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[Luigi_M]

... treat them like Pepe Le Pew

More seriously, I hadn't ever realized there could be a black on black mismatch.
Could you explain a little more? I really would like to do it myself but of course I don't want to screw unrecoverably damage my boots.
Thanks in advance for any suggestion.
Kind regards, Luigi.

 

[SuitedDx]

Personally I think dying it black, or dark navy/midnight (if you want to stand out) should be fine with the fabric. A fabric dye or even leather dye should work fine I think... the flexibility of black leather.

Always wondered about triple welt; too casual for me but I assume it works for your style. Enjoy!

 

[shirtsnob]

Luigi....

I own 1 pr of Grensons......the Archie...they are long and wide.......did u downsize?.......I think for me, a half size down would be better

 

[Luigi_M]

Luigi....

I own 1 pr of Grensons......the Archie...they are long and wide.......did u downsize?.......I think for me, a half size down would be better

I'm being told that usually Grenson boots do run quite wide ("G", as they say in the Land of Hope & Glory).
I was really lucky, as my boots were on sale and the only size left was the UK 11. I find their fit satisfactory for me: both in lenght and width they are just comfortable, being neither too little nor too large.
Maybe an UK 10,5 would have fitted me as well, if not a bit more snug (rightly snug), but it wasn't available.
I'm an Euro 45 (translated in UK by some as 10,5, by others as 11) with quite skinny but wide feet - and narrow heel, and as a matter of fact these boots are the first footgear that I don't even slightly stretch on the sides.
I usually wear thin thin socks, but with boots I indulge in slightly thicker ones and thus I find the fit of my boots very good.
Of course, had they been dress shoes, I would have them quite more snug (in width) but not shorter.
The proper sizing of a shoe is a real minefield as so many factors concur in giving a good or bad fitting one!
That's just my own experience with this specific pair of boots. I hope you or others will find it useful.
Kind regards, Luigi.

 

[shirtsnob]

thnx!

 

[mrjamescost]

***WARNING: Another non-elegant boot coming up***

I saw a pair of Red Wing 8138 in a store today (20th October 2017) and couldn’t help but get hold of them. I thought I would prefer the more rounded Red Wing boots, but on seeing these in person I ‘had' to have them.

Initially I was out looking for a pair of plain Tricker’s Burford boots that I heard were on sale, down from £375 to £230. But when I arrived at the shop they only had a size 6, so no good for a size 9 like me. Shame. It would have been a GUARANTEED sale. Such fine leather and I could easily polish them to a slightly darker shade. Maybe get them for the girlfriend if they are still there in a month or so. lol

The shop assistant tried to get me to purchase a pair of Loake boots, but that wasn’t happening. I could feel the difference in quality between the several different Loake available and the Tricker’s.

Anyway, I digress for a good reason. The leather on the Red Wing boots appear to be of a similar, perhaps slightly inferior, quality to Loake. Though obviously the Red Wing is specially treated in order to give them a more hard wearing quality. I would end up paying more for these boots than I would for Loake, which seem slightly better quality, simply because I want a good pair of American made boots. Red Wing 8138 are aesthetically pleasing and are more attractive to the average person than a traditional English brogue boot. (Boot aficionados are not your average person, I’m afraid.)

The 8138 boots are harsh on the achilles heel, but it doesn’t bother me too much. They are reminiscent of my pair of Dr. Martens (work boots), which took me about two weeks to break in. People say Dr. Martens take months to break in, but they don’t walk like I do. I will walk more in a week than the average person does in the month. So here is to the next two to three weeks. A bit of pain here and there did nobody any harm. It’s part of the process of owning a quality boot.

 

[freshstyle]

Anyone have pics of Carmina JODHPUR boots in FOREST last?

 

[DXBMark]

More seriously, I hadn't ever realized there could be a black on black mismatch.
Could you explain a little more? I really would like to do it myself but of course I don't want to screw unrecoverably damage my boots.
Thanks in advance for any suggestion.
Kind regards, Luigi.

