leather is fantastic.

Thanks, I'm very happy with the Conistons. I tried two different models of trickers at two places here in NYC, and wasn't impressed by the QC. Like the heel wasn't flush with the sole as it was tacked/glued down. Some of the stitching was kind of crude for a boot that was costing as much as the Conistons or more. Plus the fit was a bit narrow and the instep low for me. Another thing I like so much about C&J is the excellent customer service and fitting advice.

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i don't understand the appeal of vintage cat's paw or deadstock cat's paw. it's the sole of a boot.

i understand wanting to have a cat's paw sole over, say a lug vibram, but why would you pay a premium for a dead stock sole?

doesn't make sense to me and in my opinion, is taking this stuff way too far, as if we haven't taken it too far already.

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i'm not sure either.

i love the way they look so far, but the way they wear is being tested right now.

i've also had vintage army boots with original soles before, but i have to say rubber soles become very dry and hard over course of time.

not the most comfortable.

that's part of the reason why i thought this would be interesting to try, especially because the price was reasonable.

could always switch to vibram #705 or something later.

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i don't understand the appeal of vintage cat's paw or deadstock cat's paw. it's the sole of a boot.

i understand wanting to have a cat's paw sole over, say a lug vibram, but why would you pay a premium for a dead stock sole?

doesn't make sense to me and in my opinion, is taking this stuff way too far, as if we haven't taken it too far already.

Too far :rolleyes:? Have you seen the Vintage Leather Jackets forum, or the Fedora Lounge? I stand accused!

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i don't understand the appeal of vintage cat's paw or deadstock cat's paw. it's the sole of a boot.

i understand wanting to have a cat's paw sole over, say a lug vibram, but why would you pay a premium for a dead stock sole?

doesn't make sense to me and in my opinion, is taking this stuff way too far, as if we haven't taken it too far already.

There's definately two camps.. those that want the look.. ie: repro denim, etc. and those that want the real mccoy (no not real mccoy, the the actual original items)

Having a vintage cat's paw on the bottom of your foot that nobody will see might sound over doing it, but to the guy who wants to know that he's walking on a vintage original sole... it's right on track.

I can't afford/find original levis/lees that fit me so I go with the next best thing. I don't wear the other brands because they look like originals, but they're not.

Same with boots. I can't find the styles/afford the styles so I go with the next best thing.

Having original/vintage items like original cats paw soles just adds a layer of authentisity to the item.

Like if you have a vintage car, and you paint it a modern color and not a color that was original to the year of the car, people can tell it's not original and it's been modified. It may look good, but you know it's not original.

Just trying to explain the mind set..

Don't even get me started on original zippers.....

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yeah, that is an interesting discussion. speaking of zippers, the repro crown zip on my ricksons fell apart, and apparently, originals were like this too.

i know there are many people out there who appreciate this authenticity, but i for one was pissed off when this happened. i guess different people draw different lines.

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Edward Green Shannons! Next time I visit London.....

My recommendation... if you know what last and size you want, order it up through LeatherSoul. I ordered mine through the London store, but that's only because I happened to be there for vacation and walked right past their door. They did not seem to have much in the way of customer service there (this seems to be the general consensus) and did not impart any additional knowledge that I wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. In addition, the Shannons are exclusively a MTO boot and therefore, you might as well order them up through Tom. If I had the choice again, I would've ordered mine from Tom. I would prefer to give my business to a guy who knows good customer service.

Oh yeah... and given the USD to GBP exchange rate, you'd be better off not going through the London store... I believe I ended up paying more for mine than I would've otherwise.

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