Shoes that look better with age...

[aeglus]

Here's all my boots together plus a couple closeups.

I can get some pics of my dressy shoes too a bit later.

[mlproject]

East Village Shoe Repair on St. Marks, Boris just did my Red Wings. He knows his shit, don't be discouraged by shop's looks.

i'll check them out, thanks. my opinion is if the shop isn't insane looking, they're probably not doing much work, let alone good work.

[rodeo bill]

Hi everyone- I haven't been around these parts for a while... here's some update pics on the Alden Norwegian split-toe corovan boots I got last summer. Worn around once a week for about 18 months:

more updates of my collection over the next few days, if people are interested

ps Aeglus- liking the desert boots, and ghost would approve for sure! where are they from?

[Guest sneekylyric078]

Here's all my boots together plus a couple closeups.

I can get some pics of my dressy shoes too a bit later.

Did you dye those purple desert boots yourself? They look amazing!

[aeglus]

Nope, those came like that. They're Jil Sander.

[m0t3d]

sneekylyric078 Are those Dr. Martens I see? If so how what and how are they? Great set btw.

[aeglus]

Guess I'll list the boots to make things easier, left from right:

Jil Sander purple suede chukkas

Doc Martens 1460

Redwing 2268

Gordon Rush cuffed ankle boots

Loake Sahara in navy suede

[35percent]

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On my way through a couple of states on Sunday I found a Store selling Hawthorne Iron Ranger and picked a pair up in 10.5. Got back early this morning and tried them back on for the first time since in the store, and once having the other boot laced and walking around in them on the carpet I realized that they are definitely too big. I normally wear a size 11 and did the suggested size down 1/2 but I am sure I could go down a full size. When my heel sets back in the boot I swear it is like two inches of room in the toe, not comfortable at all. So... two questions

Does everybody's foot lock into the heel like a glove, (which is super comfortable) and allow two inches of room being still comfortable?

Also, What is a smart price to sell these for? I am not driving through two states to return them, and I got them for a pretty good price and didn't have to pay shipping. $195

please chime in, or pm me if you can help at all

Oh also, How does Hawthorne wear/age? These look great brand new

.

195 is a good price, they normally go for about 270. The hawthorne ages very nicely, but I think you have a size too big. I wear a 12d, and went true to size with my iron rangers and gentleman travelers and put in an insole and they fit like a glove.

I'd suggest you get a decent insole and a midweight wool sock and see if they feel any better.

[shasavan7]

What is chromexel, exactly? I checked Viberg's site, couldn't find any description of it.

[partytaco]

he did a lousy job on a pair of my Lone Wolfs a couple years back. Told me he was going to put on new deadstock Cat's Paw (like they originally had) when I picked them up he replaced the heel with some generic brand and put a thin piece of rubber over the worn original Cat's Paw that came with the shoe. His finishing was horrible too, didn't trim the edges down and he put a nail through to the footbed.

If you want metal tips go to the Leather Spa on 55th. You'll pay $50+ and wait 4 weeks but they were the ONLY shoe repair place in the city I could find to do them (correctly) and they will also recess them into the leather if it's a double leather sole or if you get rubber fronts recess them into the rubber so it doesn't through off the evenness of the sole.

East Village Shoe Repair on St. Marks, Boris just did my Red Wings. He knows his shit, don't be discouraged by shop's looks.

[Curious_George]

What is chromexel, exactly? I checked Viberg's site, couldn't find any description of it.

From Horween,

Chromexcel is the original pull-up leather; using time honored techniques and formulas that were developed nearly 100 years ao. Chromexcel is still produced in the United States using a bark retannage from a proprietary recipe, and then genuine hot stuffed with our secret blend of natural oils and greases.

Chromexcel is characterized by a rich pull-up in full aniline, hand rubbed finishes. Made to this day with old world craftsmanship, modern Chromexcel carries on a long history of superior comfort and durability.

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[YoungPunch]

Curious George, thanks for posting that!

Within that Chromexcel definition there are some other terms some people may not understand. The Glossary on the Horween Website is really informative.

From horween.com:

Aniline – A leather that has been stained, colored, and finished with dyes only.

Break – A description of how the grain of leather reacts when it is folded back against itself. A “fine†break is considered desirable.

Buffing – Also known as “correcting,†the act of sanding the grain to improve “selection†and remove surface imperfections.

