Shoes that look better with age...

[mizanation]

nom de code, dunno how well they will wear, or fit yet for that matter! But yeah, I really like this brand, dont really know much about their quality but guess ill be finding out, they have lots of nice designs, like brown suede motocycycle zip boots, might get those too seeing as I cant find any decent zip boots on pediwear from any english makers.

i like 'em viv.

[Carl]

Damn nice, Carl. It is quite difficult to find a captoe balmoral. What size are those?

9 or 42...which is normally my size but these run a bit bigger. I'd say closer to a 9.5-10 for the actual size.

Deffinetly gonna have to double sock it, unfortuneatly. Probably gonna be winter boots.

Anyone have any information on the manufacturer.

[viv1984viv]

Thanks miz, I really started looking at pediwear and herringshoes alot, but even though they have lots of different designs ( and all are wonderfull, beautiful shoes... ) they dont seem to have some sorts of designs, I know they are traditional english.. but it would be nice to see some designs played with, like motorcycle boots or western boots..... I know this is probably a sacriligous (sp?) thing to say, like asking Rolls Royce where the hot-hatches are???

[mizanation]

^^^ man, there's absolutely nothing wrong with motorcycle boots or western boots!

new topic, but has anyone had any accidents with your speed lace hooks?

i like to cross my feet when i'm sitting down and a lot of times, the laces on one of my boots gets stuck on the hooks on the other boot. when i try to stand, i look like a complete fricking idiot instead of a smooth operator. imagine what it looks like to have your feet stuck together crossed and trying to walk around. not cool.

[familyman]

I used to smash the speed laces flat on my work boots during the day. Then when I'd go to unlace them I couldn't get the lace out and I'd have to fight with it and I'd end up looking like a 4 year old that can't figure out how to untie their shoes. The most fun was when I'd do it on one foot. Sometimes I'd take my boots off outside and leave them there for the night. So I'd take one off and be standing there like a stork on one foot unlacing the other before stepping on the porch and I'd get stuck and end up wobbling back and forth like a drunk stork swearing until I finally yanked the lace free. I'm still not sure what I did to smash them shut but about once every two weeks it happened. Stupid speed laces.

[mizanation]

i'm thinking of having my greek shoe guru replace the hooks with holes. he says he can do it. but there's something very pleasing about being able to speed lace quickly...

[viv1984viv]

This may not apply to some people, ( and may not be of such concern depending on the type of hooks.. ) but when I did alot of hiking I think its easy to develope a tendency to really lean back and put a lot of unnessesary strain into the laces as they loop 90 degrees round the hook, yknow?

I dont really yank to hard on boots with holes, and even then the laces are not cutting around a metal hook....

Maybe hooks tend to be harsher on the laces.... I still like hooks though.

[mizanation]

yeah, hooks tend to shred the laces. it happens when you unlace, a lot of times, the laces shred.

[Tarmac]

I love speed laces, especially when they are only up top. I would never replace them with normal eyelets.

[LIVENUDEGIRLS]

x posted in clarks thread. I really like these, would love to find something similar. Any suggestions?

[coleslawyum]

^^^

How about these Danner's?

Speaking of speed hooks, I broke off mine on some hiking shoes, and the jagged edge sliced my finger open when I went down to untie my shoe. I swore never to buy speed hooks again. Miz, I try not to cross my legs while wearing my Indy's.

[superBobo]

those Danners are nice, info?

They are pretty similiar to Chippewa´s Cap toe work boot aswell (except the cap toe obviously) which ive been looking for for a while. No longer in production though it seems.

[GregNYC]

Miz, Familyman - speed laces - I have caught a cuff in the hooks too, but haven't fallen over yet. If I had my druthers, I'd prefer holes. That would be cool if Minas could do that!

[GregNYC]

Someone mentioned traditional boot companies. I googled and found some - I'd heard of most of them. There are some very good ones like Dehner, E. Vogel, Nick's and Viberg. I found out that Chippewa made the first engineer boot, and that Whites is 60 years older than Wesco. And there has always ben Sears. Here is a quick list with some photos below. For engineer boots, check out the quasi-porn site:

http://www.classicboots.com/engineer/index.htm

And there's a kind of dippy for sort of cool boot repair video here, done by a fan of a local shop. But I know Miz's homage to Minas will rock!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1132922948672401586

Sone boot brands (mostly not Western or moccasins, which are their own worlds...)

