Shoes that look better with age...

[Zazamoot]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. I think there were some slight misunderstanding going on in our emails.

I think I like the Chippewas best, though perhaps the 90's Wesco would most safely match the aesthetic of the boss.

[headsistails]

Again, no way to “reply with quoteâ€â€¦

Does anyone have info on these? Probably too expensive, but I really like them.

[frotzxyzzy]

Those engineer boots are from a very nice brand called Phigvel Makers & Co.

http://www.phigvelers.com

The cost is 68250 JPY and they're made from horsehide leather.

Here are some shops that carry them:

http://www.prophet-kyoto.com/itemlist/phigvel_10aw/000939.html

http://potential.shop-pro.jp/?pid=24447098

Btw, there's another brand which makes similar (and even more expensive) horsehide engineer boots called Old Joe & Co.

http://www.phaeton-co.com/SHOP/OJ-0125.html

[headsistails]

Thanks! As I thought, out of my price range especially w/ international shipping or proxy charges and all that

[coleslawyum]

Damn, all these expensive engineer boots kind of erks me. I think the styling and reproduction vibe is great, but give me break, $1000 for engineer boots? I think the cats that wore these originally are spinning in their graves or laughing at us for dropping so much loot on boots that they didn't spend more than $20 back in the day.

[Layne]

Agreed, but this can be said about anything posted on this site. No one paid $350 for jeans/pants, $300 for a shirt, $600 for a jacket, etc........

Have you seen the Alden Factory Tour video by Epaulet? At the end, the guy mentions that it was a huge deal (in the '50s) to raise the price of their shell cordovan shoes to $30 and now they're $600... Just the way shit goes.

Here's the link: http://vimeo.com/6997219

Damn, all these expensive engineer boots kind of erks me. I think the styling and reproduction vibe is great, but give me break, $1000 for engineer boots? I think the cats that wore these originally are spinning in their graves or laughing at us for dropping so much loot on boots that they didn't spend more than $20 back in the day.

[Denton]

not to mention exchange rates don't help. course $1000 nearly gets you a pair of john lobb...

[WhiteShark]

Hey guys, I really need money so I'm selling my USMC boondockers.

Size 10 E I bought them from What Price Glory and they were made for the TV show the pacific. They are built pretty well. I wore them for a few weeks before realizing they sent me size 10 instead of 11.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290533220309&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT

I need money really badly so I'll take an offer too even though ebay says 85$

Gime an offer and I might take it. I need the money to pay for a train ticket to go see my girlfriend next week so I'm desperate to sell these.

If you want em send me an email

adam at adofilms.com

Sorry, Added pictures to the auction.

[klue]

Damn, all these expensive engineer boots kind of erks me. I think the styling and reproduction vibe is great, but give me break, $1000 for engineer boots? I think the cats that wore these originally are spinning in their graves or laughing at us for dropping so much loot on boots that they didn't spend more than $20 back in the day.

$20 dollars back in the day compares pretty fairly to a 1000 price tag today. cats made couple dollars a week

[coleslawyum]

Let's say the minimum wage in 1950 was like $1 per hour. Engineer boots back then was between $4 to $15 at the most. If you worked a full 2 weeks, you could actually afford a pair. Now the average wage is about $8 an hour. You'll have to work maybe a full 1.5 months to afford $1000 pair of boots. Even then you might want to spend that money on food or a roof over your head.

Just saying...

/RANT

[rayw44]

$20 dollars back in the day compares pretty fairly to a 1000 price tag today. cats made couple dollars a week

Actually, $20 from the earliest point engineer boots were made, put conservatively at 1940, would only equal between $350 and $400 (based off of a few inflation calculators). So the $1000 price tag is still more than double the real cost of what the most expensive pair of engineer boots cost 70 years ago.

[Paul T]

Actually, $20 from the earliest point engineer boots were made, put conservatively at 1940, would only equal between $350 and $400 (based off of a few inflation calculators). So the $1000 price tag is still more than double the real cost of what the most expensive pair of engineer boots cost 70 years ago.

Absolutely.

Take another consumer item, like guitars. In 1954 a Fender Stratocaster cost $189.50; today they're $2.5-$3k, price increase factor of 15 times. They face broadly the same issues - shortages of decent raw materials, environmental restrictions - as boots manufacturers. People still buy them - they're pricey, but actually decent value for money, and made to be used, just like the originals.

I can't help wondering if $1000 boots are made to be displayed rather than used.

[glimmertwins]

Absolutely.

Take another consumer item, like guitars. In 1954 a Fender Stratocaster cost $189.50; today they're $2.5-$3k, price increase factor of 15 times. They face broadly the same issues - shortages of decent raw materials, environmental restrictions - as boots manufacturers. People still buy them - they're pricey, but actually decent value for money, and made to be used, just like the originals.

...those must be UK modern Fender prices your quoting which probably isn't exactly apples to apples. In the US your vintage counterpart to what would have been offered by Fender in the 50s runs you about $2k. That being said, there are people who make a living selling handmade exact clones for less than that so Fender's price is definitely more about the name than the materials/construction.

[Paul T]

...those must be UK modern Fender prices your quoting which probably isn't exactly apples to apples. In the US your vintage counterpart to what would have been offered by Fender in the 50s runs you about $2k. That being said, there are people who make a living selling handmade exact clones for less than that so Fender's price is definitely more about the name than the materials/construction.

