Crockett & Jones MTO Central

Uh, do you know if AS are willing to work with shearling?

No idea, but I'm wanting now a year-round poor weather boot rather than just a winter one...

Totally fair, and I reckon an unlined version will suit most peoples needs. However, I was thinking of a MTO for myself since the EG option stranded (once again)...

CTBrummie said:

Off the record, I have a feeling that it will be an uphill battle to get any kinda variation in the boot specs past the higher echelons of the company, but watch this space as I'm positioning it as being of massive PR value to the company...

To keep this thread going, below are two pairs of WW2 Lotus veldtschoen boots (the forerunner of the Snowdon and EG's Galway model) in zug leather that's in pretty good condition after 70ish years...this is the old Martin's zug, from the tannery with whom C&J did business back in the day.

Indestructible stuff. Forget shell, this is what you need for boots that are to really stand the test of time.

Note the full bellows tongue to make the boots capable of holding out water at a greater depth than a half-bellows tongue as now used instead.

The top pair are the boots I reach for first when conditions are truly atrocious. They're still on the original soles and were originally worn by a Czech officer fighting with the British Empire forces in WW2.

Click to expand...

Fabulous idea, sounds like a plan.

Besides good PR it sounds like they could really have an awesome boot that I think would sell to others as well.


Thanks again for all of your hard work. Here's hoping this thing pans out.

Does anyone know anything about the spec for the Veldtschoen Officer Boots C&J made for RRL?

"This is a nice pair of Veldtschoen Officer Boots I saw today in the RRL showroom on Mount Street, priced at £550. There's no maker's name, but these look similar to Crockett and Jones designs of the 1950s. Coincidentally, RRL have collaborated with C&J for Veldtschoen boots in the recent past, and even these newer boots seem to have acquired significant collectors' value, too." From here: http://loomstate.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/lotus-veldtschoen-guaranteed-waterproof.html

^With all due respect to the author, who I know, I think he wrongly identified those boots as veltdschoen - the standard leathers used for private purchase British officers' boots at that time were zug or similarly grained variants but they were rarely actually veldtschoen. I think the RRL-related boots fall into that category.

For what it's worth, I'm the Ben L thanked at the bottom of that article and I sourced the Lotus boots pictured in the blog post!

At that time, the classic veldt model was a wholecut derby boot or shoe, which those aren't (worth noting that the very first veldt boot was an apron toe derby model). I think Cheaney were the first to move away from that standard pattern relatively recently with their Pennine model, but I could be wrong on this. Other extant models, the Snowdon and the heavier-duty versions of the Galway by EG, still retain the same basic pattern.

Lotus boots like the ones I posted above were noted at the time to be expensive because of how they were made, but they were also famously guaranteed waterproof and were said to last decades - a lot of the adverts that can be easily found online contain testimonials from various, often military owners of their boots and shoes telling tales of how the boots had lasted them in all sorts of conditions:

Thanks CTB for clearing that up. I have learn't a lot from reading your posts, the history behind it all is fascinating. I can see that zug grain and veldtschoen is the way to go for a boot that will outlast the owner. Is the basic idea for the MTO to have a snowdon (although maybe on a different last) but with zug grain leather and a full bellow tongue?

They won't do a full bellows tongue apparently...I know this because I asked about it when getting the other boots made up

The 228 is a good last though, it's a classic country last that is one of their oldest still in use.

I've only worn my whiskey Harlechs two times and it's been over two weeks since I wore them last. I'm trying a different rotation that someone suggested when I complained that my boots weren't getting enough wear and were looking too new. But I'm not sure if this is working.

The only solution is to thin the herd. And I've already begun by setting aside five pairs I'm going to sell (one already sold) and there may be more. I just hope I don't succumb to temptation and replenish too quickly. This Snowden MTO sounds incredible if it comes to fruition.

Chaps, just a quick update:

It'll be a dozen pairs needed as the minimum order still, and all the details would need to be the same apart from the size.

No idea yet about whether or not we can supply our own leather but the question is being asked. I've identified our potential supplier to them but also suggested that they might be able to use their existing relationship with Horween to our advantage, if that is possible.

More to follow...

CTBrummie said:

Chaps, just a quick update:

It'll be a dozen pairs needed as the minimum order still, and all the details would need to be the same apart from the size.

No idea yet about whether or not we can supply our own leather but the question is being asked. I've identified our potential supplier to them but also suggested that they might be able to use their existing relationship with Horween to our advantage, if that is possible.

More to follow...

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very high likelihood I would be in

Quote:
Me too. Sure hope we can get a dozen when the time comes.



CTBrummie said:

Chaps, just a quick update:

It'll be a dozen pairs needed as the minimum order still, and all the details would need to be the same apart from the size.

No idea yet about whether or not we can supply our own leather but the question is being asked. I've identified our potential supplier to them but also suggested that they might be able to use their existing relationship with Horween to our advantage, if that is possible.

More to follow...

Click to expand...

Awesome I will be in. It pay to have "boots on the ground" as the saying goes thank you for your work CTBrummie. have you received reply regarding a mock cap toe on Snowdon boot. I think mock cap toe looks better then just a plain toe boot.

I think we will have no problems getting 12 orders.

^ me too. any word on the cap toe stitching?

I'd be in too if we can get good quality zug.

I think we can get 12. We are already half way there.