Bates (1885)

Danner

Corcoran

Nick's Custom Boots (1964)

Russell

Red Wing (1905)

Viberg (Canada) (1931)

Sears

Santa Rosa

E. Vogel (1879) custom equestrian, here in NYC

Dehner (1870) (classic equestrian boots)

Wesco (1918)

White's (pre-1860)

Wolverine (1883)

Chippewa (1901) (the original engineer boot)

Carolina (1963)

Justin

Double-H (mostly Western)

Georgia (1937)

Irish Setter (Red Wing)

Duluth Trading Company

Dunham (1883)

B.A. Mason

Golden Retriever

Frye (1863, mostly Western)

Sears engineer boot:

Vogel paddock

Dehner jodhpur

Carolina's "Red Wing" clone

Justin dress lace-up

[Chicken]

^ knowledge.

[viv1984viv]

Id really like a pair of western boots, like these..

but frye havent got them on their website anymore, Id like em low and zippered. So no 12inch pull ons or chelsea styles with elastic....

If anyone knows of other brands I could look at that make very similar boots id appreciate any suggestions. Im in the UK

greg- thats mad knowledge.

[LeicaLad]

Really nice research, and some great photos. Thanks!

[LeicaLad]

Only a slight digression, but, as a number of people here are bikers, there's an article in today's NYTimes on fixed gear bicycles gain in popularity. Greg, this is particularly for you! See:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/29/nyregion/thecity/29gear.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=all

[tweeds]

i like to cross my feet when i'm sitting down and a lot of times, the laces on one of my boots gets stuck on the hooks on the other boot. when i try to stand, i look like a complete fricking idiot instead of a smooth operator. imagine what it looks like to have your feet stuck together crossed and trying to walk around. not cool.

haha miz--thanks man, you just started my morning with a chuckle

[skalogre]

Someone mentioned traditional boot companies. I googled and found some - I'd heard of most of them. There are some very good ones like Dehner, E. Vogel, Nick's and Viberg. I found out that Chippewa made the first engineer boot, and that Whites is 60 years older than Wesco. And there has always ben Sears. Here is a quick list with some photos below. For engineer boots, check out the quasi-porn site:

...

The jodphur and the Paddock are sort of nice; the rest aren't really my thing.

[GregNYC]

Leica - Yeah, I've seen these articles for about 5 years now, I know Fast Eddie and Jason at King Kog. By the time a pop-cutlure article like this reaches the New York Times, it's by then ho-hum in the community.

Ska - yeah, most of those boots are not my taste either. Going back like 30-60 years, I wonder what boot companies there were then, you know, like the smaller denim companies that merged or went out of business. My list is only the ones still around, and some are recent, like Carolina and Nick's. Someone must have made private label boots for Sears, which always had workwear boots of all kinds....

[poly800rock]

I got these off eBay today.

36 shipped.

No idea on information about the brand. Anyone know anything?

They feel and look really nice, and for the price i can't complain.

Here is some info on the bottom of the boot;

is it just me or is the heel seem pretty high in those? either way, for $36, not a bad deal

[familyman]

Greg, thanks so much for that list. I'm still working my way through there but I've become captivated by Dehner. Then have quite a few styles (mostly riding and military) and a fascinating history dating back to 1870.

One boot I thought was really cool was this:

Dehner's Alert Boots

This style was designed by Dehner's D.D. Ketzler for Air Force General Curtis LeMay. The General, then Commander of the Strategic Air Command in Omaha, wanted a boot the Alert crews could get on easily and quickly. The crews would sleep in the jump suits, the general told him, but not their boots. This style was also the basis for the first space boots ordered by NASA in 1962. With slight alterations, these boots were used on the first three manned space flights.

When you wear Dehners, who knows how far you'll go!

[GregNYC]

Carl, Poly800 - I like those boots, they look like a downmarket version of the Shannon, the classic Bal oxford dress boot. The heel looks just right to me, I wouldn't want it lower. Good find!

Familyman - Yeah, Dehners are the real thing. I even like their logo. If I tried a pair, it would probably be strap jodhpur, which I don't have any of. They do specialize more in military and equestrian than the blue-collar workwear and English handmade looks that I am going for. Interesting history on their Alert boots.

Dehner also give a link to this shoelace site, that has tons of info on how to lace your shoes. This could go into the sneaker thread too, since lots of lacing fans work their magic on sneakers.

