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Cowboy Boots

TheOldFashioned

Call Me a Cab
Messages
2,042
Location
The Great Lakes
To those of us who have been interested in & worn boots for a long time it's about the art of the boot (like the book so aptly named). It starts with the lines of the boot, just like a classic car or hat.

As Bob Seger sang, "Today's music ain't got the same soul". Sorry of chiming in.

There's nothing to be sorry about, Jack. You are a wealth of knowledge and the forum is much better off thanks to you sharing a general history as well as your personal collections.

You have the advantage of being interested in and wearing boots for a long time. I don't. Does this disqualify me from wanting to get a pair of boots? Am I not allowed to learn through experience? Isn't making mistakes along the way part of the leaning process? Not every boot is custom made with ideal lines. Does that make it any less worthy of contribution?

If anyone should be sorry it must be me for polluting this thread.
 
Messages
17,534
There's nothing to be sorry about, Jack. You are a wealth of knowledge and the forum is much better off thanks to you sharing a general history as well as your personal collections.

You have the advantage of being interested in and wearing boots for a long time. I don't. Does this disqualify me from wanting to get a pair of boots? Am I not allowed to learn through experience? Isn't making mistakes along the way part of the leaning process? Not every boot is custom made with ideal lines. Does that make it any less worthy of contribution?

If anyone should be sorry it must be me for polluting this thread.
Sorry Jonathan. As this thread has become just another "run what you brung" thread I had withdrawn myself from posting and I should have stayed away. There are boot forums with like-minded individuals; I should just keep my attention there.
 
Messages
11,130
Location
Alabama
It goes without saying that your collection is second to none. I can understand why Black Jack or Lucchese boots would sit and/or be moved on when you have so many other great custom made options. Clearly something to aspire to, but obviously I'm on the wrong path.

I picked up the BJ boots and Lucchese because I thought I’d wear them in place of some of the boots that are more precious to me. Didn’t happen. They all turned into shelf boots through no fault of the boots, just my picky ass. Word is that BJ boots began when some fellows left Lucchese and began BJ. I’m not sure if that is true but all of their boots are put together the same as a pair of Classic’s as far as traditional handmade methods are concerned. I’d buy BJ again before Lucchese. Nothing wrong with the pile you’ve started.
 
Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
Sorry Jonathan. As this thread has become just another "run what you brung" thread I had withdrawn myself from posting and I should have stayed away. There are boot forums with like-minded individuals; I should just keep my attention there.

I think the boot section is much like the Fedora section...folks read but don't post for a while, then begin to post with their first forays into the hat market, many are off the shelf commercial hats, but the lounge is a great place for them. What better venue for them to learn all thing hats? If we scorned them for their run of the mill tastes the Lounge would soon run out of new blood and whither. After tentative beginnings many of them stick around to hone their expertise, get the bug and begin to hunt the vintage or the custom market and become hat afficionados. I think there is a similar path although not in the same numbers in the boot thread. Great place to begin. I don't post in the boot section as I never got passed collecting, my off the rack Lucchese, Nocona, and TL's. I have some great boots that I love to wear....just not particularly collectable. But I sure did enjoy reading and learning in the Cowboy Boot forum. It served me well....even though my goto boots are really western slippers.
 
Messages
17,534
I think the boot section is much like the Fedora section...folks read but don't post for a while, then begin to post with their first forays into the hat market, many are off the shelf commercial hats, but the lounge is a great place for them. What better venue for them to learn all thing hats? If we scorned them for their run of the mill tastes the Lounge would soon run out of new blood and whither. After tentative beginnings many of them stick around to hone their expertise, get the bug and begin to hunt the vintage or the custom market and become hat afficionados. I think there is a similar path although not in the same numbers in the boot thread. Great place to begin. I don't post in the boot section as I never got passed collecting, my off the rack Lucchese, Nocona, and TL's. I have some great boots that I love to wear....just not particularly collectable. But I sure did enjoy reading and learning in the Cowboy Boot forum. It served me well....even though my goto boots are really western slippers.
No doubt the last yr or two the FL, & in particular the hat section has survived on turnover. For a forum of conniseurs that is based in the Golden Era, vintage & custom cloned replicas of a bygone era, & with newbies who claim to lurk for yrs before joining why it becomes necessary to start over every few months, & why knowledgeable collectors chose to leave while some never join in the first place?
 
Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
No doubt the last yr or two the FL, & in particular the hat section has survived on turnover. For a forum of conniseurs that is based in the Golden Era, vintage & custom cloned replicas of a bygone era, & with newbies who claim to lurk for yrs before joining why it becomes necessary to start over every few months, & why knowledgeable collectors chose to leave while some never join in the first place?
I just figured it is like life....folks come and go for a wide variety of reasons. some stop collecting, some die, some just lose interest....who knows the why of it all.
 
1937:

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Messages
10,342
Location
vancouver, canada
@TheOldFashioned recently posted his new old lizard skin boots and they, along with the ensuing discussion, got me looking around.
View attachment 250967

I haven't owned a pair of exotic skin boots in well over 30 years, but I came across this pair of black lizard Justins in pretty decent shape for $12, and.....well.....what was I supposed to do?
You would have been totally foolish to pass them by.
 

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