Shoes that look better with age...

[coleslawyum]

"diversified branding" "capturing the _____ market segment" and "development of a high-end lifestyle line" all of which make me a little sick to my stomach.

Could be true. The pricing seems a bit contrived too. Just a little more expensive than Red Wing but not more than Alden's. They might also be jumping on this work wear revival trend. But I don't really have a problem with that because the company Wolverine has a long history at producing work boots, and they used really nice leather and production. In the end I think these boots are still quite priddy.

I have more issue with the recent RRL Bowery boot release. That feels exactly like a marketing decision and more full of shit than these Wolverine's.

[fre-co]

Anyone own a pair of these from William Lennon:

http://www.williamlennon.co.uk/footwear/78ptc-mens-traditional-leather-derby-boot.html

Wonder if the sizing is true to size, ho they wear, etc.. They are making me crazy!!!

Be a pioneer and buy them, size the same as if it were trickers country boots.

[Rivet Head]

I'm thinking about it fre$co...the shipping is priced right...FREE!!! They look like magnificent boots and for $204 US they might be a bargain.

[fre-co]

I might beat you to it. I want the non toe capped version though I think. I'll probably buy them this month or next.

[Rivet Head]

The Hob Nailed Boots look pretty killer too. I wish they had some pics of the soles though.

[erk]

it was july 22nd when I placed my order for a pair of WWII impressions' rough out boots. I just got the new tracking number for my exchanged pair yesterday. Hopefully sept. 2nd will be the end of this ridiculous saga and I can go on to never do business with wwii impressions ever again.

[edmond]

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/klax-on/090827b/

[dunkin deeznuts]

i passed on buying a pair of Alden whiskey Indys cause i'm trying to save money........somebody fuckin kill me...........

[erk]

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/klax-on/090827b/

oh man, is there anywhere in the US you can even get a semi-dress in chromexcel (and for hopefully less that 984 USD)? I was just thinking that would be great while looking at the 1000 mile boot and the similar price to the whites.

who is white's US leather source anyways? anyone know?

[rnrswitch]

I am sure white's will do it for a price and it will most likely be better than $985.

[erk]

I am sure white's will do it for a price and it will most likely be better than $985.

how bout this...a little bit of weirdness and mathematics that would make my 2nd grade teacher proud...

if Klax-on sells the regular semi-dress for $805 that is a markup of roughly $430.

the horween chromexcel semi dress sells for $985 which is a markup from regular semi-dress of $610

thats a difference in markup of $180

if this was a perfect world and klax-on was basing their prices relatively then a pair of semi-dress chromexcel white's should run you $555. hopefully any customization fees were included in that somewhere although its likely that Klax-on got some sort of deal by doing a large quantity order whereas a regular joe would probably have to pay more for a one off pair. But maybe this could provide some sort of ball park estimate.

[SLAB]

ok, I'm seriously disturbed about what happened today with my Indy's.

Here I am, just sitting behind my desk all day long and I still manage to f*uck up my boots. I have no idea how it happened but it did. A small piece of leather got nearly ripped off from the toe, its very obvious and I fear it can rip further. I' m quite shocked to see how thin the leather actually is. am i making a big thing out of nothing?

What to do? Should I

- just suck it up and live with it, maybe try camouflaging it with some polish

- try to repair it (superglue) or bring it to shoe repair shop

- contact Alden...

[Hendodo]

contact alden ask for their opinion, then repair

[fre-co]

do not superglue it. That is repairable anyway.

[SLAB]

you suppose the local shoe repair shop might be up to it? It'll be troublesome if i have to send them back to the US.

[fre-co]

yeah i'm sure if you take it somewhere good they'll deal with it. Take it somewhere that you trust... somewhere that can deal with goodyear welted soles would be a good bet. Not a shitty heel bar.

[nattomoto]

you suppose the local shoe repair shop might be up to it? It'll be troublesome if i have to send them back to the US.

Be cautious. I had a similar tear and my local repair shop glued it down, however the fix lasted about a month. I think you should contact Alden and ask then for their opinion.

[fattybfat]

This happened to my RW few years ago as well, i m afraid it will rip further, what i did was to cut that little piece out, it will still be uneven surface. Then i use the most refine(smooth) sand paper to sand it a little bit, and finally, i just polish it with meltonian shoe cream (of course with the same color). It works very well, i can show you a pic of what i did later...if you are interested.

