Success!
I got 'em and LOVE 'em!
Worldshopandmail@yahoo.co.uk enabled me to get around
www.thenaturalshoestore.com 's refusal to ship outside of the UK, with the result that I got spectacular boots at huge bargain.
[1] The messenger
In 1986 a fellow attorney convinced me that buying TWO pairs of Church's shoes and alternating wearing them was less expensive than buying cheap shoes. He was right.
About 8 months ago, I started to perceive footgear as magical objects -- the embodiment of 10,000 years of refinement still using the skins of animals, and despite the limitations on design imposed by their functional nature, works of art.
In other words: I went nuts, bonkers, shoe-mad.
I escalated from a pair of used ("worn only once, to a wedding") Loake Burford tan (practically orange) boots, to used Tricker's Stow, to Barker's Harrison and lastly a pair of new Tricker's Jodhpur ("Chepstow") boots. Oh, and possibly my favorite -- Alden's cordovan 4060 lace-up "bootmaker edition" lace-ups. Oh, and used eBay army boots (ugly but comfortable enough to sleep in).
That's not a complete list, and no, I can't afford them.
I'm still quite the amateur lunatic, however -- so I don't (as an example) know why posters on this board "tut, tut!" with disapproval about the use of "corrected grain."
[1] Grenson Balmoral
I'm enjoying these boots so much, I have abandoned all remorse over my excessive bootish consumerism!
The inner leather is particularly soft -- very buttery. There's no trace of canvas. The eyelets are very well crimped -- a point of contention with me, because I've had 'em fall out on other boots, but on this boot you can see they've been uniformly set solidly.
My usual size is USA 10.5 "E" and I've found that I fit well with a UK 10 "fitting F." I was concerned that the Grenson might be tight because its fitting is "E/F." I don't know what that means, but the feel is amazing. I don't mind a reasonable break-in period -- the Tricker's Stow, for example, were comfortable from day "1" but are made with thick leather that is gradually adjusting to my feet. The Grenson, in comparison, is much softer, and seems to vacuum around my feet and adjust within the first 15 seconds. Instead of a few extra points of contact, they fit on my feet like an extra layer of skin, providing an artful continuous foot massage.
My only quibble is with the name. Balmoral is, of course, a type of boot, of which the Grenson Balmoral is just an example; making it a "Grenson Balmoral balmoral," an achievement without precedent since Patti Smith (the High Shaman-ess of Rock & recently admitted to its Hall of Fame) married Fred "Sonic" Smith and became Patti Smith Smith.
But I digress.
[2] DESIGN NOTES
Ordinarily shoes and boots have two -- what do you call them, the things with the eyelets? "Flaps"? -- have two flaps which are drawn together as the laces are tightened. With boots that are too loose, sometimes the flaps nearly touch.
The Grenson Balmorals, in comparison, start with the flaps already touching at the bottom. I don't know what this means to the history of footwear or otherwise, but I dig it -- it contributes to the boot's sleek appearance.
[3] HOW TO IMPORT
Very likely
www.thenaturalshoestore.com is not to blame for it's refusal to sell to USA customers. Grenson appears to distribute using exclusive rights on a geographical basis -- for example, Paul Stuart in New York selling its "Andy" boot (which others have speculated is made by Grenson) and the seemingly nearly identical one that I got sold by The Natural Shoe Store, but printed on the inner sole "Grenson for Staple British Footwear."
The main difference appears to be color -- possibly Andy's brown color took a lot more labor than The Natural Store's basic black, but I doubt if that accounts for the fact Paul Stuart's version costs more than TWICE as much even taking into account my added costs of import. Compare:
http://www.thenaturalshoestore.com/i...&opr_oprid=443http://www.paulstuart.com/product_in...ProdCatId=1008
As to HOW to import, I used the mail proxy service (Annette's World Shop and Mail) that someone here recommended. I contacted the service directly (not through eBay), but the service seems to run an eBay listing often.
I could not be happier with Annette's service. She was very prompt at every stage, wrote clearly, asked all the right questions, and with infinite English politeness got everything done with the minimum of fuss. I'd like to find something else to buy just to repeat the experience. Her contact information (based on my payment receipt from Google Products) is below (she didn't ask me to post this).
Til
=====================
ITEMS DELIVERED ONLY IN ENGLAND CAN BE OBTAINED IN THE USA!
MAIL PROXY SERVICE
Annette O'Neill
<worldshopandmail@yahoo.co.uk>
World Shop and Mail
69 Riland Road Sutton Coldfield
Birmingham, WEST MIDLANDS B75 7AN
United Kingdom
worldshopandmail@gmail.com
======= eBay info =========
worldshopandmail (36)
Positive feedback: 100%
Member since: Oct-03-04
Location: West Midlands,United Kingdom
Registered on:
www.ebay.co.uk
