binge
Distinguished Member
- Joined
- Jan 5, 2008
- Messages
- 5,102
- Reaction score
- 155
After four years of faithful service, it's finally time to retire my Gordon Rush duckbills. As awkward and ungainly as they are, I must give credit to the construction and hardiness of these shoes. They took a lot of use and abuse, went ~2 years w/o polishing or cleaning, worn on rainy days, stuffed into suitcases, never saw a shoe tree -- you name it. But, they held up and remained super comfortable to this day.
Yet, the gods of aesthetics demand tribute, so give them willingly and without regret. But before they are cast into the firey pit of Goodwill, respects must be paid.
Here they are, in all their duckbill glory:
Now, these have been polished probably 5 times in 4 years, with probably all but one of those polishings coming in the past 6 months (since I got the SF religion). I'd say they've held up amazingly well considering all the use and abuse. The leather is still rather supple and hasn't dried out much.
Even the heel is doing well after all this time:
I've always wondered who actually made them. I assume that Gordon Rush contracted them out, but the markings don't seem to indicate reveal the maker
Whoever made them, built a solid shoe. I don't know which construction method is used, whether it is Goodyear, Blake, etc. but the stitching looks more than decorative.
The bedding (peeled back in the second photo) still provides a nice cushion. And note the channels for the sole stitches. Nice details on what was a ~$200 pair of shoes.
It seems a shame that such a good leather upper is wasted on such a design. Too bad these weren't born of a more attractive gene pool. But the life of a duckbill is destined to be nasty, brutish and short.
R.I.P.
Yet, the gods of aesthetics demand tribute, so give them willingly and without regret. But before they are cast into the firey pit of Goodwill, respects must be paid.
Here they are, in all their duckbill glory:
Now, these have been polished probably 5 times in 4 years, with probably all but one of those polishings coming in the past 6 months (since I got the SF religion). I'd say they've held up amazingly well considering all the use and abuse. The leather is still rather supple and hasn't dried out much.
Even the heel is doing well after all this time:
I've always wondered who actually made them. I assume that Gordon Rush contracted them out, but the markings don't seem to indicate reveal the maker
Whoever made them, built a solid shoe. I don't know which construction method is used, whether it is Goodyear, Blake, etc. but the stitching looks more than decorative.
The bedding (peeled back in the second photo) still provides a nice cushion. And note the channels for the sole stitches. Nice details on what was a ~$200 pair of shoes.
It seems a shame that such a good leather upper is wasted on such a design. Too bad these weren't born of a more attractive gene pool. But the life of a duckbill is destined to be nasty, brutish and short.
R.I.P.
