Footwear to go with our jackets

[red devil]

I somehow wear these. . .

They look very cool!

 

[lopo]

Yuketen Hunting Boots with Levi's LVC 1873 Duck Hunting Coat

 

[lopo]

White's Boots with Lee 101J

 

[Imuricecreamman]

White's Boots with Lee 101J

View attachment 444046
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That's a really cool combo!

 

[ojaw]

White's Boots with Lee 101J

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The jacket definitely plays Robin in that Dynamic Duo.

 

[Damon141]

This is my first pair of Indonesian boots I’ve purchased. They are Natural Shell Cordovan by Junkard Boots (Recaro Shell?)

I picked them up new on Poshmark for under $300, they retail for $500 on the Junkard site which I personally wouldn’t pay given they were half of that before their sales were boosted up by the influencers.
My initial thoughts on quality puts them at $250-350 especially if you factor in the cost of living in Indonesia is 1/3 of that in the USA, that combined with the risk of wrong sizing and questionable warranty if there is a problem and shipping cost back if they accept them. It seems smarter if you are in the USA to wait for a sale on Viberg or Whites boots which can be had at the same price if you are not picky on colors and styles.

Would I buy them again? All In All they are nice boots and I would recommend if you can find them from a seller that purchased the wrong size or 2nds which these probably are. But I will say if you have foot issues or are very particular about fit, toe, ball, heel and arch support then it would probably be better to stick with a brand you can try on.

For Shell Cordovan it was a good deal for me even if they are similar in color to the Viberg I just bought. But beggars can’t be choosers when hunting for a deal.

I pictured then next to the Viberg I have so you can compare.

 

[Will Zach]

Nice boots. That is a sensational score on shell cordovan boots, I think Vibergs in SC are like a grand or more.

 

[Damon141]

Nice boots. That is a sensational score on shell cordovan boots, I think Vibergs in SC are like a grand or more.

Yes Viberg Shell are insanely expensive. Amazing though!
Too expensive for me, Horsebutt seems like a great alternative to Shell Cordovan in Viberg boots.

I have it ingrained in my brain from growing up around many women in my family that the first things women look at on a man are his teeth and his shoes, so jackets may look good in a vintage state, I’m not convinced that boots are the same category.

I have another pair of Viberg boots coming, slightly used, Black roughout with a Vibram ripple sole and Norwegian welt, again they didn’t fit the previous owner and he said he only wore them a handful of times.
I’d like a pair of Whites or Truman boots, I’ve heard White’s are extremely comfortable

 

[ojaw]

I’d like a pair of Whites or Truman boots, I’ve heard White’s are extremely comfortable

My Whites, while fitting the shape of my foot very well, were brutal to walk in with the weight of the boot and the firmness of the sole combining to make them unwearable for me. I sold them on after a few months. YRMV

 

[Blackadder]

Yes Viberg Shell are insanely expensive. Amazing though!
Too expensive for me, Horsebutt seems like a great alternative to Shell Cordovan in Viberg boots.

I have it ingrained in my brain from growing up around many women in my family that the first things women look at on a man are his teeth and his shoes, so jackets may look good in a vintage state, I’m not convinced that boots are the same category.

I have another pair of Viberg boots coming, slightly used, Black roughout with a Vibram ripple sole and Norwegian welt, again they didn’t fit the previous owner and he said he only wore them a handful of times.
I’d like a pair of Whites or Truman boots, I’ve heard White’s are extremely comfortable

IMO shell became a hype because of the very nice looking shell Horween made. Many tanneries also make shell but the quality varies like other type of leather. Quality of some shell is actually so poor that they do not deserve the premium put on shell cordovan.

 

[Damon141]

IMO shell became a hype because of the very nice looking shell Horween made. Many tanneries also make shell but the quality varies like other type of leather. Quality of some shell is actually so poor that they do not deserve the premium put on shell cordovan.

Yeah truthfully this Shell Cordovan on the Junkard Boots doesn’t feel as substantial as Horween which from my limited experience has the best feeling Shell Cordovan, I’ve had Shinki Shell and a couple Italian Shell wallets and I’m sure it varies depending the batch and other factors but Horween Shell was noticeably richer in color. Thicker and just had a feel of like luxury. Shinki tannery seems to get all the attention here when it comes to jackets but Horween Shell is hard to beat.

Now if only Horween knew about the high end leather jacket world and made a product to compare to Shinki then we would see more Horween jackets.

 

[Blackadder]

Yeah truthfully this Shell Cordovan on the Junkard Boots doesn’t feel as substantial as Horween which from my limited experience has the best feeling Shell Cordovan, I’ve had Shinki Shell and a couple Italian Shell wallets and I’m sure it varies depending the batch and other factors but Horween Shell was noticeably richer in color. Thicker and just had a feel of like luxury. Shinki tannery seems to get all the attention here when it comes to jackets but Horween Shell is hard to beat.

Now if only Horween knew about the high end leather jacket world and made a product to compare to Shinki then we would see more Horween jackets.

