Shoes that look better with age...

[Chicken]

^ either that or stored horribly? without trees.

[Denim Phenom]

I'm putting my size 8.5D Black, single leather soul White's up for sale. All eyelets. I paid $440, i'd like to get $350 for them shipped in the US. I guess now that Stronghold is selling their's for $359 it will be hard to for me to sell mine but it's worth a shot.

Shameless self promotion.

[ninja07]

Thanks for the comments. I don't quite know what happened before but i am keen to get it up to shape.

The overall condition judging from the soles I would say is quite good save for some slight chipping of the leather at the toe area as seen from the orig pics. I've used Kiwi neutral polish generally on all areas and Kiwi brown polish to go over the spots where the leather chipped.

As for the shape/creases - should I get a shoe tree or just wear it in to get it into shape to fit me?

I'm not sure about the standing of Church's on this board...however I really like the color its like a deep brown with a tint if burgundy from certain light.

Any one with more nfo on these would be appreciated.

[coleslawyum]

^^Tree's is a must for getting the shoe back into shape. If you just wear it, sure the shape will start to adjust to your feet, but it'll still kind of collapse without a shoe tree.

Best thing to get are trees that are shaped to the original last like on this page.

Anyway, the feeling on Church's is hot and cold on this thread, some people say great, some people say not worth the money. C&J, Tricker's and Edward Green seems to get the most love here (for English shoes).

[GregNYC]

^I've never looked into Church's too much. But on Ask Andy and Style Forum I've heard comments like "Church's has fallen," or "not what they used to be." I'm not sure what models people ever liked, or when Church's heyday was....

[Happy Hooligan]

coles

what's with the before/after pic on the "Processing of the VACHETTA style"

They went from suede to leather?

[skalogre]

^I've never looked into Church's too much. But on Ask Andy and Style Forum I've heard comments like "Church's has fallen," or "not what they used to be." I'm not sure what models people ever liked, or when Church's heyday was....

Many consider their acquisition by Prada (iirc) as the beginning of the end, and I think many also feel that the price has gone up without a commensurate increase in quality (or, maybe, even has been a drop).

OTOH, I have not seen up close any of their shoes to verify this so I don't know.

[HumanError]

Check that out- brown Indys with that monochrome (shades of black) outfit in the Geller catalog looking damn fine together. Who knew?

My suede Indys arrived Saturday. I love them, rough welt and all. I dig the welt on these; gives the boot character. Tom (and Alden NE)-rocked-this-hard.

Pics tomorrow.

[Denim Phenom]

My suede Indys arrived Saturday. I love them, rough welt and all. I dig the welt on these; gives the boot character. Tom (and Alden NE)-rocked-this-hard.

I need to put up pictures of mine as well. I almost like these more than my regular 405s even with the combat sole. At first it was strange walking on them but i've since gotten used to that.

[edmond]

any of you got a picture of the regular alden shoe tree? would it be best for the indies? thats all the tom of leathersoul could offer me..

[demarco]

I have a pair of Fiorentini + Baker boots for sale in the market place if anyone is interested...

http://www.superfuture.com/supertalk/showthread.php?t=53232

[coleslawyum]

coles

what's with the before/after pic on the "Processing of the VACHETTA style"

They went from suede to leather?

I think thats what it is. But you might want to ask someone who can read Japanese.

[Freshdave]

According to Wiki:

"Vachetta leather is used in the trimmings of luggage and handbags, popularized by Louis Vuitton. The leather is left untreated and is therefore susceptible to water and stains. Sunlight will cause the natural leather to darken in shade, called a patina."

D

[doczein]

how long should my indies be in compared to my foot? on my size 10D 405's right now, my big toe does not pass much at all beyong the stitching on the toebox at the top-front of the shoe when i press down on it. should i size down 1/2 in addition to going a step wider (the ones i have right now are too narrow)?

[GregNYC]

^When in doubt about width, do go wider. As for the length it sounds OK, but when you make that measurement, you should have your weight on that foot. The best thing to do is go get measured with a Brannock device, which you can do in any good U.S. shoe store. And have them determine the size from the ball of the foot, not the length of the toe.... The Indies conform with the sizes from the Brannock, so you could feel safe even in mail-ordering them.

[fre-co]

that sound about the right length to me, my big toe barely reaches the stitching and i'd say my indies are perfect.

