Best 40's/50's Engineer boots

[LostTheo]

Hi, I post this thread because I'm obsess to find the perfect engineer boots. I have John Lofgren classic engineer boots but their are too short 10,75 inch chaft (I prefer 11/2 inch) and the quality is not good has he pretend ( I order two pairs and both have defects), the leather is okay but not exceptional unfortunately... for 1000 euros boots it's joke!
So I wanted to know if someone among us have some references for 40's/50's Engineer boots reproduction with very good leather, 12 inch chaft etc... I am tempted by Wesco custom service but 1 years of delay is too much and Toy's mccoy's Wild One engineer are very great but their web site is not secure and I can't find an other place to buy it. ( I love the form of the Wild one Marlon brando engineer boots)

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

 

[Bfd70]

Good info here

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/engineer-boots-harness-boots.43530/page-277#post-3235680

 

[Bvngholio91]

Hi, I post this thread because I'm obsess to find the perfect engineer boots. I have John Lofgren classic engineer boots but their are too short 10,75 inch chaft (I prefer 11/2 inch) and the quality is not good has he pretend ( I order two pairs and both have defects), the leather is okay but not exceptional unfortunately... for 1000 euros boots it's joke!
So I wanted to know if someone among us have some references for 40's/50's Engineer boots reproduction with very good leather, 12 inch chaft etc... I am tempted by Wesco custom service but 1 years of delay is too much and Toy's mccoy's Wild One engineer are very great but their web site is not secure and I can't find an other place to buy it. ( I love the form of the Wild one Marlon brando engineer boots)

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

You want Zerrows, my friend. I have 8 pairs and they're PHENOMENAL! You can customize with 12" shafts, leather, midsole thicknes, etc. - anything you want. I've attached a couple pics of my brown horsebutt (Maryam Tannery) pair which are 12" on Zerrow's flat-toe last

 

[Trouser Bark]

Wesco boots are a year if you order custom boots and directly from Wesco… but they’re less expensive and in stock if you order from a Wesco dealer.

 

[Edward]

Hi, I post this thread because I'm obsess to find the perfect engineer boots. I have John Lofgren classic engineer boots but their are too short 10,75 inch chaft (I prefer 11/2 inch) and the quality is not good has he pretend ( I order two pairs and both have defects), the leather is okay but not exceptional unfortunately... for 1000 euros boots it's joke!
So I wanted to know if someone among us have some references for 40's/50's Engineer boots reproduction with very good leather, 12 inch chaft etc... I am tempted by Wesco custom service but 1 years of delay is too much and Toy's mccoy's Wild One engineer are very great but their web site is not secure and I can't find an other place to buy it. ( I love the form of the Wild one Marlon brando engineer boots)

Thanks in advance for your time and help.

Your best resource in these parts is the link @Bfd70 posted above. There's a huge range of subtle variations in engineer boots; really, there's no more a single, 'correct' spec for these in a particular period as there is a definitive, "correct" brogue or loafer shape.

If you're looking at Brando's boots, well.... there's a mystery there. In terms of historical timing, the big brands available in 1952ish when The Wild One (released in 1953) was being costumed that are still around now would have been Chippewa and Wesco. Many have claimed over the years that it was one or the other. I highly doubt we'll ever have a definitive answer, or even a best-fit candidate (as we have for the jacket - now widely considered to have been a Durable, contrary to Schott's marketing department for decades). The key details you can see in shots of Brando are the curve of the heel, and the toe-shape:

Brando's boots have a slight bump toe which has led to much speculation they had a steel toecap under there. It's certainly possible.

Wesco can certainly do that shape, though they ain't cheap. (Especially if, like me, you're outside the US.) Red Wing have a boot that is as close as I'll ever need to the Brando shape, even if it's not the brand he actually wore (which could as easily have been Sears or anything else as Wesco or Chippewa. Remember, those boots weren't workwear, and the studio didn't care about longevity. Their job was to last a number of weeks and look good on screen). You'll find as many niche brands making EBs these days as there are people to wear them.

For me, though, it's all about fit. Personally this is one style of boot I'd avoid buying by mail (especially non-returnable customs) if I could at all avoid it, given the fit is so important. My first pair were a last that didn't work so well for me. A whacking great memory foam insole made them wearable, but lesson learned. The sweet spot I found was a (in these parts, anyhow) lowly Red Wing 2268. Fits my foot great, has that heel and bump toe shape. Sure, I'd *like* an elongated ankle strap as on Strabler's, but it's not a detail I need to pay markedly more just to have - YMMV. Mine are very decent, thick leather. I see they're now doing them in a teacore 'Klondike' leather, if that's your bag.

You'll see all sorts, though, on that other thread - enjoy perusing it. I hope eventually to pick up a pair of Bright boots, though I'm waiting for the chance to visit Copenhagen and try them on in person first.