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I was reminiscing today about my longtime obsession with quality footwear, and the milestone purchases that started and perpetuated the interest for me. Listing those below. Curious to hear your own significant purchases, and any stories behind them!
- Eastland chukka boots, 1994. They were a 5-eye pair, in dark brown oiled leather with a low profile sole. Made in Maine. Paid a whopping $25 for them. Absolutely loved these boots and wore them my entire junior year of high school. I didn't own a pair of sneakers for years after that.
- Ferragamo Tramezza cap toes, 1999. These were oxfords in a lovely dark tan calf. Paid $90 for them at a Nordstrom Rack in LA. I had no idea that they were handmade at the time, just that they looked WAY nicer than everything else there. They were always a bit snug so I ended up selling them within a year or two. But they were my first pair of high-end dress shoes and there was no going back to Allen Edmonds or cheaper Italian makes after that.
- Edward Green Gladstone for RLPL, 2001. A gorgeous pair of black calf cap toes, brand new with lasted trees. Snagged on eBay for $120!! This pair leveled up my interest in shoes to an obsession. I wanted to know who made them and started researching English makes in depth. There was a lovely 6 month or so period after that, where I was seemingly the only guy who had figured out the RLPL dress shoes were Edward Green and was buying up every cheap pair that made it on eBay. They are still very wearable, I gifted them to my brother a few years back.
- Vass black shell cordovan combat boots, 2003. These were on the P2 last, with goyser stitching and a Vibram commando sole. I ordered them as samples, and Louis Boston ended up carrying them. This pair rekindled my interest in boots, which eventually became the primary focus. Sadly I sold this pair in 2009 or 2010 - never should have done that!
- Santoni FAM Bentivegna wholecut, 2008. This pair was significant to me because of how long I searched for them. Saw them for sale at the San Francisco Nordstrom in 2001 and was in love. I searched eBay for seven years before finding a brand new pair in my size. Still have them today!
- Rancourt for Eastland "Kennebunk" boots, 2015. 5-eye handsewns in a dark red Horween pull up leather, with Vibram commando soles. Purchased online from Nordstrom for $225. This pair touched off my obsession with Maine handsewn boots in particular, which I now wear almost exclusively.
- Eastland chukka boots, 1994. They were a 5-eye pair, in dark brown oiled leather with a low profile sole. Made in Maine. Paid a whopping $25 for them. Absolutely loved these boots and wore them my entire junior year of high school. I didn't own a pair of sneakers for years after that.
- Ferragamo Tramezza cap toes, 1999. These were oxfords in a lovely dark tan calf. Paid $90 for them at a Nordstrom Rack in LA. I had no idea that they were handmade at the time, just that they looked WAY nicer than everything else there. They were always a bit snug so I ended up selling them within a year or two. But they were my first pair of high-end dress shoes and there was no going back to Allen Edmonds or cheaper Italian makes after that.
- Edward Green Gladstone for RLPL, 2001. A gorgeous pair of black calf cap toes, brand new with lasted trees. Snagged on eBay for $120!! This pair leveled up my interest in shoes to an obsession. I wanted to know who made them and started researching English makes in depth. There was a lovely 6 month or so period after that, where I was seemingly the only guy who had figured out the RLPL dress shoes were Edward Green and was buying up every cheap pair that made it on eBay. They are still very wearable, I gifted them to my brother a few years back.
- Vass black shell cordovan combat boots, 2003. These were on the P2 last, with goyser stitching and a Vibram commando sole. I ordered them as samples, and Louis Boston ended up carrying them. This pair rekindled my interest in boots, which eventually became the primary focus. Sadly I sold this pair in 2009 or 2010 - never should have done that!
- Santoni FAM Bentivegna wholecut, 2008. This pair was significant to me because of how long I searched for them. Saw them for sale at the San Francisco Nordstrom in 2001 and was in love. I searched eBay for seven years before finding a brand new pair in my size. Still have them today!
- Rancourt for Eastland "Kennebunk" boots, 2015. 5-eye handsewns in a dark red Horween pull up leather, with Vibram commando soles. Purchased online from Nordstrom for $225. This pair touched off my obsession with Maine handsewn boots in particular, which I now wear almost exclusively.