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Engineer Boots, Harness Boots...

Kato

Familiar Face
Messages
82
Location
Hong Kong
My green Clinch
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Messages
10,977
Location
SoCal
Just ventured into the Mister Freedom store and tried on an amazing pair of OLIVE Road Champs!
They only have 1 pair left (size 10).....They were a bit too big for me :(
 

Sloan1874

I'll Lock Up
Messages
8,418
Location
Glasgow
German motorcycle boots... could be anything between 1930's and 60's. Most likely 50's.
Very similar in design to Luftwaffe pilot boots.

Size marked as 8 1/2 - 9... old German system is same as British.
Would be today EU 42.5 - 43.

Too small for me unfortunately.

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Aero are putting the fish touches to their own boot based on this design. I think it's going to be sheepskin lined, tho.
 

mendelboaz

One Too Many
Messages
1,238
Location
The Netherlands
They're a 6D, and with my regular 7.5D I'm hoping these'll fit me (tightly, at that) with very thin socks. Otherwise I'll just use 'em for display. So very pretty to look at, so very pretty indeed.
 

jimmer_5

Practically Family
Messages
667
Location
Oregon
Well, it's been three years, and I finally broke down and got a new pair of boots. Kids do have a way of limiting your disposable income - funny how that works! :)

This was kind of an accident - I called Kyle at Baker's to ask about availability on a leather that Wesco was using, and ended up ordering a pair of White's.....again. :) Four pairs doesn't constitute a problem, right? I have been wanting a pair of two-tone engineer boots for a long time (I wore cowboy boots for years, so I kind of like the two-tone thing). I wasn't planning on making an order that day, but Kyle agreed to ask one more time if White's would make me a two tone pair. Well, after four years of hearing "NO!", they finally relented and agreed to do it!!

After some back and forth (ie, a call from me changing the order after it was placed) we ended up going with Burgundy Chromexcel with just the shaft being British Tan.
I have been trying to make a pair that look like the two tone RRL's that came out a few years ago - they look like this:



Well, 3 weeks and 3 days later (my shortest wait ever), the boots showed up. They turned out beautiful!! The leather is gorgeous - both the Chromexcel and the British tan leathers are thicker than expected. The boots cup the heel (and pinch inward) more than the last pair I bought, and the shaft has a nice taper to it. They still go on and off easily, but the fit is really impressive at the heel.

So the elephant in the room is that the contrast of the colors is not as much as I hoped for. That being said, White's built them exactly as I asked, and they are BEAUTIFUL, so they're staying regardless, and it's hard to be disappointed for long when the end result is this good. I just can't complain about these - Kyle was extremely patient and accommodating, and White's did a great job.

I have large feet (size 13), so this time I opted for a single stitch welt (close trim), and I think it was the right choice. I love the standard double stitch welt, but with how big my feet are, it's nice to have the profile look a bit smaller. Other than this, they have my normal favorite features - Vibram Composition Half soles, double leather midsoles, standard heel height, and "natural" stain on the heels and sides of the midsoles. I am really happy with these, and they are definitely keepers.

Keep in mind, if you want to order a two tone pair of Nomads, White's will generally try to make the foot, heel, and instep strap one color, and everything above it (shaft, backstay, calf strap) the other color. What I asked for is non-standard for them, so if you want something like this, you need to be VERY specific.

  • Burgundy Chromexcel with British Tan on Shaft ONLY
  • Vibram Composition Half Soles
  • Double leather midsoles
  • "Natural" stain on the heels and sides of the midsole
  • Standard curved heel and heel height








 
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Messages
16,814
Location
New York City
⇧ that is one stupidly beautiful boot. I personally like the ever so slightly less contrast in yours than the RL's as it feels more harmonious.

Great choice, fun story and I'm sure the kids won't go hungry (what my parents always said to me - "at least you're not going hungry -" if I ever complained about anything).

Enjoy and wear them in good health.
 
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Edward

Bartender
Messages
24,736
Location
London, UK
Very nice indeed. I like them better than the RRLs - I think they look better for the more subtle difference between the leather shades.
 

shadowrider

One of the Regulars
Messages
258
Location
Italy
Does anyone know the origin of the construction of harness boots?
I've seen a 1970s Australian movie where a character is wearing plain boots with a "harness" strapped on them. Could it be that the harness was originally an add-on accessory?
 

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