One wouldn’t think it but differing shades of black really stand out against each other- now this is in a spot nobody will really see so it’s probably ok, but I’ve make that mistake before- mostly with fabrics
Good thing with shoes, a bit of polish would even it out.

 

[DXBMark]

Personally I think dying it black, or dark navy/midnight (if you want to stand out) should be fine with the fabric. A fabric dye or even leather dye should work fine I think... the flexibility of black leather.

Always wondered about triple welt; too casual for me but I assume it works for your style. Enjoy!

I like the suggestion of going with navy or midnight- would be very slick

 

[Northants bloke]

***WARNING: Another non-elegant boot coming up***

I saw a pair of Red Wing 8138 in a store today (20th October 2017) and couldn’t help but get hold of them. I thought I would prefer the more rounded Red Wing boots, but on seeing these in person I ‘had' to have them.

Initially I was out looking for a pair of plain Tricker’s Burford boots that I heard were on sale, down from £375 to £230. But when I arrived at the shop they only had a size 6, so no good for a size 9 like me. Shame. It would have been a GUARANTEED sale. Such fine leather and I could easily polish them to a slightly darker shade. Maybe get them for the girlfriend if they are still there in a month or so. lol

The shop assistant tried to get me to purchase a pair of Loake boots, but that wasn’t happening. I could feel the difference in quality between the several different Loake available and the Tricker’s.

Anyway, I digress for a good reason. The leather on the Red Wing boots appear to be of a similar, perhaps slightly inferior, quality to Loake. Though obviously the Red Wing is specially treated in order to give them a more hard wearing quality. I would end up paying more for these boots than I would for Loake, which seem slightly better quality, simply because I want a good pair of American made boots. Red Wing 8138 are aesthetically pleasing and are more attractive to the average person than a traditional English brogue boot. (Boot aficionados are not your average person, I’m afraid.)

The 8138 boots are harsh on the achilles heel, but it doesn’t bother me too much. They are reminiscent of my pair of Dr. Martens (work boots), which took me about two weeks to break in. People say Dr. Martens take months to break in, but they don’t walk like I do. I will walk more in a week than the average person does in the month. So here is to the next two to three weeks. A bit of pain here and there did nobody any harm. It’s part of the process of owning a quality boot.

View attachment 861601

Another option might NPS. They have some similar boots competitively priced. https://www.nps-shoes.com/shop/

My fave boots are Cheaney chukkas.

 

[freshstyle]

You see how the leather in the black circle is starting to bunch up and fold over close to the vamp. Is this unavoidable with leather boots. Or is this something not seen with better quality boot makers? I expect the bunching up and folding over near the ankle area, but not sure what to expect lower in that area. These are my first pair of dress boots.

 

[agent.5]

boots too big, having excess leather?

 

[DXBMark]

You see how the leather in the black circle is starting to bunch up and fold over close to the vamp. Is this unavoidable with leather boots. Or is this something not seen with better quality boot makers? I expect the bunching up and folding over near the ankle area, but not sure what to expect lower in that area. These are my first pair of dress boots.
View attachment 861971

I’d guess your ankles and top of your foot are taking up less volume in relation to the ball of your foot/toes than is assumed by the last. Because generally, the sizing looks ok. I like wrinkles but that’s me- as long as it’s comfy. But you might find you fill it out better if you drop in a thin heel pad or a half insole.
Or just get a regular insole and cut off the front half.

 

[mrjamescost]

Another option might NPS. They have some similar boots competitively priced. https://www.nps-shoes.com/shop/

My fave boots are Cheaney chukkas.

Thank you for the reply. Would you say NPS are closer to Loake in quality or Tricker’s? Thanks again.

 

[Northants bloke]

Sorry Mr James. I've never tried Trickers so I could only guess. NPS don't do the burnished brown finishes that Cheaney does but otherwise pretty solid styles such as brogue boots and cheaper than most other Northampton shoes.