Nice boots. The jcrew model has that nice elegant twist to it. Is is one of my favorite everyday shoes. Sadly, the company's customer service has gone downhill. It is too bad because I wanted to add several pairs to my wardrobe. A resole might be an option for a new pair.
Beautiful boots, Marc. You should put a protective rubber half sole to protect the leather sole. It's too nice to be worn out. Also, leather can be slippery in certain surfaces. Once the rubber sole wears out, you can just peel it off and put a new one on, extending the life of the leather sole tremendously.When it comes to footwear I've almost exclusively been wearing boots for the past decade or so. I do own a couple of loafers and derby's but those are reserved for the office. Most of my boots are 'dress boots' made by one of the many great European shoemakers, think of Crockett & Jones; Edward Green; Gaziano & Girling; Carmina; Santoni or Silvano Sasetti.
Lately I've been exploring some more casual styles like engineer boots, cowboy boots or combat boots. These American style boots are much harder to come by than dress boots here in Europe. Especially when you're looking for premium quality boots.
Of course there are European retailers like Burg & Schild, Stuff or East West apparel which stock American made boots but import fees on shoes are harsh. A pair of suede plain toe Alden's will set you back €800 while the exact same pair will cost a couple of hundred less in the US. At €800 they're simply not worth the money imo. The same money will buy you a much nicer European made dress boot.
But I don't want dress boots, I want something more casual. Well, there are Northamptonshire makers like Trickers or Cheaney which offer some more casual styles but since the UK is no longer part of the EU footwear from those makers is now also subject to import fees. Also, they don't offer American styles like Engineers or Monkey Boots.
But then there's Bright Shoemakers, a Danish footwear brand that was founded in 2015.
As you can see on their website, they offer casual style boots and shoes, some of them with a Western/cowboy twist. Bright is not actually a maker, it's a brand which means they design the shoes and have another company make them. Their footwear is "handmade at a family run shoe factory in Spain with more than 100 years of experience in artisanal shoe making". If I'm not mistaken that factory is Sendra.
I've handled boots from another European brand that has their boots produced by Sendra but I wasn't too impressed tbh. Materials and construction quality were mediocre at best. I guess brands are able to select different levels of material and construction quality even though the boots are made at the same factory.
Anyway, let's see the 'Bright shoemakers' boots I ordered, A pair of suede Jodhpur's.
View attachment 517704 View attachment 517705 View attachment 517702 View attachment 517703 View attachment 517701
View attachment 517699 View attachment 517698
They are Goodyear welted (270 degrees), double stacked sole and have a stacked Cuban heel. As you can see the finish is really clean. When compared to dress shoes I'd say the finish is much nicer than Carmina, nicer than bench grade C&J but not as nice as handgrade C&J or Edward Greens. Which makes sense as boots from those makers are two or three times more expensive. These Bright Shoemaker Jodhpur's were 'only' €500. Which is a lot of money of course but not nearly as expensive as a pair of imported Alden's or Vibergs which are of lesser construction quality. Were they flawless? No. One of the boots had a small piece of plastic material stuck inbetween the outer sole and the upper (during construction the upper is protected by a plastic layer) but luckily it was easy to remove with a pair of tweezers. Sloppy but no biggie.
I really love the last which is a bit more sleek than these Rios Mercedes boots for instance. Perfect for the style.
View attachment 517700
In terms of sizing, they do run big. I was advised to order my regular size which is 42 but I feel like a 41.5 would have been better. Anyway, I put in a leather insole and now they're a perfect fit. Talking about the insole...They come with a memory foam insole which felt kind of weird, bouncy when I just got them. Luckily after wearing them a handful of times the 'bounciness' is now gone so I can't really say it's a negative I guess but if I had the choice I would prefer a regular thin leather insole.
The overall verdict? I absolutely love them, have been wearing them pretty much every other day since I got them. I might order another pair in black if available. Half a size down though.
View attachment 517696 View attachment 517697
When it comes to footwear I've almost exclusively been wearing boots for the past decade or so. I do own a couple of loafers and derby's but those are reserved for the office. Most of my boots are 'dress boots' made by one of the many great European shoemakers, think of Crockett & Jones; Edward Green; Gaziano & Girling; Carmina; Santoni or Silvano Sasetti.
Lately I've been exploring some more casual styles like engineer boots, cowboy boots or combat boots. These American style boots are much harder to come by than dress boots here in Europe. Especially when you're looking for premium quality boots.