[GregNYC]

^Mine too, now that Ralph at Alden explained a few things about fit to me. I had been wearing one complete size too small, purchased from their other staff who don't know how to fit shoes. They were "OK," but when I got into the Brannock with a few tips from Ralph, I learned that I should size up one whole size! So it went from "OK" to "Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

I know now 3 or 4 shoe folks in NY who know how to fit shoes, I'm sure there are more, but: Ralph at Alden, William at Allen Edmunds, Cindy at Crockett and Jones, and I-forget-her-name at Lobb....

[fre-co]

I would hope that Lobb staff can measure feet!

Yes, a good fitting Indy should be very comfortable, mine are for sure (thanks greg). I don't think they are boots that should need breaking in and days of pain.

[amlai]

Yes, a good fitting Indy should be very comfortable, mine are for sure (thanks greg). I don't think they are boots that should need breaking in and days of pain.

Mine have all been pretty comfortable out of the box. My broken in #8 shell boots are by far my most comfortable pair of shoes and I bought them a half size too big! (I stuck in a thin insert to make up for the difference.)

[bathtime]

When I tried on Indys at the SF Alden store the salesman said the toes shouldn't extend past the stitching.

[HumanError]

The woman who fitted me for my AE Leeds here in NYC gave me my size, and then merely watching as walked a bit in the store, suggested I try an E width. My usual D width would've been acceptable, but the E was pure comfort. Woman knows her business. I wish I knew her name to give her her due.

[Tiro]

^Mine too, now that Ralph at Alden explained a few things about fit to me. I had been wearing one complete size too small, purchased from their other staff who don't know how to fit shoes. They were "OK," but when I got into the Brannock with a few tips from Ralph, I learned that I should size up one whole size! So it went from "OK" to "Aaaaaahhhhhh!!!!"

I know now 3 or 4 shoe folks in NY who know how to fit shoes, I'm sure there are more, but: Ralph at Alden, William at Allen Edmunds, Cindy at Crockett and Jones, and I-forget-her-name at Lobb....

with this info, indie size = redwing size still applies Greg?

[LeatherSOUL]

Ultimate Indy, Storm Welt Close Heel

Snuff Suede Indy, Reverse Welt All-Around

Heel of Both

Toe of Both

Notice how the reverse welt actually looks sleeker than the storm welt?

I prefer the reverse.

[Tiro]

excellent pics tom, thanks

I dunno, I kinda like the reverse welt better on the heels, but on the toes, the storm welt looks a bit more 'rugged' while the reverse welt almost looks a bit too sleek...

but I'm fine with whatever you guys pick for the next order of ultimate indies

ah maybe a question about functionality, wich welt would have less chance of making your jeans drag the floor at the heels?

[fattybfat]

Any more pics for the snuff suede indy?

[GregNYC]

The more drag and thickness you can get at the back of the heel, the less your jeans will drag on the floor. For these two ot Toms, the suede and the reverse welt on the heels would keep the jeans off the ground a bit better. On my Red Wing 875 with 360-degree welt, the hem of the jeans often catches on the welt, depending on the width of the leg opening....

[Tarmac]

The overall condition judging from the soles I would say is quite good save for some slight chipping of the leather at the toe area as seen from the orig pics. I've used Kiwi neutral polish generally on all areas and Kiwi brown polish to go over the spots where the leather chipped.

As for the shape/creases - should I get a shoe tree or just wear it in to get it into shape to fit me?

I'm not sure about the standing of Church's on this board...however I really like the color its like a deep brown with a tint if burgundy from certain light.

There is nothing wrong with that particular Church's, it's just that you have found yourself an example of their "Polished Binder Leather" which is their code word for cheap corrected grain. It's the same leather on $99.00 Kenneth Coles, which is why modern Church's shoes are so hated in some circles. The construction will be good but you will have a hard time making them look better with age. They will stay shiny and creased and will have a really hard time absorbing any polish.

On the plus side, they are lower maintenance, you don't need to polish them very often, you can usually just wipe them down with a cloth.

[coleslawyum]

FYI… For some reason B. Nelson has moved into a even weirder location in 1285 6Th Ave Time / Life building. It's also called General Shoe Repair now.

[Chicken]

bump.

(and hoping this might fix the broken thread.)

[edmond]

fuck is wrong with this thread cant see the last page god damn it