Shoes that look better with age...

[datasupa]

so i received my white's semi dress recently. my initial impressions are somewhat more favorable than gregnyc's, i think.

the leather smell out of the box is overpowering and intoxicating

the leather quality seems superb

the fit is somewhat snug, given that the boots are made to measure--i think they are supposed to start out snug and conform to the foot over time. or i screwed up the measuring. all in all, pretty comfortable.

i like the overall style. it doesn't seem overly duckfooted and i don't mind the width of the welt. the heel is a bit underslung but it's supposed to somehow be more ergonomic that way and allow less fatigue. the sole is sloped a bit--feels reminiscent of dansko's almost.

the look oozes authenticity and seems very legit workwear. i could imagine some of those workers in the pictures in paul t's old photo thread wearing them. that thought appeals to me.

some pics---i tried to capture the color as close as i could to the actual color, which i thought was much darker brown in real life than in greg's pics (of course his could be different color due to variation). the last two are with flash and the rest using natural light.

[partytaco]

wasn't a huge fan of the whites at first but these are starting to grow on me. i like the vibram 700 series sole. classic. wish i had this sole on my wesco engineers.

]

[dave023]

Those whites are amazing!!! Just love them!!

[Christmas In A Submarine.]

Anyone know anything about this brand? Dunham

cheap crap, mostly. discount brand, lots of redwing knockoffs, and knockoffs of everything else too actually. the quality is absolutely nonexistent.

[beatle]

^ ^ Beatle has got a pair.

Nope , I have the boat loafers...nice for summer...

[superBobo]

Those whites really looks good, not weird at all. Great boots!

[petng]

Where is the best place to get the whites from. I am from Australia and would need someone that is willing to ship over here. What prices can i expect for the Semidress and do i have any options in the leather and sole materials?

[beatle]

Just when you think you have all the shoes that you want..

Lovely Chucks , Ramones edition,,, product red...

[Jamolos Orm]

datasupa

That's a GREAT piece o' boot right there. Certainly something I'd love gettin' my hands on.

[moykky]

not a huge fan of those to be honest sarlo...i think they'd be a hell of a lot nicer without the stitching just above the sole.

I kinda dig that moccasin construction.

Nope , I have the boat loafers...nice for summer...

Oh... Almost but not quite. They're nice also!

[seatiger]

Have been lurking in this thread for ages and have learned a lot from all the amazing people in here. Caught the addiction and bought a pair of Redwings 8160 last December and I find them really comfortable.

They have not changed much though over the 6 months as I have not been wearing them enough, got to change to indoor shoes at work. But I am already looking forward to getting a pair of 8166 also.

[moykky]

Cheers mike. I like the commando sole, they had a pair identical but with the leather sole... I thought the commando would be more useful in the end for my first pair.

One very annoying thing about that commando sole is: They collect everything, small stones, dirt, snow... Very slippery also. I will change them to something better.

Very nice shoes!

[Chicken]

Have been lurking in this thread for ages and have learned a lot from all the amazing people in here. Caught the addiction and bought a pair of Redwings 8160 last December and I find them really comfortable.

They have not changed much though over the 6 months as I have not been wearing them enough, got to change to indoor shoes at work. But I am already looking forward to getting a pair of 8166 also.

would still like to see the progress on these boots rather than just those pics of the brand new ones.

[dave023]

Nice red wing shoes!!!

[mizanation]

LeicaLad, that post was hillarious. Thanks.

[fre-co]

They pick up all sorts of stuff.... I was walking around with a radiator key stuck in my sole. Are they slippery? I had no idea they would be! I do go walking in West Wales across country, which is why I went with the commando. Next pair I want leather soled stowe/malton.

[seatiger]

would still like to see the progress on these boots rather than just those pics of the brand new ones.

Yeas sir. Here they are at 6 months:

without flash

with flash

The colour is closer to the photo taken with flash. Really want to wear them more, but I also try to keep to resting them for a day in between days of wearing them.

