Shoes that look better with age...

[heinrich BCN]

Question:

I'm off to Berlin for 2 weeks.

would anyone recomend nice shop for boots and shoes there?

thank you

you better spend your money in places like this http://www.qype.com/...erjungen-Berlin

and here http://www.metzer-eck.de/ for food

berlin is not the place to get lost in shopping, it's the place to get lost http://www.berghain.de/

Edited April 10, 2012 by heinrich BCN

[garden gnomes in space]

CTB when are you going to try the americana boots? Need diversify

LOL, the English made boots, the American made boots and the Japanese made boots all have their followers here. Its just like a classic sports car forum, except for boots

[CrashTestBrummie]

CTB when are you going to try the americana boots? Need diversify

personal preference - i've not seen anything that i'd take over a pair of classic english (country) boots, although i'll never say never. the general aesthetic doesn't appeal to me, apart from some of the classic american shoes from the 20s through to the 50s.

not to say that i can't appreciate them - and i quite like some of the vibergs that i've seen (do they count as americana?), but then i'll see another pair of english-made boots that trump the 'foreign' ones in my eyes...

[Maynard Friedman]

Those C&J are lovely Fresco (and CTB). They look more elegant than my AS Dumfries or the Trickers you see.

However for £170 I can't complain!

[CrashTestBrummie]

Those C&J are lovely Fresco (and CTB). They look more elegant than my AS Dumfries or the Trickers you see.

However for £170 I can't complain!

yeah, the full retail on the skye is now a couple of hundred quid more than what you paid for your dumfries. shame that sargent won't be producing boots of that quality at that price point, any more...

the c&j snowdon is now retailing at £405. only a matter of time before tricker's hike their prices to keep them in line.

on the subject of shoes that are on the expensive side of things, don't know if anyone saw this article in the financial times' 'how to spend it' section on a british tannery who are starting to produce shell cordovan.

apparently edward green have been trialling some of their produce...

[Maynard Friedman]

I still have my new Montagues for that touch of elegant Victoriana chic though...

[CrashTestBrummie]

have they arrived?

[Maynard Friedman]

Got them a few weeks back. If Helena Bonham-Carter were a man, she'd definitely be sporting them regularly. I'm even thinking of setting up a chimney- sweeping business!

Actually, now that my son is 4, that's not a bad idea...

[rungo]

so... i completely disregarded everything--because the man at sherman brothers sold me the alden shoe dressing claiming that "it's got the same conditioning power of meltonian, but it will be shinier"--that everyone said about cxl leather. i mean, they are shinier, but the leather seems pretty well dried out . i'll just buy some meltonian and do it again, but condition them after the wax wears a little. sort of regret it, but i regret most things...

love em, but the chromexcel does seem to be pretty dry.

before

If you want to really moisturize the leather, I would suggest you hit those with some obenauf's. it always takes my footwear back to that supple, almost oily feel even from serious dryness (steel toe work boots+cement dust) its probably saved me several pairs of boots by now, Its fantastic for conditioning the leather, but if you want to lay a polish down afterwards, it'll take a week or two of wear plus a few coats of polish at least several days apart.

[coleslawyum]

Coleslaw: how much is a resole like that through your guy?

if you're going for double midsole and vibram outsole, i would say with shipping somewhere around £200, but finished a whole lot better than Wesco. The advantage with wesco is that they can rebuild the upper on a wider last as well as change the size or toe shape.

[PeterParker]

pardon the interruption, but when is rebuilding the upper on a wider last required other than when the original last fits too narrow initially?

and on the topic of rebuilds/resoles and lasts, is it ideal to have it done on the original last, i.e. will the shape of the boot be altered if not done on the original last?

(self repped by accident)

Edited April 11, 2012 by PeterParker

[coleslawyum]

You can have that option to re-build on a wider or more narrow last if your original fit was incorrect. However, that can still be done after you've worn the boots for a while, although, it might depend upon what shape the upper is in.

It's ideal but not essential to re-build on the original last. the shape might possibly be altered, but only if you have to do a full re-welt re-build.

i spoke to zip stevenson at inspiration, and he got his hands on some original chippewa lasts. i imagine its much easier for his repair shop to work on those. it'll be interesting to see what he comes up with.

Edited April 11, 2012 by coleslawyum

[rkusmant]

personal preference - i've not seen anything that i'd take over a pair of classic english (country) boots, although i'll never say never. the general aesthetic doesn't appeal to me, apart from some of the classic american shoes from the 20s through to the 50s.

not to say that i can't appreciate them - and i quite like some of the vibergs that i've seen (do they count as americana?), but then i'll see another pair of english-made boots that trump the 'foreign' ones in my eyes...

Yeah i got your point, the trickers eaton from shoehealer is my gateway drug to the english boots. Right now keeping my scale balanced between us and uk made

[Paul Smick]

Breaking in a Redwing 212. Very comfortable already at first wear. Going well with my 501 single stitche

[garden gnomes in space]

^^^Nice. Im lookin hard at the RW 8105, even though my 3141's are in fine shape

[CrashTestBrummie]

Got them a few weeks back. If Helena Bonham-Carter were a man, she'd definitely be sporting them regularly. I'm even thinking of setting up a chimney- sweeping business!

