Footwear to go with our jackets

[Tom71]

I have two pairs of Truman boots and I quite like them, in their Java waxed Flesh and Black Oil Roughout. Boots are of good quality, stitching has no issues and I can't find any real defects on either of my pairs. All in all I'd say you're good to go construction-wise if you like the look of the boots. Personally, I brannock at a 10.5D with an average instep, and I find going true to your brannock size to be the ideal move. Half size down for their 79 last, which Truman recommends, was way too small for me.

I second this.

I also have to pairs in the 79 last (Java waxed flesh and shrunken bison). Quality is good for the price. You will find criticism on their QC, but that’s always, “heard it from a friend”.
Sizing is maybe half a size more generous than RW Iron Ranger/Blacksmith. I picked the same size, and it works for me.

 

[Tom71]

Black Bear Brand/Rios of Mercedes Roper.

What can I say? The top-notch quality is typical RoM, the bold design is typical BBB. Ordered last year.

Weird last on them: narrow and elongated at the same time. Good thing, the higher powers have equipped me with pretty forgiving feet.

 

[Hoanglong]

Rolling Dub Trio Griffin Jodhpur
I was lucky enough to buy it on thebootshop website.
They look quite similar to jodhpur Clinch but I don't have a pair of Clinch yet so I don't know how the quality compares.

 

[TartuWolf]

Black Bear Brand/Rios of Mercedes Roper.

What can I say? The top-notch quality is typical RoM, the bold design is typical BBB. Ordered last year.

Weird last on them: narrow and elongated at the same time. Good thing, the higher powers have equipped me with pretty forgiving feet.

Big fan of BBB, especially their marketing / IG feed

 

[TartuWolf]

The second pair of three Vivobarefoots.
I know, absolutely atypical boots for this target group and admittedly there are cooler looking boots. But I need boots that I can put on at 6 in the morning, wear all day and are still comfortable at 8 in the evening. I can do that with my Nike's, but not with Red Wing, Timberland, Meindl, ... (I can wear them, but they're not really comfortable at the end of the day). It's different with these (and the other two) here. Unbelievable. I don't think I've ever had such comfortable shoes. Not even my beloved Nike's come close.

My whole family are big fans of barefoot footwear, it's simply objectively more healthy and comfortable than any other footwear.
Sure there is an argument for PNW style boots with strong arch support, especially if you're extra heavy or are carrying a lot of gear. But for regular/casual/daily wear barefoot can't be beat in terms of long term foot health.
I still wear my RW style boots and engineers most of the year anyway, but I switched to light barefoot and sandals (yes they are different from normal sandals) shoes for summer.
There are some brands making stitched barefoot boots (Jim Green, Rose Anvil colabs, some others..) but they just look awful to me, haven't seen a good looking pair/model.
For sandals I'd recommend Bosky. For shoes I like what Koel does a lot.
Vivo is overpriced because they are famous, like many other famous barefoot brands.

 

[Tom71]

Big fan of BBB, especially their marketing / IG feed

Same here. Promised myself to go slow on them, though. Prices are high and going higher with the new pre-orders, and VAT/customs really add a hefty chunk!

 

[Bfd70]

Black Bear Brand/Rios of Mercedes Roper.

What can I say? The top-notch quality is typical RoM, the bold design is typical BBB. Ordered last year.

Weird last on them: narrow and elongated at the same time. Good thing, the higher powers have equipped me with pretty forgiving feet.

View attachment 655367

Exciting. I like most of the bbb boot designs. Looking forward to seeing some real life evo as opposed to the intentional distressing on insta.

 

[Tom71]

Exciting. I like most of the bbb boot designs. Looking forward to seeing some real life evo as opposed to the intentional distressing on insta.

Wearing them as we speak, albeit with a suit and tie in the office; one thing I had not thought about: Having the vamp in rough-out is grabby AF. Every time I stand up I have to manually fiddle the trouser leg down again. Hope this works better with a pair of jeans.

 

[Bfd70]

I think it will

 

[MrProper]

Vivo is overpriced because they are famous

I think the most stylish ones are from vivo. As there are always discount codes here, nobody pays the official price.
Even cooler, but too expensive for my taste, are
https://gaucho.ninja

 

[handymike]

Wow!

 

[TartuWolf]

Got this pair of White's from JP. Was ~300eu for the boots + ~50eu for the shipping. White's boots are quite popular in JP, unlike something like Nick's.
Totally black super stealth look doesn't rock my boat so I took them to my local cobbler who sanded down the edges to reveal the natural leather and sealed them. He also change the topy which was not in very good shape.
Not too happy with the strike through black leather and black hardware.
One interesting upside of this pair is the single row stitching on the welt instead of the typical bulky double row - I like that, especially on a semi-dress pair.
Overall I'm a bit disappointed that I didn't get the famous high arch or the dogger/logger heel with this one as my first (fitting) PNW boot pair, but with a few more modifications I think they will be a decent addition to my collection.

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ That's an interesting pair of White's. I'll have to review their page as this much lower-arch model isn't familiar to me. They look like Nick's Falcons which are similarly built on a lower-arch last.

The bottom sole (not heel) is quite unfamiliar to me - is that what you meant here "He also change the topy which was not in very good shape.

The stitching through the middle of the side was not familiar to me - it's indicative of the Semi-dress model...

 

[3.14nche]

Giving engineers a try.
Black teacore from Bright Shoemakers.
I find the sizing advice on their website to be spot on.

 

[Bfd70]

20% off at Whites

 

[AeroFan_07]

^^ Those are amazing!

 

[PatinaPen]

I second this.

I also have to pairs in the 79 last (Java waxed flesh and shrunken bison). Quality is good for the price. You will find criticism on their QC, but that’s always, “heard it from a friend”.
Sizing is maybe half a size more generous than RW Iron Ranger/Blacksmith. I picked the same size, and it works for me.

A lot of great "serious" boot suggestions here. I'm having good luck for business casual, casual dining with Clarks Chuka boots. Have a beeswax pair for my brown leather jacket, black for the black biker jacket. Very comfortable and only $80-100.
Got sold on Chuka boots after seeing pictures of Steve McQueen (the 60s actor not the current film director) wearing them.

 

[Khilij]

15% off at Parkhurst Boots for those interested. Use Code CORNY

 

[AeroFan_07]

So in 4-5 months, I'll be checking these out, took advantage of the 20% off at White's