Not sure what you're saying. The Fender Srat cost $189.50 new in 1954. Fender Custom Shop Strats cost $2.5K; and they're decent guitars that are a decent enough version that I wouldn't feel bad about playing one of those rather than, say, my 1950s or 60s Fenders. The point that's been made is that the price of workwear has gone up out of proportion to other items like guitars.

[rayw44]

Not sure what you're saying. The Fender Srat cost $189.50 new in 1954. Fender Custom Shop Strats cost $2.5K; and they're decent guitars that are a decent enough version that I wouldn't feel bad about playing one of those rather than, say, my 1950s or 60s Fenders. The point that's been made is that the price of workwear has gone up out of proportion to other items like guitars.

There's also something to be said about the way these items last in relation to each other. A brand new Fender, even if completely abused, will likely last years and years because of the solid body. A brand new pair of $1000 engineer boots, if completely abused, will likely last a considerably shorter time and will ultimately fall apart even if diligently repaired. I think this also makes the price hike on the Fender easier to swallow than that on the boots.

[Happy Hooligan]

just saw this debate. One thing nobody is mentioning is people (men) back in the day (1950) bought more work boots then they do today. Millions and millions of men wore them everyday... Men today still buy work boots, but they're from Walmart and made in China.

People who make repro work boots or old school workboots don't sell millions and millions, they probably sell a ten thousand a year tops..

And I can buy a Fender today for a few hundred dollars... but it will be made in China.

Same for dress shoes. It is what it is.

[hollowsleather]

We used to demand quality, unfortunately all we demand now is a bargain. And that is what is being supplied.

[cash]

Engineer boots from Japan are NOT work boots. They just look like work boots. They are NOT made with the intention of selling them to the working class. These are made for clothing fetishists. More or less, this explains the price difference in equivalent dollars.

[denimjunky]

Ouch. That stung. You just expressed the unexpressable in our religion.

:-)

[cash]

^In all fairness, I over simplified some of that equation. There is also the issue of material scarcity. It is far more difficult to source horse hide these days. My shoe repair guy bitches non stop about how expensive leather soles are. So, yea, some of the stuff is harder to source and more expensive due to the prevalence of cheap, non-welted shoes (not all Asian produced either, a lot of Italian-made shoes are glued-up poly-soled jobs these days).

[MiniW]

We used to demand quality, unfortunately all we demand now is a bargain. And that is what is being supplied.

the real sufu'er wants quality at a bargain, you dig

[denimjunky]

^In all fairness, I over simplified some of that equation. There is also the issue of material scarcity. It is far more difficult to source horse hide these days. My shoe repair guy bitches non stop about how expensive leather soles are. So, yea, some of the stuff is harder to source and more expensive due to the prevalence of cheap, non-welted shoes (not all Asian produced either, a lot of Italian-made shoes are glued-up rubber-soled jobs these days).

Its effing ridiculous and sad actually how the average shoe prospecting person has gotten used to and dont question the whole buy-and-throw-away paradigm.

Just to pile up more and more this planets waste.

[Paul T]

Yup. It's pathetic.

Even worse for women, too. I bought the gf some boots in the spring, £150, after 12 weeks wear the uppers had split from the sole and the way it was made meant they weren't repairable; this from Clark's, a once reputable brand. Made in Italy. She got a new pair, but they're just as bad. That kind of crap makes Tricker's look like a total bargain, whether they're £150, £250 or £300. I simply can't see how people can go on chucking their old shoes in landfill every six months or so.

[Layne]

I simply can't see how people can go on chucking their old shoes in landfill every six months or so.

We live in a dispensable society. Fast and cheap prevails over quality 9 times out of 10.

[fre-co]

I'm having a love affair...... (Sorry Alden, White's, Trickers, C&J)

Thanks Riff and Morse for your perfect sizing advice. They are spot on, sized up half from Alden barrie if anyone needs a reference.

[mikecch]

Engineer boots from Japan are NOT work boots. They just look like work boots. They are NOT made with the intention of selling them to the working class. These are made for clothing fetishists. More or less, this explains the price difference in equivalent dollars.

Dudes who drop 1K+ on boots regularly probably don't do much physical work at their air conditioned offices

I don't spend money anywhere close to that, but certainly any boots I own become walking shoes, not work boots (I'm a lazy ass)~

[rnrswitch]

I know we all like to rip on the common person that would rather buy 10 pairs of cheap boots than 1 pair of nice boots, but lets not kid ourselves. We all end up buying 10 pairs of nice boots. 9 of which will sit in the closet anyway, never to be used for their intended purpose.

Not pointing fingers as I am part of this problem as well.

[beeetus]

Selling my 2268's if anyone is interested. Went with my regular RW size, but should have gone half size larger. They just don't fit right.

I'd prefer to sell to a fellow Sufu member.

Here's the ebay listing: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320657526996&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:US:1123

[beeetus]

Is there anywhere in the US I can order roughout Chippewas besides through Rakuten? Coleslaw? Anyone?

[Zazamoot]

Everywhere: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&biw=&bih=&q=chippewa+bomber&btnG=Google+Search