Custom White's Boots ... Thoughts?

[Legal Eagles]

Not everyone has your "x" with shining.

(x can be "obsession" or "preference", depending on whether or not you're obsessed)

Hey, just stating a fact... @The Nid Hog already stated he was going to be wearing the PNW boots in office and classroom settings... a bold move to be sure... but to wear un-shined boots in an office? Well that may be a sartorial bridge too far for some...

 

[Turns31]

Was ordering another pair of MPs yesterday and decided to go Nat CXL and cap toe. I asked for unstructured toe to sleek it up even more and the guy didn't recommend it. Said sometimes the cap toe collapses in and causes pain on the top of the toes. Any one experience that before with their MPs?

 

[discomute]

Hey, just stating a fact...

Well either Australian universities have quite different dress codes than you Americans or I was right and you consider your shining hobby a "preference"

 

[ThatDudeOrion]

Was ordering another pair of MPs yesterday and decided to go Nat CXL and cap toe. I asked for unstructured toe to sleek it up even more and the guy didn't recommend it. Said sometimes the cap toe collapses in and causes pain on the top of the toes. Any one experience that before with their MPs?

FWIW, I will never order a custom build of any White's model with a hard toe, single celastic or otherwise, whether or not they have a cap toe. The soft toe is one of the big value adders that makes custom build's worth it to me. Now, that is not to say that I don't have a couple pairs around with single celastic that were not custom orders that i got from Whitesriver or Baker's eBay store. I have had soft-cap-toe MPs but that was a short lived affair, as my feet don't like White's Barrie last, I much prefer 55, 38, or 4811, so I can't comment on long term, but I have had a pair of soft-cap-toe bounty hunters in cxl for a few years that have seen a lot of wear, and yes the toe did collapse some, but I had no pain or anything, they were, like all of my other soft toe white's exceedingly comfortable.

 

[paulraphael]

Hey, just stating a fact... @The Nid Hog already stated he was going to be wearing the PNW boots in office and classroom settings... a bold move to be sure... but to wear un-shined boots in an office? Well that may be a sartorial bridge too far for some...
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Reeeeeally depends on the office. And the industry you're in. In the last 10 or 15 years, I've worked in maybe one or two offices out of dozens where anyone shined their shoes.

 

[klank74]

Reeeeeally depends on the office. And the industry you're in. In the last 10 or 15 years, I've worked in maybe one or two offices out of dozens where anyone shined their shoes.

I don't work in an environment anything remotely close to an office, but judging by the guys I've seen out at lunch that do, shoe shinning seems to be a forgotten art.

Heck, I've got guys at work with me that complain about their feet stinking and sweating. They all by water proof boots with some kind of liner in them. They use all kinds of foot powders. I've been preaching to them for years, merino wool socks, unlined boots, and clean and oil your boots every once in awhile, and not only will your feet breathe better, not smell, but your boots will probably be just as water proof as that cheap Chinese junk with the "water proof" liners. No one takes my advice. As soon as they hear "wool socks", I lose them. Forget about actually cleaning and maintaining their boots.

 

[Woodtroll]

Heck, I've got guys at work with me that complain about their feet stinking and sweating. They all by water proof boots with some kind of liner in them. They use all kinds of foot powders. I've been preaching to them for years, merino wool socks, unlined boots, and clean and oil your boots every once in awhile, and not only will your feet breathe better, not smell, but your boots will probably be just as water proof as that cheap Chinese junk with the "water proof" liners. No one takes my advice. As soon as they hear "wool socks", I lose them. Forget about actually cleaning and maintaining their boots.

Agreed! I cannot for the life of me understand why people think wearing plastic bags on your feet all day is a good idea, which is pretty much what you're doing with "waterproof" footwear, even the "breathable" (HA!) Goretex and such. Oiled leather boots and wool socks have worked well for me year-round for 45+ years.

As to the work/casual boot conversation, oiled leather is tough and still shines up reasonably well; more of a "glow" than a polished "shine", but plenty good enough for what I would consider "casual" wear. But, everyone has their own preferences, and I'm certainly not going to fault those who prefer a mirror-like gloss.

 

[barbellhacks]

those who prefer a mirror-like gloss.