Burnished – Leather that has been polished in such a way that heat is generated resulting in a surface shine.

Cementable – A leather that is able to be glued. Many modern shoe manufacturers employ such a process in place of sewing or stitching the sole to the upper of a shoe.

Combination Tanned – Leather that is initially “chrome†tanned and then retanned using vegetable extracts.

Curried – The process of hand oiling leather with warmed, natural oils. Typically done by brushing.

Dehairing – The chemical process of removing the hair from a cured, but not yet tanned, animal skin.

Embossing – The process of permanently pressing a texture or pattern into a piece of leather. This is the same as plating, except a textured plate is used.

Fat Liquored – A retanned hide that has undergone nourishing with a blend of emulsified fats and/or oils.

Full Grain – A leather type that has not undergone buffing, sanding, or snuffing. Also referred to as “top grain.â€

Hand Glazed – A leather that has been burnished with a very traditional machine called a glazing jack. The machine polishes the surface of the leather with a fixed glass rod.

Hot Stuffing – The process of impregnating leather with oils, greases, and/or fats that are solid at room temperature. This process is achieved in a mill.

Mill – A wood or metal drum of varying size that is used in processes such as tumbling, stuffing, retanning, and coloring. In appearance, it looks like a gigantic, rotating barrel.

Mill Dyed – A leather that has had dye introduced during the retanning process.

Pasted – A leather that has undergone a drying process where hides are hand-applied to a frame using a starch-based paste and then sent through a hot air dryer.

Plated – A leather that has had heat and pressure applied by a large, mechanical press.

Pull-up – A temporary lightening in color achieved by bending leather. This is caused by the temporary displacement of oils, greases, and/or waxes.

Retanning – The process where products are introduced that are largely responsible for the ultimate character of the leather.

Semi-Aniline – A leather that is finished with some percentage of pigmented dyes to achieve a more uniform surface appearance.

Shell – The subcutaneous, highly dense fiber structure found in the backside of a horse or mule.

Slicking – The hand scraping of excess dye from a piece of leather.

Swabbing – Also referred to as “padding.†the process of hand applying base coats of dye to a piece of leather.

Tanned in Tack® – The secret proprietary blend that makes our football leather special.

Temper – The term used to refer to how soft or stiff a leather is.

Toggled – A leather that has been stretched and dried on a frame using clips or clamps, known as toggles.

Tumbled – Also known as “dry milled,†refers to leather that has been placed in a mill and run for a predetermined amount of time. This lends softness to leather.

Vacuum Dried – A modern drying technique that employs a machine able to create a vacuum to draw water out of the skins after retanning.

Weight – The thickness of leather, measured in either ounces or millimeters.

Wet Stuffing – The impregnation of leather through the introduction of a rich blend of emulsifiable oils. This is an intermediate step between fat liquoring and hot stuffing.

[morse9443]

Baker Shoes is really stepping up their White's game. I like them bringing Japan style editions to the US market, finally.

[YoungPunch]

^Those Whites are pretty cool! I also noticed on the baker website they are now selling Alden Indy boots. They already have them at a sale price:

http://www.bakershoe.com/shop-by-brand.cfm/brand/alden-shoes--boots/

[Denim Phenom]

I think it sucks when American companies have styles only available in other countries. I guess the market isn't big enough here for it.

Just like the Sugar Cane "Made in USA" jeans. Made here, sold there.

[chrispy]

Hi everyone- I haven't been around these parts for a while... here's some update pics on the Alden Norwegian split-toe corovan boots I got last summer. Worn around once a week for about 18 months:

(pics of aldens)

more updates of my collection over the next few days, if people are interested

ps Aeglus- liking the desert boots, and ghost would approve for sure! where are they from?

I'm really don't like the Norwegian toe style and these might just be the most amazing boots I've ever seen. These are awesome!

[Opie]

I'm a bit scared that horween doesn't have a description of the term "vegetable tanned"

[coupon]

anyone have any experience with these? they look pretty good and alot cheaper than most boots but i guess slightly more plain?

http://combatboots.com/IBS/SimpleCat/Product/asp/product-id/451961.html

im either gonna get those or spend a bit more for the redwing GTs

[rodeo bill]

Here are my Ducker & Sons chukka boots. Worn quite heavily for about a year and resoled a couple of months ago in plantation crepe (leather soles originally):

Ducker's are really good. The owner, Bob, is a proper shoe maker and does amazing bespoke work in the shop (cheapish for bespoke but still way out of my budget). The off-the-shelf stuff is made in the Grenson factory, but he says he rents a corner and trains his own staff- certainly the construction seems excellent to me .

