Shoes that look better with age...

[eldave04]

I want to jump on the alden indy bandwagon but I don t know what size to get and there are no stores in Ontario. I wear a 9 in R.M Williams craftmens and a 10.5 in dunk sb (gasp!). Any help is much appreciated.

[mizanation]

man, bart1, i think those varvatos look great with your jeans. nice sleek look.

[drivel]

the toe on those Nason boots, not good looking.

[drivel]

I want to jump on the alden indy bandwagon but I don t know what size to get and there are no stores in Ontario. I wear a 9 in R.M Williams craftmens and a 10.5 in dunk sb (gasp!). Any help is much appreciated.

I wear an 11 in dunks, my Indys are 10D and fit perfect.

[bart1]

the toe on those Nason boots, not good looking.

I won't argue with that. From the side it looks good, but from the top, that toe is not so hot. Also, the leather on the Nason's is soft, but you can tell no where near as durable as the Varvatos will be.

[indigo_junkie]

This is a crappy phone camera pic of my current collection. I'll be adding a pair of Russell Imperials and maybe a pair of AE cordovan shoes by the end of the year. From left to right... Blundstones (can't remember what code, most likely 331) UK8, RM Williams Henley Chestnut UK8G (G is the mid fit, similar to a D), RM Williams Henley Black, Alden AF64 Fan Indy US9E, Redwing 1155 Pecos US9EEE and Windsor Smith moc stich loafer UK8E.

I mis-sized the Redwings, too wide. I stuffed in two insoles for a nice snug fit. The Blundstones normally fit wide on their boots, no narrow choices. They're the most comfortable by far of any of my boots. I use them as my primary riding boot. The RM Williams are actually a touch too narrow, but I got both pairs on sale. They're alright as dress boots, and so long as I have dress socks they're fine. Any thicker socks, they'd be too uncomfortable. The Aldens are my daily wearer for the moment. Usually when I get sick of wearing boots, I'd change over to my Vans slip-ons or Converse All-Stars, but generally I wear boots 80% of the time during Autumn/Fall-Winter and for Spring-Summer nights.

[Jamolos Orm]

Just a great collection of boots indigo_junkie! Congratulations.

[Ralff]

I'm sure these are not everyone's cup of tea here but the leather quality on these is mindblowing. I had them for over a year and 1/2, walked miles in them, creases are minimal.

[rnrswitch]

Finally- something in this topic which I check everyday that I can actually chime in on!

I think you made the right choice if you're looking for something you can pair with anything dressier than jeans. I have a pair of these:

and they sole is definitely a bit big for anything other than jeans. Athough this color leather seems lucky to have gotten a differently colored midsole that allows the whole thing to look a bit slimmer. My main complaint however is that they're too damn skinny. Not that they don't fit, but that they look to skinny with anything other than super skinny denim, which the upper opening isn't conducive to, as you noted.

Anyhow, on the topic of fryes: I know a few folks here have picked up the brandos, but I wonder if anyone has looked at the lace up brandos? They seem like a really simple, cleanly made boot. Nice enough you can keep them for a long time, but not so nice you feel any need to baby them. Right now I'm wearing a pair of Carhartt by Redwing boots for construction/farm/mowing work, but I'm thinking these might be a reasonably priced next pair:

(however, I think I would have to swap those silly looking laces with either rawhide or flat cotton laces.)

opinions?

I have the Brando lace ups and they have a leather sole, with a small rubber pad to protect the leather. Overall they are great boots and through time, get great color.

[Buzz]

How do the Brandos run in regards to width? Toward the wide or the narrow side? :confused:

I have the Brando lace ups and they have a leather sole, with a small rubber pad to protect the leather. Overall they are great boots and through time, get great color.

[bart1]

Well, here are some regular Frye 8R Harness boots under my Skulls. They fit odd to me - I would say true to length, maybe a fuzz to the narrow side, but with a roomy heel. Wish they made this boot with the Brando sole. I called Frye and they do have some new boots coming out for the fall, but doubt these will change.

[Bijan]

I got some Blundstone 500s the other day. I got them for work since they're really comfortable. The leather looks to be of pretty decent quality, but it's coated in something- I'm guessing for water resistance. They're Stout Brown, which is basically black. I'm thinking they'll look a lot better after a few months of wear at the shop, but they look like galoshes right now!

I have quite a few pairs of vintage cowboy boots, some with really nice wear. These are the real deal, no Acmes or other low end boots from the 40s or 50's. Pics soon.

[GregNYC]

Familyman - Yes you can have any sole you want, heel too, as long as the midsole and vamp are retained. The better the cobbler, the more options you'd have. The place where I get my shine (best shine in NYC!) I wouldn't trust to do involved work like a radical change in sole. But if you find a cobbler like the famous Greek shoe guy Minas, then you're in good hands and the Fryes will come out looking better than ever.

Eldave04 - RM Williams and Indies are pretty close. I'm an 8.5 in both. G width in RMW Craftsman, and an 8.5EEE in Indies. My ideal Indy would be EE, but they are special order for only 12 pairs or more!

