George Cleverley Kingsman black zug boots….and Aero Cafe Racer in black Vicenza today…. View attachment 357201
Tricker's black monkey mid tops View attachment 357336
My favorite harness', next to Frye's. Impossibly tough.
Are these Sendra? Fryes look superb, but they seem to be almost impossible to find in the UK. I did see a pair or two on Amazon UK, but they were reaching £700 and £800 in the price listed; in the States I'm sure they're about half that. I'll get some black ones eventually, but what I really fancy are a pair in a mahogany brown with a strong red undertone, and brass colour fittings.
Nope, these aren't Sendra though I understand why you'd think that as they do look very similar.
All I know is that these boots were made in Germany but that's about as much as I can tell you 'cause there's no mention of the maker anywhere on 'em. There's a certain home made, old school manufacturing vibe to them. Sendra (that I am selling in the Classifieds at the moment) are very similar in shape but I'd be lying if I said they're made of equally nice leather. Plus they've got that more mainstreamed look.
I also have Frye's which I fully intend to keep since I don't think I'll ever score another pair like that. Got to be either a genuine vintage pair or some special run as they're premium all over. For starters, all Frye's have rubber soles while mine are leather. And they're made in over-dye hide, too which will fade to brown with. Plus 2.5" cuban heel! Tough as nails, too. Really, really good (looking) boots.
Though I can tell you that Sendra are at the exact same level of quality as Frye & being almost exactly the same shape, you can't go wrong with 'em. Actually, they're much better than current Frye's, mainly 'cause of better material, tougher hide and of course with Sendra, you've got more options.
Sendra delivers a fantastic, high grade product, even at a retail price.
Grinders are okay and the shape of the boot is actually very nice but they're so shabbily stitched it's not even funny. They'll hold but you can not a lot of love went into 'em.
Either way, Sendra is the way to go and size up!!
Such a shame we can't trace the origin of your German boots!
I've heard Frye aren't what they used to be, which also helped make me wary of them. Funnily enough, I came very close to buying a pair of Grinders last year, but I was looking for brown and they seem to have dropped the smooth leather (not over-shiny, but not matte either) I liked in favour of a brown that isn't as nice in the harness, and dropped brown altogether from the Eagle model. Pity. Eventually when I feel safe going up there again, I'm going to hit Camden and see if I can find a Sendra stockist. Brand should be more available in the UK since Beckham was spotted wearing a pair of their engineers....
I've been wanting to get a black Cuban heel boot for a while but wasn't sure if this was the best pairing since the 1000 Mile are more utilitarian in my opinion. I have plenty of brown boots but had nothing in black except for some steel toe work boots.Those Wolverine’s look good with a different heel. That’s been the one thing that has me looking at White’s semi-dress.
PerfectionGoing with Alden Norwegian Split Toe black shell cordovan paired with the FW Mulholland. Clean and tidy...
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I was in the market for a pair of cordovan Aldens (buy I eventually went with C&J).Where do you guys in Europe buy Alden? They seem virtually unobtainable outside of the US as US shops can’t ship them abroad. Has anyone ever gone down the proxy route?
I was in the market for a pair of cordovan Aldens (buy I eventually went with C&J).
https://www.fransboonestore.com/collections/alden
https://www.shoesandshirts.nl/alden/
https://www.upper-shoes.com/homme/marque-alden.html
https://www.royalcheese.com/fr/brand/170-alden-shoe-co
https://anatomica.fr/
I didn't know my size in Alden's so I decided to go to a local retailer to try some on. I tried a pair of cap toe boots (4060h) in #8 cordovan. The shoes felt comfortable and the #8 color was nice, but I was much less impressed with the finish. They had a couple of minor yet obvious flaws (wobbly stitching, empty hole).
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Maybe it was just this pair so I decided give it another try in Paris last weekend. I visited three Parisian retailers that sold Aldens, unfortunately it was the same story. The attention to detail is just not what I expect from shoes in this price range. In the states, a pair of cordovan Alden boots can be bought for $750 (=€633). In Europe, the same boots are now sold for about €1100 (I've been told that's due to recently imposed import fees on shoes from the USA, which were a reaction to Trump's market protectionist policies).
At €1100, Alden's are too expensive for what you get imo. I ended up buying these Crockett & Jones Harlech, which are awesome (and without flaws). Less expensive, higher quality.
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This is what I've also heard from two different retailers in the EU.(I've been told that's due to recently imposed import fees on shoes from the USA, which were a reaction to Trump's market protectionist policies)
T
For that sort of price you could look to upgrade to a pair of Cleverley's tbh….https://www.georgecleverley.com/readytowear-collection
Thanks Marc. This is really interesting! I am pretty tempted by a pair of Alden Penny Loafers. C&J are great, but their loafers are a bit boring, IMO. On the other hand, Tod´s are really flamboyant (very Italian!) and super comfy, but I wear them down in perhaps 3-4 years with moderate wear.
But you´re absolutely right: at EUR 1.000, they would have to be really, really perfect.