Footwear to go with our jackets

[Monitor]

I know what you mean about bunched up legs... About fifteen years ago here there was a fashion for men to wear "bootcut" jeans (i.e. stealth bellbottoms) which were about two to four inches too long for them. Never cuffed - they just let them pile on their shoes. What looked really stupid was they they'd always walk on them on the back hem, til there was this big, dirty, frayed, inverted 'U' shape worn out of the back of the leg. Yuk. If yer not going to cuff 'em, get them hemmed or buy them the right darn length!

Yeah, chewed up back of the hem isn't particularly nice as well. While I normally don't dislike bootcut, and actually find it rather cool if done the right way, I'm less and less inclined to wear any of my jeans over boots because... Why do that to a perfectly fine, beautiful pair of footwear? Why hide them under some ridiculous cotton tent?

Thing is, nobody really cares for trousers. Nobody notices them, nobody sees them. People notice jackets but more than that, people see boots. Nice pair of boots can kick your entire outfit into another level, no matter what it consists of. Cheapest jeans suddenly become cool with a right pair of boots.

 

[Edward]

Yeah, chewed up back of the hem isn't particularly nice as well. While I normally don't dislike bootcut, and actually find it rather cool if done the right way, I'm less and less inclined to wear any of my jeans over boots because... Why do that to a perfectly fine, beautiful pair of footwear? Why hide them under some ridiculous cotton tent?

Thing is, nobody really cares for trousers. Nobody notices them, nobody sees them. People notice jackets but more than that, people see boots. Nice pair of boots can kick your entire outfit into another level, no matter what it consists of. Cheapest jeans suddenly become cool with a right pair of boots.

Interesting notion. I have come to suspect that the over/ under trousers thing is a mix of climate, habit, and trouser-width. Horse-riding boots were traditionally worn over narrow-calf jodhpurs. I believe cowboys in the original cowboy era mainly wore their (in that era, narrower / tapered) trews tucked into their boots because of snakes? Then you get bikers of the Brando era - wider legged trews, boot shaft up inside the jeans. Come the late fifties / early sixties, Brando undoubtedly had a big impact on British rocker fashion despite - though more probably because of - the film being banned in Britain until 1968, but there were significant tweaks. For one, they wore their boots over their trews (probably their jeans - if denim, as many wore leather - were uncuffed); by that point in time, trousers were narrower again and could more easily be tucked into boots. For another, the much wetter, damper climate. And then the old British bikes' legendary tendency to spill oil (a rider of some models could be identified by which boot was covered in oilstains, according to legend)...

I noticed a difference with my first pair of engineers; when I first got them, I had to wear my drainpipes over them, a la Sid Vicious; a decade later, the jeans were too wide and cuffed to fit inside the boots. Were I to wear boots over trousers today, I suspect I'd probably go looking for something like plus-fours or jodhpurs. I still tend to prefer day to day the 'boots under' look (there's a definite Hollywood- Americana influence on my 'vintage', common here in the UK, not least because the post-war period was far form the prosperous golden-era it was closer to being elsewhere), though there's a lot to be said for the right 'boots oot' look too.

 

[dwilson]

I've heard quite a few anecdotes about older generation being confused by the cuffing trend. I think back in the day you'd cuff your jeans mostly out of necessity for children who were growing into the pants. As an adult you expected to have the inseam tailored to your length. So seeing an adult cuffing implies he has jeans which don't fit. Of course since all denim was selvage back then the concept of "showing off the ID" is completely foreign.

 

[JCSD]

I did a review of my Grant Stone shoes recently. https://almostvintagestyle.com/2021...utsourced-boots-and-shoes-grant-stone-review/

Just picked up a pair based on your review. Thanks for the insight.

 

[JCSD]

Sagara Cordmasters Badalassi Olive w/ Black Overdye


View attachment 316423



View attachment 316422

Best shade of green for a shoe

 

[dwilson]

I'm still a noob to the leather jacket genre (learned a lot here at TFL) but I would have to agree with you on the rabbithole with denim. There are so many different options and styles. You are into repro and non-slim fitting. Where I prefer a slim fit and into all the little hidden details they can cram into a pair a jeans. It's a cool genre in the world of fashion for sure.

I've been really into raw denim for over a decade now and there are still so many brands, cuts and denim types I want to try out! The problem is you really need to wear the denim over a year to really understand if its working out for you so it takes a while. Like my Iron Hearts showed virtually no noticable fading for about 8 months then all of a sudden they're getting deep blue contrasting fades. I loved my The Strike Gold's Self Edge denim when it was just starting out to fade but disliked how the fabric eventually ended up. And I still need to give Oni a fair shake, I need a pair of TCB and Fullcount, I want to give PBJ another go-around with a lighter weight fabric ... so many jeans so few legs.

 

[dannyk]

I only just discovered TCB. But browsing their site a few times their prices actually look to be pretty fair for high end denim. Especially high end denim from that part of the world. They sound promising. I’ll keep them in my radar for eBay/Grailed or any potential sales they may have.

 

[dwilson]

You can pick up a pair of TCB off Okayama Denim or Denimio pretty cheap (well ... relatively.). Denim tastes fluctuate depending on where you're at. Like SuFu is all about TCB/Fullcount or what I'd categorize as "normal" jeans where if you pop over to /r/rawdenim if it isn't 44oz short-slub indigoxbright pink they'll hit it with a miss-me. I think you just need to find what fits your personality and style. I used to be all about experimental denim but anymore I lean more towards the TCB aestetic.