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/lacing.htm

Miz - All this military stuff reminds me of one of your interests - the commando boot. It's a new area to me. They seem to be a combo between a boot and a sneaker. More for SWAT stuff like climbing walls and sneaking up on bad guys, and less for jumping out of planes and clumping around in muddy foxholes. Maybe a bit off-topic here, but could you post a few pics of your favorites? I never followed up after our conversation at BiG with the other commando-boot fan we met there!

[LeicaLad]

Dang, those are fascinating. I can imagine these would be a nightmare to clean. Step into a mud puddle, and it'd take days to clean 'em. Really interesting site they have, tho. Thanks for posting them.

[mizanation]

Greg, thanks so much for that list. I'm still working my way through there but I've become captivated by Dehner. Then have quite a few styles (mostly riding and military) and a fascinating history dating back to 1870.

One boot I thought was really cool was this:

Dehner's Alert Boots

This style was designed by Dehner's D.D. Ketzler for Air Force General Curtis LeMay. The General, then Commander of the Strategic Air Command in Omaha, wanted a boot the Alert crews could get on easily and quickly. The crews would sleep in the jump suits, the general told him, but not their boots. This style was also the basis for the first space boots ordered by NASA in 1962. With slight alterations, these boots were used on the first three manned space flights.

When you wear Dehners, who knows how far you'll go!

whatsup guys,

greg, that engineer/harness boot site is sick!!!

familyman, those boots are crazy, man. crazy, i tell you!!!!

re. tactical boots: yeah, they have the comfort, performance of a sneaker but the stability and toughness of a boot. unfortunately, most modern tactical boots don't have a sleek style. the old adidas gsg9 was one of the first great (and some say still the best) tactical boot. the nice thing about it is it's got a great style. unfortunately, they are very hard to find now...

[familyman]

Greg - I love Ian's shoelace site. His secure knot changed my life. I haven't had a pair of and sort of shoes or boots come untied since I started using it, no matter what the lace material. http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/secureknot.htm

The Dehner paddock boots are a great looking basic captoe boot which is something I've been thinking about. Custom made in tan calf for $375 sounds like a great deal. The lace tanker would also be a really interesting makeup in brown or tan. Very classic military boot style in a non convenional and well ageing leather. I'm very interested in trying a pair.

miz - think of those done up in tan calf. What an interesting boot that would make. God that would be cool.

[GregNYC]

Speaking of Ian's site, here are two cool videos. One for tying the bow quickly in the shoelaces:

http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/IanKnot.mpg

And one for the fastest way to fold a T-shirt. This video I've seen before from a laundry link. It's not one continuous shot, so some people think it's fake, others have said that it works:

http://media.liquidx.net/ul/old_videos/tshirt-folding.mpeg

[familyman]

http://www.boot.com/index.html#BootMenu

Great site that I just found. Their FAQ is awesome, great info like -

How do I get the ankle to crease nicely?

When you get a new pair of pull-on boots, such as the Dehner Motor Patrol boots, Wesco Boss Engineer boots or Harness boots you can train the ankles to crease nicely. It's best to do this when your boots are new and before you've worn them too much.

The goal is to make the crease at the ankle break straight across the front and back rather than at an angle. The boots will look better and may be more comfortable. When this is done correctly, the sides of the boots near your ankle bone will have a classic "dimple". The picture of the Wesco Boss boot on the right shows how this looks. The Dehner boots will also have a dimple, but it won't be as prominent because the ankle lining is more supple.

Wesco boots with the leather lining will end up with the correct front and back crease, but the dimple won't develop because the leather is so thick. This "dimple" which looks like a leather dice cup is what gave the German infantry boots the name "Knobelbecher" (dice cup) because they would develop that characteristic dimple when broken in.

How to train your boots...

You can do this while sitting on the couch watching the news... takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Put your hand down into the boot and slowly flex the shaft forward and backwards. Use your fingers on the inside to pinch the crease in the front and back of the ankles. Train that fold so that it goes more or less horizontally across the front and back of the ankles. Left to their own devices boots sometimes develop a crease which is a bit crooked.

The technique is to slowly start flexing... note where the boot wants to crease... if it isn't creasing straight across... then reduce the flex... pinch the boots on the inside as you flex to force the shaft to crease in the correct spot.

Once you have the creases working in the correct spot then spend some time flexing the shafts forward and backwards by hand to set the crease in place.

When you've done it correctly there will be a characteristic "dimple" on each ankle and gentle horizontal creases at the front and back of the upper ankle area.

[mizanation]

that ian speed knot is crazy. i'm going to adopt that method from now on.