Footwear to go with our jackets

[Harris HTM]

William Lennon Fell boots in badalassi petrolio leather - custom order - handmade in England and built like tanks!

Oh man, do they offer Badalassi as well? I own three pairs of WL's and as you say, 100% built like tanks.

 

[Cornelius]

I love the look of many of the W.Lennon boots, but their website never provides a photograph of the soles or a shot from directly above the toe, so it's hard for me to gauge how wide their toebox might be. I wear a US size 13-wide, and don't want to pay for trans-Atlantic shipping only to discover their UK size 12 boots are built on a too-narrow last.

Any ideas here?

 

[Salmosalar]

I love the look of many of the W.Lennon boots, but their website never provides a photograph of the soles or a shot from directly above the toe, so it's hard for me to gauge how wide their toebox might be. I wear a US size 13-wide, and don't want to pay for trans-Atlantic shipping only to discover their UK size 12 boots are built on a too-narrow last.

Any ideas here?

I would recommend emailing them directly and they can advise on sizing - they did that for me - Libs is v helpful. Also, most of the leather and sole options are not shown on the website, so ask Libs for details - they can also do contrast stitching and even have options for traditional hobnails, so there are many more options available than might seem to be the case from simply browsing their website.

 

[Salmosalar]

Oh man, do they offer Badalassi as well? I own three pairs of WL's and as you say, 100% built like tanks.

They also do Badalassi in brown too.....

 

[Harris HTM]

I love the look of many of the W.Lennon boots, but their website never provides a photograph of the soles or a shot from directly above the toe, so it's hard for me to gauge how wide their toebox might be. I wear a US size 13-wide, and don't want to pay for trans-Atlantic shipping only to discover their UK size 12 boots are built on a too-narrow last.

Any ideas here?

Yes, if you contact Libs they can answer your questions.
I ordered my first pair 6 years ago and what they told me about lasts:
"We produce our boots on a UK full size wide fitting last, that is fairly generous in size."
(quote directly from their answer to my emails).
Edit: also check their fb and insta pages.

 

[Salmosalar]

Yes, if you contact Libs they can answer your questions.
I ordered my first pair 6 years ago and what they told me about lasts:
"We produce our boots on a UK full size wide fitting last, that is fairly generous in size."
(quote directly from their answer to my emails).
Edit: also check their fb and insta pages.

It is definitely a wide fitting last - but Libs will advise on the best option after you send in your measurements if you are unsure. I have three pairs of these now - the petrol badalassi, a black zug and an oxblood zug (with yellow stitching) - they are fantastically well made boots, and also extremely comfortable.

 

[Salmosalar]

Oh man, do they offer Badalassi as well? I own three pairs of WL's and as you say, 100% built like tanks.

These are the oxblood zug and yellow stitching versions of the same boots...

 

[jonbuilder]

call me a grandpa, but I really don't like engineers and weird leathers like that.

Yea I am with you too boxy, leather like that would be better in a hand-lasted western boot

 

[dannyk]

Finally got the correct size PF Flyers. Had to order from Shoes for Crews which meant a like 15 dollar up charge. But it seems New Balance is phasing them out and they are in incredibly hard to find right now. Now that I got the right size though these fit the best I have for any sneakers I’ve ever owned. They have a super comfy insole. I have a feeling it won’t last terribly long; but right now it’s like walking on pillows. Usually if they are that comfy to start once they break in, they lose about half of that feeling. But being black white and green and coming up my ankle to the perfect spot I can wear them with shorts, pants or jeans. Cuffed or un-cuffed and with my leather on. All around a great shoe. My fiancé isn’t home to take better photos so for the time being deal with my crap ones ha.

 

[Salmosalar]

They also do Badalassi in brown too.....

The petrolio badalassi William Lennon fell boots taken here in production - the blue-green colour shows much better here than in my own shot posted above....

 

[dudewuttheheck]

I got my top ten engineer list up! https://almostvintagestyle.com/2021/05/07/the-top-ten-best-engineer-boots-you-can-buy/

Not my most in depth work, but I'm sick of the top ten engineer lists from fashion sites that are just made by Googling "engineer boots" - I'm hoping this helps counter those to some degree

 

[dwilson]

I got my top ten engineer list up! https://almostvintagestyle.com/2021/05/07/the-top-ten-best-engineer-boots-you-can-buy/

Not my most in depth work, but I'm sick of the top ten engineer lists from fashion sites that are just made by Googling "engineer boots" - I'm hoping this helps counter those to some degree

Cool write up. Engi boots aren't really my style but I love seeing them on this forum. Have you handled Flat Head's boots over at Self Edge? I wonder where you'd stack them up against RMC or Lofgren for well-known Japanese makers.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Cool write up. Engi boots aren't really my style but I love seeing them on this forum. Have you handled Flat Head's boots over at Self Edge? I wonder where you'd stack them up against RMC or Lofgren for well-known Japanese makers.