Of course there are European retailers like Burg & Schild, Stuff or East West apparel which stock American made boots but import fees on shoes are harsh. A pair of suede plain toe Alden's will set you back €800 while the exact same pair will cost a couple of hundred less in the US. At €800 they're simply not worth the money imo. The same money will buy you a much nicer European made dress boot.
But I don't want dress boots, I want something more casual. Well, there are Northamptonshire makers like Trickers or Cheaney which offer some more casual styles but since the UK is no longer part of the EU footwear from those makers is now subject to import fees too. Also, they don't offer American styles like Engineers or Monkey Boots.
But then there's Bright Shoemakers, a Danish footwear brand that was founded in 2015.
As you can see on their website, they offer casual style boots and shoes, some of them with a Western/cowboy twist. Bright is not actually a maker, it's a brand which means they design the shoes and have another company make them. Their footwear is "handmade at a family run shoe factory in Spain with more than 100 years of experience in artisanal shoe making". If I'm not mistaken that factory is Sendra.
I've handled boots from another European brand that has their boots produced by Sendra but I wasn't too impressed tbh. Materials and construction quality were mediocre at best. I guess brands are able to select different levels of material and construction quality even though the boots are made at the same factory.
Anyway, let's see the 'Bright shoemakers' boots I ordered, A pair of suede Jodhpur's.
View attachment 517704 View attachment 517705 View attachment 517702 View attachment 517703 View attachment 517701
View attachment 517699 View attachment 517698
They are Goodyear welted (270 degrees), double stacked sole and have a stacked Cuban heel. As you can see the finish is really clean. When compared to dress shoes I'd say the finish is much nicer than Carmina, nicer than bench grade C&J but not as nice as handgrade C&J or Edward Greens. Which makes sense as boots from those makers are two or three times more expensive. These Bright Shoemaker Jodhpur's were 'only' €500. Which is a lot of money of course but not nearly as expensive as a pair of imported Alden's or Vibergs which are of lesser construction quality. Were they flawless? No. One of the boots had a small piece of plastic material stuck inbetween the outer sole and the upper (during construction the upper is protected by a plastic layer) but luckily it was easy to remove with a pair of tweezers. Sloppy but no biggie.
I really love the last which is a bit more sleek than these Rios Mercedes boots for instance. Perfect for the style.
View attachment 517700
In terms of sizing, they do run big. I was advised to order my regular size which is 42 but I feel like a 41.5 would have been better. Anyway, I put in a leather insole and now they're a perfect fit. Talking about the insole...They come with a memory foam insole which felt kind of weird, bouncy when I just got them. Luckily after wearing them a handful of times the 'bounciness' is now gone so I can't really say it's a negative I guess but if I had the choice I would prefer a regular thin leather insole.
The overall verdict? I absolutely love them, have been wearing them pretty much every other day since I got them. I might order another pair in black if available. Half a size down though.
View attachment 517696 View attachment 517697
That's I great tip, thnx!Beautiful boots, Marc. You should put a protective rubber half sole to protect the leather sole. It's too nice to be worn out. Also, leather can be slippery in certain surfaces. Once the rubber sole wears out, you can just peel it off and put a new one on, extending the life of the leather sole tremendously.
There is a French shoe repair brand named TOPY. They make great quality rubber half sole. I think cobblers in the Netherlands will stock these. Or you can go with a 430 or 700 VIbram half sole if you prefer a thicker look.
Nice looking boots. I would categorise these as semi-dress though. I remember when I was living in the UK, I had trouble finding OK quality sleek cowboy and harness boots. I had a couple of buckle boots and managed to find a pair of Mexican made harness by a company called Adams I think. I don't think it exists anymore. Seems to be export focus company as I found some used pairs on Rakuten.When it comes to footwear I've almost exclusively been wearing boots for the past decade or so. I do own a couple of loafers and derby's but those are reserved for the office. Most of my boots are 'dress boots' made by one of the many great European shoemakers, think of Crockett & Jones; Edward Green; Gaziano & Girling; Carmina; Santoni or Silvano Sasetti.
Lately I've been exploring some more casual styles like engineer boots, cowboy boots or combat boots. These American style boots are much harder to come by than dress boots here in Europe. Especially when you're looking for premium quality boots.
Of course there are European retailers like Burg & Schild, Stuff or East West apparel which stock American made boots but import fees on shoes are harsh. A pair of suede plain toe Alden's will set you back €800 while the exact same pair will cost a couple of hundred less in the US. At €800 they're simply not worth the money imo. The same money will buy you a much nicer European made dress boot.
But I don't want dress boots, I want something more casual. Well, there are Northamptonshire makers like Trickers or Cheaney which offer some more casual styles but since the UK is no longer part of the EU footwear from those makers is now subject to import fees too. Also, they don't offer American styles like Engineers or Monkey Boots.
