October 23, 2010
My business partner and I in a style blog
Virile – West Broadway and Lafayette St…Soho NYC….
My business partner and I were photographed on Broadway last weekend. It was cool boot day.
October 15, 2010
Gordon Rush Boots, 1.5 years of wear
My Gordon Rush boots have gotten a lot of wear since I’ve bought them. I’d guess that I wear each pair twice a week most of the year, and in terms of maintenance I do the following:
-Always putting shoe trees in while not worn.
-Alternating between applying tan Tana shoe cream and Saphir Renovateur Leather Conditioner/Cleaner every 1-3 weeks, depending on visible wear.
-I avoid wearing either pair of boots in the rain or snow, though there have been some unavoidable circumstances where they got significantly wet. The leather has held up really well despite this.
-I had the heel pads replaced on both pairs with Vibram commando heel pads. This was about $30 per pair and they match the boots perfectly.
The Tana shoe cream has given my dark brown GR boots some tan and reddish hues, which I personally really like. The color of the Tana cream mostly matches the whiskey/tan GR boots though, so their color is mostly the same if not a bit darker and bolder.
August 6, 2010
Compass footwear trade show
This week I went to the Compass footwear trade show, and it was amazing. I forgot to take pictures of any of the shoes, but I was really excited about a lot of what I saw there. Some highlights:
- The Eastland Made in Maine collection is amazing. Very soon they are putting out a collection of handmade moccasins using Horween leathers and made in the USA. They’re basic models are very similar to Quoddy and the many other moccasin/boat shoes out there, but they also have some more interesting boots and other models. Sartorially Inclined has some great pictures of the line from the capsule show.
- The Wolverine 1000 Mile collection has expanded to include many more new models and designs. Coming soon are a few canvas boots, a denim boot, and a 1000 mile boot made with shell cordovan. The Wolverine agent gave me a Horween leather keychain, and I’m way too excited about it.
- Timberland’s Abington line has some great new models coming out, many of them using suede.
- Mark McNairy’s various lines all look great. The Bass Weejuns collaboration is very nice and there was a big selection from his New Amsterdam line being shown as well.
- I kind of love the Florsheim by Ducky Brown collection. They have such a large collection of shell cordovan and Horween leather longwings, some in really nice colors and some in tacky colors. They’re made in China, but I’d be interested in seeing how they hold up since they use such high quality leathers.
April 15, 2010
Summer shoes: Quoddy for 3sixteen Deck Chukka
I just got these in Navy and they’re my new favorite shoes. I haven’t had many opportunities to wear them just yet, but I’m sure I will get a lot of wear in these as the weather warms up in NYC.
Quoddy hand sews these for 3sixteen in Maine from Horween Chromexcel leather. There have been a lot of collaborations with Quoddy lately by a lot of larger retailers (J. Crew, Urban Outfitters) and some smaller companies, but these are my favorite that I’ve seen so far. I love Sperry but these are far better in terms of quality, appearance, and comfort, definitely worth it if you want something that will last.
January 17, 2010
Great Shell Cordovan info on Focus On the Donut
This blog has a ton of great information about shell cordovan leather. A great article to start looking into shell cordovan goods.
January 15, 2010
The Deer Hunter | LL Bean c. 1969 « A Continuous Lean.
The Deer Hunter | LL Bean c. 1969 « A Continuous Lean..
1969 LL Bean catalog scans, includes tons of bean boots
January 9, 2010
Bean Boots
LL Bean 10″ Maine Hunting Shoe
I’d been looking at these for a while since I desperately needed winter/rain boots and they fit in pretty well with my newfound fascination with New England. These are hand-made in Maine by LL Bean and they usually last at least 20 years or so. It’s nice putting these on instead of ruining my other shoes by exposing them to salt and snow. Also they’re great for when I go duck hunting!
January 6, 2010
My first boat shoes – J.Crew and Sperry Chukka in brown nubuck
I got my first pair of boat shoes as a Christmas present this year. I’m usually not into the more standard looking boat shoes, but I saw these and they did something for me (not sexually).
November 15, 2009
Seiko SNK809K2
My main watch recently. I really got into aviator/flieger style watches and this watch was pretty ideal in terms of looks/function/cost. I switched out the black canvas band for a whiskey/tan leather band to match my boots.
June 25, 2009
To start
I felt the need to document every last creative or fulfilling pursuit of mine, and a blog felt like the best way to do it.
Enjoy some brown boots
BrownBoots 