Our pathologically obsessive friends deserve all the support we can give them.

 

[Patek]

Hey, just stating a fact... @The Nid Hog already stated he was going to be wearing the PNW boots in office and classroom settings... a bold move to be sure... but to wear un-shined boots in an office? Well that may be a sartorial bridge too far for some...

I work (or worked before Covid) in an office setting but I work in tech and the dress code is... lets say relaxed especially for the programmers (think cargo shorts, dirty old sneakers, and a novelty T).

Before that I worked for JP Morgan Chase in one of their corporate offices outside of New York. I would see the way people would dress in NY on video calls I there were a lot more jackets. However, down in DE it was very casual (jeans and a Polo).

Even before that, I worked in the wind industry where it was a combination of construction of wind turbines and meeting with customers and closing agreements. You could be closing a $200M deal over lunch and 30 minutes later you are tromping through the mud on a construction site. That was the hardest job to dress for as you need to have the construction team's respect and not look like a "suit" but at the same time, you are meeting with lawyers and clients and don't want to look like a total scrub. I once was mocked by a customer as I had some shined Ferragamo boots on for a business meeting but we ended up on a future construction site in 2" of mud. The customer asked if my mom had shined my boots for me as I looked ridiculous. The construction team never let me play that down. It was hard to dress as flying across the country made it harder to bring multiple pairs of shoes. I wish I had discovered engineer boots as I think that would have done the trick and still be easy enough for the TSA.

I have taken to wearing jeans or Chinos to the office. My thick thighs tend to rip slacks and I like to ride a motorcycle to work when I can so even $300 jeans end up being much cheaper especially once you factor in dry cleaning etc. If I am meeting with customers or going to a conference, I bust out a suit. However, day-to-day it is a Polo or a dress shirt.

All that to say that that besides smokejumpers, there are no White's boots that I would not wear to the office. I actually have a closet full of shinned Edward Green and Crocket & Jones dress shoes that tend to gather dust these days.

 

[montanamike]

There are many differences in culture and expectations in offices for sure... For me, when interviewing for my job (in software) 20ish years ago, I was offered the job on the spot and asked about dress expectations. It clearly caught the VP by surprise and after thinking for a minute the VP said... "We don't care but would prefer it is laundered on occasion". So, the bar was set and I am known as the super formal guy in the office as I wear clean clothes most of the time and almost always am in Nicks, Whites or Franks boots.

 

[Legal Eagles]

Reeeeeally depends on the office. And the industry you're in. In the last 10 or 15 years, I've worked in maybe one or two offices out of dozens where anyone shined their shoes.

Agreed... the days of the white shoe law firm are fast receding into the misty fog of memory... now men leave the house without topcoats and (gasp) hats, wear denim in a social setting, and sometimes even eschew neckties... the biggest disappointment to me has to be the proclivity for grown men to wear short pants in public... is nothing sacred?

 

[Woodtroll]

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Haha! That's great; stolen to pass on to make fun of some of my fire service friends!

 

[klank74]

Agreed... the days of the white shoe law firm are fast receding into the misty fog of memory... now men leave the house without topcoats and (gasp) hats, wear denim in a social setting, and sometimes even eschew neckties... the biggest disappointment to me has to be the proclivity for grown men to wear short pants in public... is nothing sacred?
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I wear a mechanics uniform all day at work. I don't wear shorts outside of work for the simple fact no one wants to see my ghostly white legs ?

 

[Patek]

Agreed... the days of the white shoe law firm are fast receding into the misty fog of memory... now men leave the house without topcoats and (gasp) hats, wear denim in a social setting, and sometimes even eschew neckties... the biggest disappointment to me has to be the proclivity for grown men to wear short pants in public... is nothing sacred?
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Hey, I sometimes wear boots and shorts when working in the yard in 90+ degrees.

I feel like I'm fighting Rommel and Rommel is the lawn that needs to be mowed.

 

[Patek]

Not sure if this is a White's thing, but my recent Bounty Hunters have enough of a platform on the inside of the arch to serve cocktails on. I don't mind it, it is just like nothing else I have.

I have some old BH that I bought off eBay which I use for yard work. Those do not have it. My HH have not arrived yet, so I can't compare to them.