But then there's Bright Shoemakers, a Danish footwear brand that was founded in 2015.
As you can see on their website, they offer casual style boots and shoes, some of them with a Western/cowboy twist. Bright is not actually a maker, it's a brand which means they design the shoes and have another company make them. Their footwear is "handmade at a family run shoe factory in Spain with more than 100 years of experience in artisanal shoe making". If I'm not mistaken that factory is Sendra.
I've handled boots from another European brand that has their boots produced by Sendra but I wasn't too impressed tbh. Materials and construction quality were mediocre at best. I guess brands are able to select different levels of material and construction quality even though the boots are made at the same factory.
Anyway, let's see the 'Bright shoemakers' boots I ordered, A pair of suede Jodhpur's.
View attachment 517704 View attachment 517705 View attachment 517702 View attachment 517703 View attachment 517701
View attachment 517699 View attachment 517698
They are Goodyear welted (270 degrees), double stacked sole and have a stacked Cuban heel. As you can see the finish is really clean. When compared to dress shoes I'd say the finish is much nicer than Carmina, nicer than bench grade C&J but not as nice as handgrade C&J or Edward Greens. Which makes sense as boots from those makers are two or three times more expensive. These Bright Shoemaker Jodhpur's were 'only' €500. Which is a lot of money of course but not nearly as expensive as a pair of imported Alden's or Vibergs which are of lesser construction quality. Were they flawless? No. One of the boots had a small piece of plastic material stuck inbetween the outer sole and the upper (during construction the upper is protected by a plastic layer) but luckily it was easy to remove with a pair of tweezers. Sloppy but no biggie.
I really love the last which is a bit more sleek than these Rios Mercedes boots for instance. Perfect for the style.
View attachment 517700
In terms of sizing, they do run big. I was advised to order my regular size which is 42 but I feel like a 41.5 would have been better. Anyway, I put in a leather insole and now they're a perfect fit. Talking about the insole...They come with a memory foam insole which felt kind of weird, bouncy when I just got them. Luckily after wearing them a handful of times the 'bounciness' is now gone so I can't really say it's a negative I guess but if I had the choice I would prefer a regular thin leather insole.
The overall verdict? I absolutely love them, have been wearing them pretty much every other day since I got them. I might order another pair in black if available. Half a size down though.
View attachment 517696 View attachment 517697
Actually, Tricker's do offer Monkey Boots. They're not my personal preference, though... Don't really like the styleBut I don't want dress boots, I want something more casual. Well, there are Northamptonshire makers like Trickers or Cheaney which offer some more casual styles but since the UK is no longer part of the EU footwear from those makers is now subject to import fees too. Also, they don't offer American styles like Engineers or Monkey Boots.
I stand corrected.Actually, Tricker's do offer Monkey Boots. They're not my personal preference, though... Don't really like the style
View attachment 517769
I just noticed that my reply might've sounded harsh. That wasn't my intention at all... So, if it did sound that way, I'm sorry. It is just that I saw this boot not that long agoI stand corrected.
No worries buddy, I didn't take it that wayI just noticed that my reply might've sounded harsh. That wasn't my intention at all... So, if it did sound that way, I'm sorry. It is just that I saw this boot not that long ago
Wasn’t there a great looking kangaroo Indy recently?
These look very good!
Took a look at their website and found these:
Actually, Tricker's do offer Monkey Boots. They're not my personal preference, though... Don't really like the style
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No worries buddy, I didn't take it that way
Personally I'm not a fan of monkey boots myself. I just mentioned then to illustrate my point that European dress shoe makers don't do American designs. I couldn't be more wrong lol. Turns out monkey boots originate from Eastern Europe, they're not an American style at all. Maybe I should stick to jacket reviews lol.
Love the cap toe brogue and elastic sides. You went with Dainite? Can't tell from the sides.Treated myself to a nice dark green pair of Trickers from the UK. View attachment 515076 View attachment 515077 View attachment 515078 Custom order with red lining and a lightweight rubber sole. Ordered 5 months ago, finally arrived yesterday.
Thanks, they’re are lovely boot. I actually went with a lighter weight vibram gumlite sole which are softer, lighter, quieter and more comfortable than Danite. I’d never buy danite soles again, I find them hard, noisy when walking and downright dangerous on certain surfaces. I see Trickers now offer ridgeway soles also on certain models which are an improvement on danites also.Love the cap toe brogue and elastic sides. You went with Dainite? Can't tell from the sides.