Yes I have. They are one of the shameless Lofgren rip off I referred to in the article. They're nice because flat head pretty much always puts out good stuff, but I would go with the Lofgrens over them. I think the overall design is more refined. Flat head used to make a relatively sleek engineer boot in shinki hh thst I really loved. I still look for it over on yahoo auctions.

 

[Mich486]

It was an interesting read especially at the middle lower end of your ranking as we all knew already who was going to take the top spots

Question: is there any benefit that comes with hand welting? Both visual or functional.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

It was an interesting read especially at the middle lower end of your ranking as we all knew already who was going to take the top spots

Question: is there any benefit that comes with hand welting? Both visual or functional.

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

There are a few, though I would suppose there may be more. Firstly, it is more dursble if done correctly. You have leather being attached to leather with strong thread. In Goodyear welt, you have the leather welt attached to canvas which is then only glued onto the insole so technically it's not as durable.

Another benefit is that handweltingvusually leads to a smaller cavity as the raised leather channel isn't as tall as the canvas rib. This means that you don't need to put as much cork or filler in between. Comfort is subjective, but my top 5 most comfortable boots are all handwelted.

Also, there is the craftsmanship of it. It takes more time and skill to properly hand welt. That's a big reason that I am into this type of clothing in the first place so I must admit that the craft of handwelting appeals to me.

I think for most people, the practical benefits are relatively minor, but they are there.

 

[Mich486]

Yes that makes sense I think although admittedly if I didn’t know my Clinch were hand welted I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from other machine welted boots.

Here is a quick comparison. The brown one are Clinch (hand welted) and the beige suede are Attractions (machine welted - Goodyear?)

The welt stitching as seen from the sole of the Clinch looks definitely cleaner and dress shoe-like. From the top though I don’t know honestly.

I’m also not an uber fan of the sole sticking out so much from the sides as on the Clinch plus the double leather sole imho clashes a little with the sleek last and... is heavy af! The attractions are much lighter. Although this is clearly specific to this Clinch built I have as they can be had with all sorts of soles etc.

The Clinch are finer boots and got that artisanal feeling that we all appreciate but I personally prefer the Attractions for both aesthetic (shape) and wearability.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Yes that makes sense I think although admittedly if I didn’t know my Clinch were hand welted I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from other machine welted boots.

Here is a quick comparison. The brown one are Clinch (hand welted) and the beige suede are Attractions (machine welted - Goodyear?)

View attachment 333068 View attachment 333069 View attachment 333070 View attachment 333071 View attachment 333072

The welt stitching as seen from the sole of the Clinch looks definitely cleaner and dress shoe-like. From the top though I don’t know honestly.

I’m also not an uber fan of the sole sticking out so much from the sides as on the Clinch plus the double leather sole imho clashes a little with the sleek last and... is heavy af! The attractions are much lighter. Although this is clearly specific to this Clinch built I have as they can be had with all sorts of soles etc.

The Clinch are finer boots and got that artisanal feeling that we all appreciate but I personally prefer the Attractions for both aesthetic (shape) and wearability.

You are comparing the stitching that attaches the welt to the midsole/outsole. On Clinch, that is done with a rapid stitch machine just as with Attractions. That's why you can't tell the difference. Role Club also does that stitch with a machine. If you want that stitch done by hand, you would need to go with White Kloud, Flame Panda, Onderhoud, etc.

Handwelted refers to the process that attaches the welt to the insole, not the outsole. You cannot actually see it on your boots unless you resole them.

 

[Mich486]

Oh ok lol it’s not even visible! I need to study more boots construction before making a fool of myself though honestly... if you can’t see that stitching who cares whether is done by hand or with a machine. Not a selling point for me I’m afraid.

 

[dudewuttheheck]

Oh ok lol it’s not even visible! I need to study more boots construction before making a fool of myself though honestly... if you can’t see that stitching who cares whether is done by hand or with a machine. Not a selling point for me I’m afraid.

I already listed the advantages in my previous post. They do exist, but it's up to you to care about those differences that exist. For most people, it won't practically matter, but then again, we don't wear these boots for practical reasons anyway. If we were making all of our decisions based on practicality, we'd all be wearing running shoes most of the time probably.

 

[Turnip]

Lottusse cap toes to go with the Harrington today...