[amlai]

Eldave04 - RM Williams and Indies are pretty close. I'm an 8.5 in both. G width in RMW Craftsman, and an 8.5EEE in Indies. My ideal Indy would be EE, but they are special order for only 12 pairs or more!

Interesting... my experience is completely different. I find that I wear an 8H in the RMW Craftsman, but a 9D in Indy. The standard formula for figuring out an RMW size (length) is to drop down one from their US size. The tricky part usually seems to be the width. The definitive size comparison guide between RM Williams and others is here: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=21179

[indigo_junkie]

Interesting... my experience is completely different. I find that I wear an 8H in the RMW Craftsman, but a 9D in Indy. The standard formula for figuring out an RMW size (length) is to drop down one from their US size. The tricky part usually seems to be the width. The definitive size comparison guide between RM Williams and others is here: http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=21179

I'd have to agree. I'm a 8G in RMW and 9E for my Aldens. The RMW Henley's are a little wider than the Craftsman, I'd be closer to an 8H actually. I fit into a pair of 8.5E in the Aldens, but I wanted that little extra bit of toe space. The 9E has a really spacious feel, which is good for what I use them for. I'd probably fit a 8.5E or 9D on some of those dress Alden shoes.

[Chicken]

the man known for his holy grail eternal jeans has posted a pair of his wesco jobmaster.

but the funny thing is, he got frustrated lacing 8" boots all the time, he already got rid of them.

[Bobbejaan]

does anyone know where to buy these ALDEN Indy Boots ?

I live in Amsterdam..

please pm.

[Chicken]

^ i got mine at the alden store in nyc midtown.

[indigo_junkie]

the man known for his holy grail eternal jeans has posted a pair of his wesco jobmaster.

but the funny thing is, he got frustrated lacing 8" boots all the time, he already got rid of them.

I never liked the look of any of the Wesco boots when I was dong the search around for my next pair of boots. If I was going to go with that style of boot, I'd go with the White's Smoke Jumper. I settled on Russell Mocs instead (Argh, July can't come FAST enough).

I thought the jobmaster was a 10 inch upper? I wonder if he got them custom made...

[indigo_junkie]

does anyone know where to buy these ALDEN Indy Boots ?

I live in Amsterdam..

please pm.

For the standard 405, Alden have stores in Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, GB, Spain and Italy. I think you're out of luck with Amsterdam, though you'd probably save more on shipping costs than I did. I had to get mine shipped from the US. For the AF64 which is the one I got, you have to order them from Alden of Carmel in the US.

[Ralff]

I just bought these

:eek:

[partytaco]

those wescos look really nice. wesco has different variations of the jobmaster and boss for japan much like red wing and alden and i'm sure everyone else in the shoe/boot buisness. just ordered a pair of wesco boss engineer boots...2 (maybe 3) month delay in production so i'm with you on the waiting.

I never liked the look of any of the Wesco boots when I was dong the search around for my next pair of boots. If I was going to go with that style of boot, I'd go with the White's Smoke Jumper. I settled on Russell Mocs instead (Argh, July can't come FAST enough).

I thought the jobmaster was a 10 inch upper? I wonder if he got them custom made...

[Bill2]

Since Wesco's are getting the spotlight at the moment: Here are my Highliners

Seen new: http://www.shoeshackonline.com/site/623303/product/RW9710

[superBobo]

looks cool bill. You havent tried to treat them with any leather products? pics worn?

[Fookums]

My Docs. Semi-retiring 'em after a year and a half. They're still good for normal weather, but can't wear em in the rain or snow cause the sole's gotten like, rubbed off:

[partytaco]

totally destroyed but looking great!! ever consider having them rebuilt?

Since Wesco's are getting the spotlight at the moment: Here are my Highliners

Seen new: http://www.shoeshackonline.com/site/623303/product/RW9710

[mr fluffernutter]

got these in the mail today...

Johnston & Murphy ... aristocraft something something, nice looking shoes. need some of the scratches to be buffed out if that's possible. and the colour needs to fixed.. a lot of variations make them look a tad beat.

more pics:

does the leather look dry?

[Happy Hooligan]

I never liked the look of any of the Wesco boots when I was dong the search around for my next pair of boots. If I was going to go with that style of boot, I'd go with the White's Smoke Jumper. I settled on Russell Mocs instead (Argh, July can't come FAST enough).

I thought the jobmaster was a 10 inch upper? I wonder if he got them custom made...

I posted these before, but have you looked at these Wescos?

[Tarmac]

those Johnston & Murphys are top notch. I've been looking for Aristocrafts myself.

I have a similar colored no-name thrift store pair of oxfords, the finish looks very close. The leather does look a little dry, I conditioned mine with Lexol and then polished them. You could keep with the dry wrinkle look though. it's cool in itself...

[Bill2]

looks cool bill. You havent tried to treat them with any leather products? pics worn?

I tried alittle of the Melatonian boot cream on the back of one of the heels to see how the leather would react. It smoothed out the abrasion and re-colored the leather significantly. I think these are in better shape than they look and with a good cleaning and moisturizing they are gonna look great. Here's a quick pic of them on:

What do you guys think? Leave them trashed or clean them up?? I'm torn