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Desert Boots

I don't have any of these presently.. But I have other shoes with similar lace tying issues similar to what you stated and I found that tying them backwards to my normal method made them stay tight during the day...so if you normally loop over in the front of the " rabbit ears " try looping over the back or vice versa...
Have you been tying granny knots? Stick to reef knots, HERE. :wink2:
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
I saw these socks advertised by Lorenzo Uomo in the ad pictured below.

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And I thought: “I like that. What the heck.” 😀

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The desert boot really sold those socks. :yesnod:
 
Country Attire has the Sanders Luther (they call them Hi Top for some reason) free shipping and returns. I pulled the trigger on a UK9 - what I normally take in UK size. They arrived yesterday (3 days from order). They look spectacular. They are a "bit snug" even with a very thin sock. The length is more than adequate so I am reluctant to go up to a 9.5. It's width and depth that I need. I am torn. A work over with the shoe stretchers and some relaxer fluid would easily get the extra 1/4" or so of headroom that is needed. I even had to do this on a pair of Alden shell and it worked OK. Suede is MUCH more stretchable than shell so as long as I don't rip any seems, I would expect that they could be "eased" enough.

There is however a 30 day free return as long as they aren't worn other than trying on for size. Trying to decide which way to jump.
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
Country Attire has the Sanders Luther (they call them Hi Top for some reason) free shipping and returns. I pulled the trigger on a UK9 - what I normally take in UK size. They arrived yesterday (3 days from order). They look spectacular. They are a "bit snug" even with a very thin sock. The length is more than adequate so I am reluctant to go up to a 9.5. It's width and depth that I need. I am torn. A work over with the shoe stretchers and some relaxer fluid would easily get the extra 1/4" or so of headroom that is needed. I even had to do this on a pair of Alden shell and it worked OK. Suede is MUCH more stretchable than shell so as long as I don't rip any seems, I would expect that they could be "eased" enough.

There is however a 30 day free return as long as they aren't worn other than trying on for size. Trying to decide which way to jump.

I have fallen arches so I always like a wider shoe.

I wear:

Sanders Luther 10.5US. (Roomy in toe box and very comfortable. With a thin sock I could put a thin insole and get a snug fit (but not tight).

Alden 9E (Barrie). Perfect.
Alden 9.5E. (Aberdeen) Snug in toe box.
Alden (Leydon) 10D snug in toebox.

My guess (and it’s just that), with a wider foot, you might be better off going a 1/2 size up rather than a snug fit.


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Yes their prices and terms were good, I found a -10% as well. The shoe that I have is NOT the Luther. It is the Hi Top. Small but real differences. There is no bead around the edge. No stitching around the heel cap. The heel-sole is blended together with less of a notch. The band around the edge appears to be attached separately from the sole. The overall look and lines are very similar the the Luther bit the differences are real. This may account for the lower price as well - it’s a less expensive shoe to make with fewer manufacturing steps.

Impatience got the better of me and I “eased” the fit with my trusty stretcher. It’s comfortable now. Maybe I’ll go for a test walk later.
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johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
First off, congrats on the new Hi-Tops. They look great! Glad the “stretch” got you where you needed to be size-wise.

You are right, there are subtle but distinct nuances that differentiate these two boots.

The one that immediately caught my eye was the heel and secondly, the stitching around the heel cap.

The last one was the width of the outsole or “bumper” outsole as it is known in the playboy chukka world. I don’t know if it is actually wider or the beaded line around the Luther gives an appearance that the Hi-Top is wider.

If you look at the circled area around the toe box, it appears the bumper outsole comes up higher on the toe box.

These subtleties are noticeable to us.

If I owned both pair, Mrs. Gold would ask: “why do you have two of the same shoe?” 🙄
(She’s still adorable 😀).

Strangely enough, the Playboy Footwear company sells the “original” playboy chukka after purchasing the rights to manufacture the shoe from Hutton (the company that made the boots Steve McQueen wore in “Bullitt” as well as in his everyday life) after they went bankrupt.

With the exception of the pull tab, their playboy chukka is a hybrid of the Hi-Top (no beading) and the Luther (notched heel).



How would I ever be able to explain all three pairs to Mrs. Gold? 😉


Take some damn pics of those Hi-Tops in the wild and wear them in good health. :thumbup1:


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Many thanks for the info. FYI, I also contacted Sanders since one article said that the Luther is roomier in the toebox that the Hi Top. Apparently the sole is the same size, so it's not actually wider but it is roomier! Shoes could get like shaving brushes - lots of similar ones but the subtle differences affect performance and applications. I guess it would be easy to own all three since very few people would notice - with that 10% off and free shipping.... Always assuming storage is not an issue. Unlike tucks of blades, these shoe boxes seem to pile up a bit!
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
Apparently the sole is the same size, so it's not actually wider but it is roomier!

I guess the Luther does square off a bit around the toe whereas the Hi-Top may be a bit more tapered which may explain that.

I hope you enjoy wearing them as much as I am enjoying wearing mine.

The other day, a colleague of mine (a few years older than I am) came up to me at the office and said (through his mask):

“I see you got yourself a pair of those playboy chukkas. Nice.” :thumbup1:

I’m guessing that mostly people in our age demographic (50-60) would know that. 😎

But, as Mrs. Gold likes to point out on occasion... maybe I’m wrong.

😀
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
I see Huckberry has significantly reduced the price on some of the Astorflex Greenflex boots. It’s a good value at the non-sale price and a steal at the sale price.

I’m fighting the urge just to buy a pair at that price. But if you’re thinking about getting this boot, and you like the colors being offered, now might be a good time.

If you want to see some pics in this thread of the ones on sale (Post #51 and #71), they were the first pair I purchased (with the pull tabs) but later exchanged for larger size and different color (and no pull tabs).

One other difference aside from the pull tabs is that the sale boot has metal eyelets.
 
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That‘s certainly tempting. They would give me another 15% off as a newbie. That might just push it below free shipping, so I’d probably have add a belt or something.

I’m fighting the urge just to buy a pair at that price.

Just hold your breath and think of Pisa (see earlier posts) while you slowly count backwards from 10 to zero. Then gpet out your credit card.
 

johnniegold

"Got Shoes?"
I think I’m done ordering suede chukkas for now. Waiting for the right moment to order the Crown Northampton CXL chukka. When that “right moment” is? I have no idea. 😉😀


@blantyre

I don’t think you can go wrong at that price. That’s almost $40-50 less than CDB for a much higher-quality (IMO) boot.
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
I have fallen arches so I always like a wider shoe.

I wear:

Sanders Luther 10.5US. (Roomy in toe box and very comfortable. With a thin sock I could put a thin insole and get a snug fit (but not tight).

Alden 9E (Barrie). Perfect.
Alden 9.5E. (Aberdeen) Snug in toe box.
Alden (Leydon) 10D snug in toebox.

My guess (and it’s just that), with a wider foot, you might be better off going a 1/2 size up rather than a snug fit.


View attachment 1250951

In this photo it appear @johnniegold is back in the office, feet propped up on the desk like that is my favorite position for the office as well ;)
 

JWCowboy

Probably not Al Bundy
Being at the office is the only time I can get any peace and quiet. 😉😀

View attachment 1254537

Now there's got to be a reason you posted a pic of that artwork, so I'll play along, what's the story on the artwork? A Rorschach test for people who come into your office perhaps? Very colorful, sort of reminds me of a classic arcade game like Space Invaders or Missile Command.....
 
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