Clarks Desert Boots

Has anyone seen the NAVY blue desert boots? Does anyone have them?

I am really liking these..

I just got my first pair of clarks in beeswax from village shoes. They look great, but like most shoes for me my asymmetrical feet mean that the right shoe fits perfect but the left one is about half a size too big.

After a month or two of wear, I decided to replace the crepe sole of my Banana Republic Saharas with a leather sole. Picked them up today:

Before:


After

I picked up some original wallabees is sand suede last night. I was surprised at how cheaply made some of the stuff looked in person. I hope these old up well.

How much did it cost to put on the leather sole?

Originally Posted by briansee

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How much did it cost to put on the leather sole?
When I was talking to the cobbler, I asked if he could somehow welt the sole even though there's just that false welt, but he said all he could do was stitch the upper to a midsole and then glue the leather sole on. I'm not sure if all my terms here are correct, but hopefully you know what I mean. I'm not sure if this is standard procedure or if it cost extra, but it ended up being about $60. Asking around in the past, I've had re-solings quoted at as low as $10. Just depends on who does it. Anyway, I purchased the shoes new for $20, from $130, so a total of $80 for a shoe I like better seems worth it. Here's a picture of the original (larger) false stitches, and the new (smaller) stitches that seem to be more functional:

I really want a pair of desert boots, but my podiatrist would kill me if I got a pair of Clarks (the sole is too flexible for my destroyed arches). So I've been looking for something comparable with a stronger sole and a flex point that matches my foot's natural flex point. I plan to wear a thin, custom orthotic with the shoes. So far I've found the John Varvatos Tire Soles and the Alden Flex Welt Chukka in suede. Does anyone have experience with either of these? Or do you have any suggestions to offer? http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/29636816/c/1430.html http://www.shermanbrothers.com/produ...&ProductId=233 Many thanks in advance.

Alden = solid.

Where can I buy the leather version of the Desert Boots?

^ Isn't it the kind of sole that makes a desert boot a desert boot? Once you trade in the sole for leather, I think you have a chukka boot. For cheaper chukkas, I guess I would look at Loake.

I'm pretty sure the Loakes I looked at were at least twice the price. I really only wanted a chukka, so it works for me. The Loake is in my future, though.

After weeks I still cannot find Sand Desert Boots anywhere in 8.5

I was on piperlime today looking for purcells, and saw that GAP is apparently selling Clarks desert boots in its stores for 90$, which is cheaper than I remember them being when I'd still really wanted a pair.

Originally Posted by sygyzy

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After weeks I still cannot find Sand Desert Boots anywhere in 8.5

sygyzy, are you walking around and looking in stores? you can use the internet to buy shoes these days. http://www.villageshoes.com/desertboot.html they have sand suede in 8.5. or so it appears when i add them to my cart

Originally Posted by Dewey

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^ Isn't it the kind of sole that makes a desert boot a desert boot? Once you trade in the sole for leather, I think you have a chukka boot. For cheaper chukkas, I guess I would look at Loake.
I did a search for the Loake chukkas online, and from what I'm able to see they look quite all right. Do you know of a U.S. website or store in NYC that carries them?