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

marine adhesive is what your local cobbler should use. It will work and be almost invisible if they do it correctly.

[MiniW]

This happened to my RW few years ago as well, i m afraid it will rip further, what i did was to cut that little piece out, it will still be uneven surface. Then i use the most refine(smooth) sand paper to sand it a little bit, and finally, i just polish it with meltonian shoe cream (of course with the same color). It works very well, i can show you a pic of what i did later...if you are interested.

this is the best advice IMO, and then wear the heck out of the boots so that other scratches and scuffs build up. However if you really were looking to keep them looking like new, I think a cobbler would be your best bet.

[Guest jbone45]

this is the best advice IMO, and then wear the heck out of the boots so that other scratches and scuffs build up. However if you really were looking to keep them looking like new, I think a cobbler would be your best bet.

I agree. They're "just" boots after all. Wear them hard like they're meant to be worn. They aint going to look brand new forever, this stuff happens.

[rnrswitch]

While they are just boots and they do look great when worn in, it does suck to have the "wear" look uneven, like a big gouge on the toe, while everything else looks pristine. The good thing is that if you don't get it fixed, 3 - 4 months down the road it won't matter, but for now try a quick fix to keep the leather flap from continuing to tear.

[beatle]

just leave it be....over the years you'll have more marks on your boots..shows you're walking in them....

[Bill2]

just leave it be....over the years you'll have more marks on your boots..shows you're walking in them....

Amen..... Leave 'em be.. that is a scratch, not a tear. The leather isn't torn through, you've just gauged the top layer where the stain/color is. If anything, just trim whatever flap there is, and use that melatonian that was advised to you earlier. Once the flap is gone, and the leather is stained to match it won't be that noticeable nor the type of wear that I would consider "irregular" for a pair of work boots

[superBobo]

thrift store find

RM williams boots, suede, leather soled, nearly unworn.

The thing is, the shape is alot more "elegant" than what I usually wear, but I couldnt pass them up... Ideas on how to incorporate them into some variant of my style? Or should I strictly save these for the very rare occasions I want to look elegant?

[NSFW]

^^ yeah, that doesn't really seem to fit your usual style - but i can't argue with bargains too good to pass up... been guilty of that way too many times myself.

[tmadd]

What to do? Should I

- just suck it up and live with it, maybe try camouflaging it with some polish

- try to repair it (superglue) or bring it to shoe repair shop

- contact Alden...

To me, what you should do depends on how you originally intended to wear and maintain these boots. I never wanted to polish my Indys, so I would have just let that be the first of many tears, scratches, bumps, scuffs, and would have given it a little pecards just because. However, you could find a place that would use marine glue, then hit it with some meltonian and then touch it up with some kiwi. Also, you could just hit it with Meltonian and Kiwi, which won't help you structurally in the long run, but will make it blend in better, and will keep it looking more normal until it falls off on its own accord, hopefully at which point your boots will be way more beat up than they are already.

[tmadd]

If Whites has the leather(perhaps the merchant supplied the leather, something I know Whites allows, and could also go part way to explain the price disparity), and isn't catching a case of Alden's reallfuckingannoying Japan-only exclusive with everything we make that is cool syndrome, it shouldn't be a significant upcharge at all. Almost all Whites boots are made to order, even the vast majority of dealer stock, and chromexcel shouldn't be any kind of significant upcharge from any of the other leathers White's offers...I'm not much of a fan myself, but they sure would be pretty for those of you that like the chromexcel thing. If you are really interested, I would get on the horn with either Baker Boots or try to get on the phone with the right guy at Whites and see whats up.

[SLAB]

thanks for the many replies guys; I have always intended to use them as regular boots,not as a dress shoe so Ill consider this their first 'mark'.

It pissed me off so much because of, like rnrswitch said, the boots still look like new which makes the scratch very obvious. Ill get to work with some meltonian and kiwi polish, just havent decided yet if ill leave the flap on or cut it off and sandpaper it. Fattyb, can you send me a picture of your repair work if possible?

[beatle]

I would leave it on and wait for the leather below to darken a bit more before eventually taking it off..