Ok i had to get rid of whiny coworkers and business demands that were getting in the way of me gloating over loot. More impressions after about 2 hours of wearing and walking...
If Common Projects and its luxe derivatives is the target, I feel that target has been met or exceeded. Upper leather is softer and more comfortable out of the box, footbed is also much more comfortable. Most likely because of the insole. The CP’s are also stiff when new, and the soles resist flexing - not so the AOL’s.
Now that i see the crease we previously discussed, i definitely don’t think it’s a defect in the craftsmanship. But i can explain why both shoes crease in that exact place either. It’s totally NBD for slouchy shoes like the Roos or the suedes, but maybe some of you with the white or dark leathers might not like seeing it out of the box. But all of my comparable sneakers - CP, MMM GAT, Buttero, LV, BV, BC, SLP, Dior, etc etc. - all end up creasing in that general area so don’t worry about it. The bigger worry might be excessive creasing on the toe cap because i can see the lack of material/structure/reinforcement in that area.
The suedes are definitely the winner - softer and more comfortable, and the slouchiness fits the aesthetic of the sneaker better, imo. Maybe i should go with the kangaroo next because I definitely prefer how AOL does a soft, slouchy sneaker over the models meant to go up against the CP Achilles. Mustard on gum sole - this is where it’s at. Trust me.
Disappointment so far - the color of the anticato gray. I took it out in the sun and i can see the efforts to antique the leather and create the mottling we saw in the website pics. But it’s barely there and it looks like, for all intents and purposes, a solid dark gray/near black shoe. Still a great buy for a buck fifty, but man...it coulda been special if it was executed as i expected.
Now my plan is to wear the crap out of them and if they hold up quality-wise, I’ll be in for a kangaroo plus a shell cordovan. But i can’t recommend the anticato...unless you’re ok with something that’s barely anticato and mostly solid. I’d love to see other people’s pics of anticato/anticato gray once you get them, maybe seeing other pairs would get us more points of comparison...
your coments on anticato grey are killing me My pair hasn’t even shipped and I’m already regretting it
@ArchibalRoh are all anticato grey like that?