I doubt Horween would do a veg tanned leather that is comparable to Shiniki or BK's Victory. It is all about the quantity to most sizable companies. I always think Shell is a pet project for Horween much like LVC to Levi's and Red Wing Heritage to RW. Since Horween already has one pet project, I doubt they would get into another. To them the high end market in sufficient quantity would be the chrome tanned leather used by Schott, Vanson and Lewis Leather etc. Even though Schott have used Horween CXL and Shiniki, they are only on limited production model, their regular jackets are still purely chrome tanned. There is simply not sufficient quantity for Horween to be interested given they already have their pet project.
Shiniki on the other hand is smaller, it can survive serving a smaller market. Besides, a lot of the Japanese still like veg tanned leather. The local companies like Vasco, Slow and Porter all still like to use veg tanned leather to make bags and accessories. Or take a look at Muji's regular lineup, their wallet, keyholder and card holder all made with natural veg tanned leather. Muji has been selling those for years probably decades and are still making them. It is difficult to become more mainstream than Muji. Again these Japanese companies can survive mainly serving the Japanese market. The Western companies all have trouble selling veg tanned goods to the mainstream in sufficient quantity. For example, I have a natural veg tanned bridle leather LV wallet from many years ago. They have discontinued that whole line because people want the monogram canvas or the corrected grain leather. I also have a bridle leather briefcase from Dunhill back when they had a MTO line with a selection of exotic leather to choose from. Also not attractive to the mainstream consumers therefore discontinued. Bree used to use mainly natural veg tanned leather but has also ceased to do so.

 

[Damon141]

Yes all very good points, sad but true. I bet that Dunhill case is a real beauty.

A while back Himel did a run of Beck 333’s cross zips for one of the shops that stock their products, Taiwan?
But I remember reading the post from Dave Himel which said that the leather used was a custom run of Horween leather similar to what would have been used in the originals.

I know many of people said that the 1950’s horsehide was like no other, considering the surviving vintage examples I’m compelled to agree.

 

[Blackadder]

Yes all very good points, sad but true. I bet that Dunhill case is a real beauty.

A while back Himel did a run of Beck 333’s cross zips for one of the shops that stock their products, Taiwan?
But I remember reading the post from Dave Himel which said that the leather used was a custom run of Horween leather similar to what would have been used in the originals.

I know many of people said that the 1950’s horsehide was like no other, considering the surviving vintage examples I’m compelled to agree.

Could just be using the Horween Essex, the base model.
https://www.thetanneryrow.com/leather101/2016/9/8/difference-essex-dublin-derby

 

[morrison2951]

 

[Canuck Panda]

The Ogawa Shells from Shinki is quite good. About the same as the Horween Shells, more expensive but also different color options. That's how they get you, with colors that the other brand isn't doing and then charge more. But the quality feels about the same. Deeo see through colors, no flaking, and gets darker with wear. Horween shells are really the best bang for the buck, in terms of quality/price/availability. I haven't experienced much Italian shells, they seem to have lower availability than the others.

 

[Blackadder]

The Ogawa Shells from Shinki is quite good. About the same as the Horween Shells, more expensive but also different color options. That's how they get you, with colors that the other brand isn't doing and then charge more. But the quality feels about the same. Deeo see through colors, no flaking, and gets darker with wear. Horween shells are really the best bang for the buck, in terms of quality/price/availability. I haven't experienced much Italian shells, they seem to have lower availability than the others.

Shiniki shell is sharp, sharper than Horween but it has its shortcoming. I did not do the test but my fd sells leather and his opinion on Shiniki is the same. Shiniki's shell is not that water proof. The dye and/or coating is weaker than Horween. The OP let the water sat for 5 mins only. The difference would be much more obvious if the shell got soaked for longer period. According to my fd, Maryam shell is closer in terms of quality to Horween and better than Shiniki. Problem is it costs almost as much as Horween, may as well buy Horween. I have a pair of Horween shell Danner boots and a pair of Shiniki RM engineer. I have only worn them a few times and never in the rain.
https://www.reddit.com/r/goodyearwelt/comments/85sglm

 

[Canuck Panda]

Yeah, Horween Shells are really great!

#8 Shell bleachers:

Ogawa Shells patinas fast. It makes sense now they are less waterproof.
Natural when new:

Ogawa natural shell after a few months inside my pant pockets:

I think in boots form it will patina even faster! Like aged honey.

I just checked the prices again. Holy crap Horween shells are expensive now. Even more than Ogawa Shinki shells. I think it's worth it though. Except the reverse shells. I don't get them. One big feature of the shell is the deep rich colors. If we use the reverse side we get the logo that's cool but no deep rich color. The same is said about regular leather I suppose. The reverse or rough out side feels luxurious to touch but it just gets dirty. The grain / finish side looks better?

 

[ojaw]

Yeah, Horween Shells are really great!

#8 Shell bleachers:
View attachment 444859

Ogawa Shells patinas fast. It makes sense now they are less waterproof.
Natural when new:
View attachment 444860
Ogawa natural shell after a few months inside my pant pockets:
View attachment 444861
I think in boots form it will patina even faster! Like aged honey.

I just checked the prices again. Holy crap Horween shells are expensive now. Even more than Ogawa Shinki shells. I think it's worth it though. Except the reverse shells. I don't get them. One big feature of the shell is the deep rich colors. If we use the reverse side we get the logo that's cool but no deep rich color. The same is said about regular leather I suppose. The reverse or rough out side feels luxurious to touch but it just gets dirty. The grain / finish side looks better?

My cousin bought some Oxblood DMs about 35 years ago for his wedding that he wished looked like that pair up top, such beauties!

 

[Monitor]

I need to stop buying boots but how can I. This pair by Haider Ackermann arrived today.