Shoes that look better with age...

[GoatJuggernaut]

Red Wings Iron Rangers. Been great boots for the last year for both business casual and the outdoors. One of the better purchases I made last year.

[soundune]

dad's EB duck boots ~20+ years old and my LLB boots 6 mo. old! Before and waaay after! i remember being 15 yo and my parents trying to convince me to wear a pair during the winter - there was no way they could get me to do it. if i only knew..!

dad's:

mine:

together:

close up:

[spidereye]

Nice black iron ranger.

[rkusmant]

[Tiro]

sexls (self edge x leather soul) alden boots worn 8 months.....

would dig those with another sole, something like the ultimate indies maybe...

doesn't the toe stitching let water in?

[marineabilly]

WWII Impressions is having a nice little sale for those considering some of their gear. I'm now contemplating picking up a pair of their Boondockers.

Christmas Sale

From Wednesday December 21, 2011 Through December 31, 2011

Take 10% off all listed prices after your order of $75.00 or more is received/downloaded.

This only applies to orders subtotaling $75.00 or more before sales taxes and S&H. This discount only applies towards merchandise that is in stock and does not apply towards prepaid reservations or backorders, or special order merchandise.

[Megatron1505]

Shameless plug got some Grenson Freds up for sale, PM me for details...

[smittybat]

rkusmant, those Alden's look great. My 405's are easily my favorite pair of boots. I love the color mine have evolved into in the 9 months I've had them. They're are definitely my most comfortable pair as well. BTW do you have any updated pictures of those Tricker's Eaton you got a while back.

[rkusmant]

I agree, brown chromexcel evolves beautifully, just don't scratch too much.

I'm on travel for a while, the Eatons stay home this time, they stay pretty much the same, I polish and baby them more than my Indies.

[Panda-san]

I don't usually like cap toes, but those look great. Sorry if this is obvious, but are these an older SExLS collaboration, or do you have a pre-production model (I thought they were going to be black)? If these are an older model, are they still available anywhere? I couldn't find them on the Leather Soul site.

sexls (self edge x leather soul) alden boots worn 8 months.....

[onehundy]

Sorry if not appropriate in this thread, but

How to size Lone Wolf Engineer boots, if I wear a size 8 (UK) in both Road Champs & Vibergs?

Thx

You might be a 8.5 in lone wolfs they run pretty true to size

[rubyblue]

You might be a 8.5 in lone wolfs they run pretty true to size

Thx

[Megatron1505]

Whats the thoughts on these? I'm thinking of something similar, but with black chrome excel instead of french calf, and brown edging rather than natural.

[Maynard Friedman]

I'm sure there's plenty on here who like that style but definitely not my cup of tea. They look hideous, yet slightly comical in my opinion. I'm not trying to be humbug at Christmas, just honest.

[ranonranonarat]

same as M.F. no hate but i just think it's incredibly hard to pull off bullhide regardless of what you're wearing. the texture is unique but i can't really see it working on footwear. also, call me plain old fashioned but two toned boots (or any variation of it) are hideous to me. no offence to anyone who likes them.

[ajchen]

I don't usually like cap toes, but those look great. Sorry if this is obvious, but are these an older SExLS collaboration, or do you have a pre-production model (I thought they were going to be black)? If these are an older model, are they still available anywhere? I couldn't find them on the Leather Soul site.

These are a pre-production model. The official release will come in both black and natural chromexcel. There are a few preview shots on Leather Soul's website but they are slated to release in January.

[big truck]

I really like those whites mega. Are they from Life Time Gear blog? Ive seen a black all bull hide Semi Dress with brown edge and Vibram and that looked even better. Could still do a toe cap too?

The issue with Whites is that they are very period specific and I think they only really look good when it is a real vintage look such as 1920s/30s or even earlier. Of course, its personal preference but I think Whites with anything later than a 55 type cut just look wrong.

[mikecch]

Pic is from ultrasound boots - the hk dealer.

I think it looks alright, but having the tougher grained leather on the toe-cap would make more sense.

Edited December 24, 2011 by mikecch

[big truck]

Mikecch - do you know how bullhide ages? Ive seen it in other colours and, frankly, it looks dull and tired quite quickly. Not sure if it easier to strike up a shine with black bull hide than, say, tan.

[mikecch]

I'm not sure how White's bullhide ages, no experience with them - though, they appear to be chrome-tanned, and chrome-tanned bullhide doesn't "age" all that much in my experience.

Being a chrome leather I guess achieving a shine wouldn't be too difficult.

Personally I like the lighter coloured bullhides better - the texture of the grain complements the colour much better than, say, a dark brown or black leather. On the black the grain looks too artificial, and in the polished state looks like a printed grain. White's water-buffalo might do the trick better in black. Just my 2c.

Edited December 24, 2011 by mikecch

[Megatron1505]

Thanks for the opinions guys, both positive and negative, that is what I asked for.

My thoughts on getting a custom boot, like the ones above, was that I wanted something quite outlandish, something with a very specific look. I love the bull hide contrasted with a smoother leather, and I thought chrome excel might be a bit tougher than calf, and easier to get a nice shine on.

I know a boot so specific looking as these will divide opinion, and people will either love them or hate them, but all my other footwear is very plain and understated, so I thought it might be time to get just one pair of boots that demand attention.

I'll keep the thread updated with what I decide, thanks again for the help and opinions.

[Resa Christa]

share my boots..

just bought it with a very special price..

[Megatron1505]

Just to add, in a moment of insanity I considered Shark, but they would look like pimp shoes, ha ha.

[big truck]

mega - you're taking a hiuge risk with having wacky shoes that dont match your clothes (surely a basic rule when getting dressed?!). Unless you're really getting into the christmas spirit

[Maynard Friedman]

I think you'd be taking a huge risk sporting them in front of your mates!

[Megatron1505]

I think that the boots look outlandish on their own, but once they become part of an outfit they would be much less noticeable. It's hard to judge without seeing them in context of an overall fit, but life is about taking risks. I'll give it some more thought, do a bit more research, and see what else might appeal. I'm not planning on ordering until then end of January anyway.

[Megatron1505]

I think you'd be taking a huge risk sporting them in front of your mates!

You're kidding right? My mates are high street all the way, and have you seen the shit being put out by Next/ Topman/ H&M? No risk to me dude, I'd take clothing advice from them, like they'd take hair style advice from me.

[Maynard Friedman]

Good luck mega, don't get them in red or a large multi-national fast food corporation may be pursuing you over image rights!

Edit: or is that yellow?

Edited December 24, 2011 by Maynard Friedman

[CrashTestBrummie]

You're kidding right? My mates are high street all the way, and have you seen the shit being put out by Next/ Topman/ H&M? No risk to me dude, I'd take clothing advice from them, like they'd take hair style advice from me.

Combine the boots with a Topman/Primark ensemble to really confuse them.

[LameBrain]

Here's my White's SD, black cherry water buffalo with french calf toe cap. Picked these up at ultrasound when I was in Hong Kong

I think the two tone color is nice and not too loud.

Edited December 24, 2011 by LameBrain