Actually, now that my son is 4, that's not a bad idea...

i have a job for him for the autumn, get him booked in...

let's have a butchers at your boots

[garden gnomes in space]

i can appreciate an English boot. In fact, I need a "one English boot to rule them all" type of boot in my meager collection. Im very attracted to Trickers, but not sure if I want a plain style or something brogued the fuck out.

Im really digging these...

[knucks]

those are sweet. you could also consider Grenson

[knucks]

For anyone who needs a "how to" on polishing shoes (like me)

http://the-shoe-snob.blogspot.com/p/polish-your-shoes-properly.html

[straightxedge]

I´m in love with these boots.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7233/7067574641_5f6ef628aa_z.jpg[/img]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6921502008_89ef58e98a_z.jpg[/img]

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7126/6921498526_8ba9648c23_z.jpg[/img]

[ranonranonarat]

i always wondered about people prefer to go for a rebuild which costs more than half as much as a brand new pair. i can understand if it's just a re-heel or adding a toppy which comes pretty cheap, but £200 sounds like quite a bit of money in comparison with how much they cost brand new. no offence but i've just always been curious about this being able to justify the amount. the only time that i have considered doing a rebuild was for a pair of tricker's on a vibram moreflex sole. one of the reasons i can think of why people pay that much is that they have formed some emotional attachment to that single pair and how they already look great aged. beyond that, are there any other reasons?

coleslawyum, are you located in the US? the boots i remember you own are vintage chippewa's, beckman's, AS's and buco engineers and i can see why you send these halfway round the world for a resole. do you own any white's? if you do, you will probably send them back to white's for a rebuild right?

once again, no offence to anyone. just a curious mind at work.

[straightxedge]

[danisdead]

Straightxedge, those are glorious!

[garden gnomes in space]

i always wondered about people prefer to go for a rebuild which costs more than half as much as a brand new pair. i can understand if it's just a re-heel or adding a toppy which comes pretty cheap, but £200 sounds like quite a bit of money in comparison with how much they cost brand new. no offence but i've just always been curious about this being able to justify the amount. the only time that i have considered doing a rebuild was for a pair of tricker's on a vibram moreflex sole. one of the reasons i can think of why people pay that much is that they have formed some emotional attachment to that single pair and how they already look great aged. beyond that, are there any other reasons?

coleslawyum, are you located in the US? the boots i remember you own are vintage chippewa's, beckman's, AS's and buco engineers and i can see why you send these halfway round the world for a resole. do you own any white's? if you do, you will probably send them back to white's for a rebuild right?

once again, no offence to anyone. just a curious mind at work.

I hear you. One thing though, is this boot game we are all into doesnt make sense to most people. we obsess over finish, details etc.. that most people don't even know exist. Im sure most of us would think twice about spending the same amount we paid on a boot to get it rebuilt the way we want it to, but sometimes thats the only option. I dont have any experience with it, but I know some engineer boots just cannot be found with a certain toe. If one has the money to have a boot rebuilt to look the way they want, with an agreeable fit, then its worth it to them. It doesn't make much sense on paper, but thats the story of our lives. Just my 2 cents

Edited April 11, 2012 by garden gnomes in space

[fre-co]

Rebuild and resole are different things.

You don't 'need' to rebuild a boot for a long time, that would be when the upper is worn out or they need rewelting along with the sole.

My request to wesco for a rebuild is for aesthetics purely. A simple resole is less expensive than the quoted $270 and remember $70 of that is shipping. A custom boot to my specs is over $600.

I believe coleslaw uses the guy he used because the work is superior to all others. I'm sure most of the lovely work he has had done were because he wanted to change the boot rather than because he had wrecked them.

A resole from whites is I believe just over $100 and if that needs to be done every 2 years with an eventual rebuild after 10 then for about $1000 you get over a decade of boots. That is cheaper than wearing them into the ground and replacing.

If you don't resole or repair welted boots, there is no point shelling out on them in the first place.

[flatpattern]

I've had my wesco jobmasters rebuilt a couple of times over 10 years, I live in CA so the shipping isn't nearly that steep. The boots have molded to my feet and fit like no other. When I get them back from being rebuilt they are "new" boots that are perfectly molded to my foot. It is cheaper then buying them new and I've got a brand new pair of boots that are perfectly molded to my foot.

[flatpattern]

^^^ those black and tans are killer....

[garden gnomes in space]

I had to explain to my wife that the $250 i was spending on Red Wings was going to be cheaper in the long run. Rebuilding footwear is just a foreign concept to most people. She has blown through 6 pairs of Toms to my one $60 resole

Edited April 11, 2012 by garden gnomes in space

[ranonranonarat]

thanks for all the information. it makes a lot more sense now when you talk about this in dollars and cents over a long period of time. but of course more importantly the inherent value is in the comfort of already broken in shoes that is hard to replace when purchasing a brand new pair. i never really thought about that when looking at rebuilding an old pair of boots. appreciate all the insights.

[CrashTestBrummie]

i can appreciate an English boot. In fact, I need a "one English boot to rule them all" type of boot in my meager collection. Im very attracted to Trickers, but not sure if I want a plain style or something brogued the fuck out.

Im really digging these...

i like the collaborations that leather soul have done with tricker's; they're generally a lot less gaudy than some of the more fashion-conscious retailers.

but an english boot 'to rule them all'? i'd probably give you a different answer tomorrow to what i'd say today, but if you decide to go for a brogue, and a hard-wearing one, then go for one of tricker's standard models and not a collab...