[rodeo bill]

here are some pics of when they were new that I dug out. and here's the link http://duckerandson.co.uk/

[lance]

rodeo bill - Nice chukkas - I like the shape of the toe, more streamlined than most chukkas. Thanks for the link, haven't heard of them before.

[rodeo bill]

thanks! yeah me too- I was looking for chukkas for ages but they tend to be a bit square round the toe. I like the colour of these too- it's a bit brighter than a normal tan. Ducker's is definitely worth a look if you're ever in Oxford- the workshop is at the back of the shop, where they do all the repairs as well as bespoke, and they have a massive range of the rack, including some really nice repros of old styles made on the original lasts (eg edwardian high lace boots).

[aeglus]

Wow, really love the shape and color of those, and especially like how they aged. I'd wear the hell out of those too.

[Gang]

Baker Shoes is really stepping up their White's game. I like them bringing Japan style editions to the US market, finally.

oh.. thanks for your information

I really wanted this model but only available in Japan.

[jpsmith98]

I'm a bit scared that horween doesn't have a description of the term "vegetable tanned"

They don't have one of chrome tanned either, soooo.... don't worry about it.

Maybe I don't t know shit about leather, but I was surprised to see that shell can come from a mule too. Thought it was only horses...huh. Granted they're related, but I'm wondering if there's any other creatures that can produce shell?

[Opie]

They don't have one of chrome tanned either, soooo.... don't worry about it.

Maybe I don't t know shit about leather, but I was surprised to see that shell can come from a mule too. Thought it was only horses...huh. Granted they're related, but I'm wondering if there's any other creatures that can produce shell?

Yeah you are probably right, even though vegetable tanning would be something you should plaster all over your website and chrome tanning is something you would hide away.

[jake431]

Veg tanning and chrome tanning have different qualities. Vegetable tanned leather is usually much stiffer and takes much longer than Chrome tanned leather.

From Wikipedia:

"Vegetable-tanned leather is tanned using tannin and other ingredients found in vegetable matter, tree bark, and other such sources. It is supple and brown in color, with the exact shade depending on the mix of chemicals and the color of the skin. It is the only form of leather suitable for use in leather carving or stamping. Vegetable-tanned leather is not stable in water; it tends to discolor, and if left to soak and then dry it will shrink and become less supple and harder. In hot water, it will shrink drastically and partly gelatinize, becoming rigid and eventually brittle. Boiled leather is an example of this where the leather has been hardened by being immersed in hot water, or in boiled wax or similar substances. Historically, it was occasionally used as armor after hardening, and it has also been used for book binding.

Chrome-tanned leather, invented in 1858, is tanned using chromium sulfate and other salts of chromium. It is more supple and pliable than vegetable-tanned leather, and does not discolor or lose shape as drastically in water as vegetable-tanned. It is also known as wet-blue for its color derived from the chromium. More esoteric colors are possible using chrome tanning."

[Aries]

Rodeo Bill - Those split-toe Norwegians look superb, where'd you get them?

I've just ordered the Epaulet "officer" edition Indy boots. Hopefully I've picked the right size... We'll see soon enough - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/4097854451_a1187b7623_o.jpg

[joebot]

sneekylyric078 Are those Dr. Martens I see? If so how what and how are they? Great set btw.

I have a pair of Doc Marten's 1490 (the vintage model). They are really nice for what they are. Probably the most comfortable boot I've had so far. Makes me want to down a 40.

[rodeo bill]

Rodeo Bill - Those split-toe Norwegians look superb, where'd you get them?

I've just ordered the Epaulet "officer" edition Indy boots. Hopefully I've picked the right size... We'll see soon enough - http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2572/4097854451_a1187b7623_o.jpg

Thanks! I got them in Hong Kong at Tassels, but Context have also had something similar. Your boots look great- post pics when you get them. Is that a single or double leather sole? I'll be interested to know how it feels/wears either way.

Here's my Alden #8 AF53s, from Adam at Alden of Carmel, about 2 years on, worn around once a week but I've also taken them on holidays and walked quite a bit in them: