Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[PACostag]

Kyle mentioned to me that the phased out tan dress and replaced it with British tan CXL... probably can special order it still though.

I have some burgundy HH semi dress on the way and will post some pictures for you all when they arrive

 

[Legal Eagles]

Kyle mentioned to me that the phased out tan dress and replaced it with British tan CXL... probably can special order it still though.

My issue with that is two fold:

1) British Tan is a CXL leather, and has all the pros and cons of CXL - which I will not rehash here; and

2) All British Tan I have seen starts off more brown than tan, and even lighter samples darken to brown over time... |
This pair for sale by White's as British Tan shows what I mean... this is "tan"... really?

I want a tan dress leather I can polish that starts out as actual tan and stays tan...

 

[PACostag]

That’s the dream... tan that stays tan

 

[miggyramone]

Someone on reddit had WHite's make them a Russet HH pair of boots. The color varied from yellowish tan to an orange light brown. I loved them. I believe the buyer supplied the leather though.

 

[Legal Eagles]

Someone on reddit had WHite's make them a Russet HH pair of boots. The color varied from yellowish tan to an orange light brown. I loved them. I believe the buyer supplied the leather though.

Heck, I think that was our very own @hoppy_IPA ...

Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

So @hoppy_IPA , basically any half-sole will consist of one midsole, and one outsole, with rubber or composition sole attached. Do I understand that correctly? I have this exact make-up & if you order the vibram 700 half comp sole you will effectively get a double mid by default. As Linafelt...

www.styleforum.net

Beautiful boots by the way... maybe we can get an update...

 

[discomute]

Toffee dress comes up here as a topic about every two years... as I recall, the scoop is this:

1) Toffee dress is not a standard leather (note the incongruity with #3 below);

2) When available it was a special order for White's Hong Kong dealer Ultrasound;

3) At some point Ultrasound purportedly said Toffee Dress was simply an a/k/a for British Tan (note the incongruity with #1 above) which set off much weeping and gnashing of teeth, but as far as I know we never got a firm answer on that.

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma...

I would be very interested to hear what Kyle has to say...

By the way, White's used to offer a Tan French Calf which made for a beautiful dressier boot... last time I tried to order I was told it was out of stock with no estimate as to when or if it might return.

Note all of the above is hearsay, but I hope it helps a little.

Kyle says the answer is #3

 

[Legal Eagles]

Kyle says the answer is #3

Well there you go... if you want the mysterious creature know as "Toffee Dress", just order British Tan and Bob's your uncle!

 

[linafelt]

^^ Well, the British tan always seemed pretty non-CXL-like to me I have to say. The samples i had were not as light brown on the untanned side, and it seemed less of a scuff-magnet. So, for anyone looking for a tan but not into CXL it may fit the bill. If a bit darker than "tan," as others have observed..

 

[Turns31]

^^ Well, the British tan always seemed pretty non-CXL-like to me I have to say. The samples i had were not as light brown on the untanned side, and it seemed less of a scuff-magnet. So, for anyone looking for a tan but not into CXL it may fit the bill. If a bit darker than "tan," as others have observed..

My British Tan MSs have very little pull-up. I own 3 other CXL shoes and I'll agree it doesn't look or feel like any of my other pairs.

 

[Legal Eagles]

My British Tan MSs have very little pull-up. I own 3 other CXL shoes and I'll agree it doesn't look or feel like any of my other pairs.

British Tan has been confirmed to be CXL in several places, including White's own site, but I grant you it does not behave quite like the other CXL...

Reminds me of SNL...

 

[ThreeLions]

As I've said before.... I love British Tan.

It does get a little darker with age, especially if you use Obenauf's or any sort of oil/wax that soaks into the leather.

I've posted this image before, but the below shows almost new British Tan (on the Smokejumpers) next to the same leather that is about a year old (on the Semi-dress).

Here's the same pair of Smokejumpers, image taken about six months later:

I know that some on here aren't big fans of Obenauf's, but I love what it does to thick boot leather. It really soaks into the grain and helps to soften the leather and make it more supple. It's also the what White's recommend to use. In fact, a small pot of it was included in the box with my first pair of Smokejumpers (Black Smooth NFPA boots). It's the only thing I've ever put on any of my White's.

 

[miggyramone]

How thick is the French calf white's uses? I know horsehide is on the thinner side but it still seems rather thick compared to other boots I've owned.

 

[Legal Eagles]

As I've said before.... I love British Tan.

It does get a little darker with age...

I know that some on here aren't big fans of Obenauf's, but I love what it does to thick boot leather. It really soaks into the grain and helps to soften the leather and make it more supple.

I think British Tan is a very nice looking leather, and if I wanted British "Brown" or British "Caramel" in CXL leather I would have no issue with it... but bottom line, it is what it is, and it is not "tan".

I too like Obenaufs for certain applications... for hard use on oil tanned leather, there is nothing better... on CXL and dress leather, I would look to other options...as you say, it can darken leather, and can over-soften, and make the boots hard to polish...

That is why we are blessed with options... both for leather and for shoe care products...

 

[ThreeLions]

I think British Tan is a very nice looking leather, and if I wanted British "Brown" or British "Caramel" in CXL leather I would have no issue with it... but bottom line, it is what it is, and it is not "tan".

I too like Obenaufs for certain applications... for hard use on oil tanned leather, there is nothing better... on CXL and dress leather, I would look to other options...as you say, it can darken leather, and can over-soften, and make the boots hard to polish...

That is why we are blessed with options... both for leather and for shoe care products...

Legal Eagles,

I think I agree with just about everything you just said there. I think the only thing we differ on here is personal preference. I would not want a pair of boots in that beige-y tan color that can be seen near the top of this page. It's just not my cup of tea, but to each their own. Maybe British Tan should be called British Honey Brown. I love the color of my smokejumpers, I just don't want them to get even darker.

 

[ThreeLions]

A question for the group...

Should the stated size (in my case 12D) on a pair of Packers fit about the same as 4818 Smokejumper or 55 Semi-dress boots in the same size?

My new packers feel considerably smaller and much, much narrower. It's to the point where I was wondering if they were miss-marked. I have two pairs of White's built on the 4818 last and two pairs on the 55 last. This is my first pair built on the 690 last, so I thought I'd ask. I have somewhat narrow feet. My Brit-Tan Smokejumpers above are 12C. My Semi-dress are 12D but I should have gone narrower as the eyelets are very close when laced.

I'm really trying to break these in, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it. The tightness is mid-foot, about halfway between the ball and ankle. I feel like I'm wearing a very strong rubber band around my foot about where the arch is. How tight or loose I lace the boots seems to have little effect on this.

If I had to take a completely uneducated guess as to the size of these boots, judged only by feel, I would say that they are size 11.5 A. They're marked 12D.

When I first started wearing them, it was painful after about an hour. Now I can wear them for about 6 hours. I have treated them with Obenauf's and that had softened them a little. When I put smokejumpers on afterwards they feel loose by comparison.

Thoughts?