[dunkin deeznuts]

Pics of my wetherbys:

those look amazing..........as do your seatiger.....great stuff

[scoon0224]

the heel is a bit underslung but it's supposed to somehow be more ergonomic that way and allow less fatigue.

If a heel that high is square, the heel of the boot strikes the ground, and basically slaps your foot down. I find it makes the front of my shin fatigue, tighten up, and ache.

(the back of the boot-heel is well behind where your weight actually comes down, so it acts as a lever, pushing your forefoot down... while your leg naturally tries to hold it up through a regular movement.)

The underslung heel lets your heel strike more naturally, and your foot fall more gently to the ground.

[Chicken]

those look amazing..........as do your seatiger.....great stuff

yeah, nice boots, guys.

and leicalad, thanks for expanding our horizon.

[still]

most recent damage:

alden medallian cap toe in #8 cordovan.

crease after a half day of wear.

[snugglepony]

talked about these a few pages back, so i figured i should post up some pictures...

alden cap toe, straight tip blucher in cigar cordovan from the sf alden shop.

aberdeen last, close heel welt, double leather sole.

as lowrider mentioned re: his two-tone v-tips, the cigar cordovan lightens up beautifully as it creases -- the photos here don't do it justice.

i couldn't be happier with them (though my wallet could...)

[Chicken]

damn, some beautiful horsies, guys.

[partytaco]

very nice. always love the simple alden cap toes.

[soundbomber]

Favorites.

[Bill2]

Alden 405 v. Whites Semi Dress:

As I mentioned in WAYWT I got a chance to try on the White's semi dress today, and given that only a few people have had the pleasure I thought I would report on my experience:

I tried on a stock size 9.5 D, the same size as I wear in the Indy's. They fit beautifully. Initial inspection; I was surprised how soft the leather was! The pics on here make them look stiff and chrome-y, like the leather on my Red Wing 8130's; they seem as thick, but much softer. When I wiggled my toes in the boot, you could see them pushing the toe box around. They felt equally comfortable out of the box as my Alden's.

Stronghold had both samples with the single leather sole and the vibram sole to try on. The vibrams are nice, but ad significant weight to the boot, where as the single leather sole option was really pretty light, and lighter than the Indy's. I was also told that the leather sole makes the boot much cooler to wear as the natural leather breaths much better, but the vibram sole was better for standing still for long periods of time as the added weight would anchor your stance better.

The biggest difference I felt in the fit was the arch. The Whites have a huge arch. The manager at Stronghold compared it to standing on the rung of a ladder barefoot at first. But since the arch is leather, and not steel inforced, it breaks down overtime. While the arch was very noticable at first, in now way did I find it uncomfortable. No way to know how it would feel after a long day on my feet though...not untill I sell my soul and figure out a way to pay for these....

Oh, and Duck footed?? I didn't find them to be. Including the welt, they were just slightly wider than the aldens, but the smooth toe and higher toebox profile does present a larger surface when viewed from above. I found the profile very handsome from the side.

Cheers

-Bill

[Dick Danger]

I don't think the arch breaks down all that much, my old loggers when through a few soles before they died and the arch never broke down. I've never been a fan of leather soles, too high maintenance and slicker than diarrhea on oiled glass on wet stuff. If you don't like the arch Wesco makes a nice boot with a lower arch. I don't think they do a similar boot though.

[superBobo]

Bill, nice take on semi dress. You didnt pick up any for yourself? How do you like the Stronghold stuff btw?

[Chicken]

thanks for the breakdown, bill.

one of these days, those white's are going to be mine...

[obsessis]

Clarks Desert Treks, beeswax and brown oily

Clarks Wallabees, Original/Sand Suede, Beeswax, Brown Oily

I find that most of my clarks look nicely when they age, the soles get dirtyier and the leather gets some nice wear/color changes. i'll post some pics of mine when I get home.

I just got some redwings, 875 and 877. super dope boots, I'm hoping they age well. are there any pics in this thread? I really like the red wings above, dark brown regular toe.