 

[dannyk]

You can pick up a pair of TCB off Okayama Denim or Denimio pretty cheap (well ... relatively.). Denim tastes fluctuate depending on where you're at. Like SuFu is all about TCB/Fullcount or what I'd categorize as "normal" jeans where if you pop over to /r/rawdenim if it isn't 44oz short-slub indigoxbright pink they'll hit it with a miss-me. I think you just need to find what fits your personality and style. I used to be all about experimental denim but anymore I lean more towards the TCB aestetic.

Which is what I’m after. Like I said in a previous comment....for me fades and creases are cool. They look nice. But I just genuinely enjoy the look of heritage or heritage inspired denim. Most of them are also well built and if taken care of can last many, many years. Those are the things I care about, any creasing or fades that happen are the icing on the cake as the saying goes. I don’t need anything built to survive a nuclear blast, I don’t need anything so beautifully constructed I feel like I’m wearing art, or the craziest new trend in denim. Which to be clear all those things are fine...we all are into specific things. I’m friends with a bunch of people who worked with or for a band called The Clash. They have designs and models for shirts and badges the band had when they existed and they do limited runs of repros of them. I collect those. To anyone else they would say you’re crazy haha. But denim just isn’t my thing. I love the look and feel of heritage type jeans but that’s as deep as my love goes. TCB look to be a really sweet spot for that. I’ll just have to see what shipping is to see if those prices are still as good a deal as I thought ha.

 

[TG3]

I've been really into raw denim for over a decade now and there are still so many brands, cuts and denim types I want to try out! The problem is you really need to wear the denim over a year to really understand if its working out for you so it takes a while. Like my Iron Hearts showed virtually no noticable fading for about 8 months then all of a sudden they're getting deep blue contrasting fades. I loved my The Strike Gold's Self Edge denim when it was just starting out to fade but disliked how the fabric eventually ended up. And I still need to give Oni a fair shake, I need a pair of TCB and Fullcount, I want to give PBJ another go-around with a lighter weight fabric ... so many jeans so few legs.

Preach brotha! I would love to add a pair of Oni and Samurai to my collection. But as we all know, it's an expensive hobby and I already have a solid rotation.

 

[Bfd70]

Do you have a link to anywhere posting Tcb measurements? The one retailer i found just had waist and inseam which might as well be a blind grab bag.

 

[dannyk]

https://tcbjeans.myshopify.com/collections/jeans/products/tcb-50s-jeans-one-wash

 

[dwilson]

Do you have a link to anywhere posting Tcb measurements? The one retailer i found just had waist and inseam which might as well be a blind grab bag.

Yeah most stockists seem to have good sizes.

https://www.okayamadenim.com/collections/tcb
https://blueingreensoho.com/collections/tcb-jeans

 

[Fonzie]

I’ve fallen into the selvage rabbit hole about 6 years ago and I personally care more about the fit than the fades but in saying that what I enjoy the most is how the fabric feels and the depth of color.
I have 25 or so pairs of different brands, some high end some more affordable and my favourite is probably TCB which sits in the middle in terms of price. They really do a nice jeans and I think 15oz is the sweet spot.
Heavy denim looks cool but is a chore to wear the first few months and less than 13oz can feel flimsy after wearing the heavy stuff.
The Unbranded Brand can be very good for the price but I’ve noticed that the quality can vary lots between pairs, specially the fits.
So far the best value for money I’ve found in selvedge is, wait for it, Uniqlo.

 

[Jin431]

@JCSD yes, it's a nice shade for sure! Green really pops while under the sun. Did you see the green thedi of Robbie? Now that's nice, love to have that for a boot lol

 

[Ayeteael]

I recently picked up some Glenn’s Denim cords that I love. Probably gonna kop a pair of his slouchy tapered jeans to dip my toe into the high-rise game. May have to start smoking lucky strikes again to complete the look.

 

[Jin431]

Benzein Black Teacore Shinki Chelsea Boots

 

[dudewuttheheck]

OK, now we're getting into the boots that I really love. I adore these boots so the fact that they're only number 9 on my list shows just how much I like the boots above them. These are my Motor lace up boots in hand-dyed brown Japanese vegetable tanned cowhide. They are made in a local boot shop and the leather is hand dyed in the Moto shop.

Motor is still one of the most underrated boot makers out there. The quality, finishing, and beautiful hand painted leathers that they offer at their surprisingly low price point make them an absolute steal and in my opinion, one of the best value for money boots out there in my opinion. The design of these boots is wonderful, the leather is awesome, they are extremely well finished for just over $600, and the boots are not uncomfortable at all. I just don’t quite love them as much as the boots above them on this list. Still, I am extremely happy to have them in my collection and believe that more people should look into ordering boots from them.

Motor is not all that well known outside of Japan and they don't really try to have a super strong presence outside of their home country, but they sell really well in Japan and their boots, especially their special releases like their dress engineers sell out really quickly. If they bothered to actually have a stockist in the west, they would be huge because they really make a ridiculously good pair of boots for the price. The store was started by the dad and the sons seem to run the brand for the most part today. I've met the brothers and they are great dudes. Their stores are some of my favorites to visit in Japan. My brother got a pair of their cordovan derby shoes and loves those too. Also an insane bargain at around $550 or $600.

 

[GHT]

Thing is, nobody really cares for trousers. Nobody notices them, nobody sees them. People notice jackets but more than that, people see boots. Nice pair of boots can kick your entire outfit into another level, no matter what it consists of. Cheapest jeans suddenly become cool with a right pair of boots.

Nobody notices trousers, that's not been my experience.

 

[Jin431]

Benzein Cigar Horse Rump Chelseas. I love the look of lace up boots but slip on boots is where it's at lol

Do you guys have any clue if stains made by hand sanitizer like the one on the left will ever go away? I tried to spot clean it with a damp cloth and buff it out with a brush but not going away. Even applied a little bick 4 to it but nothing