The Great Footwear Purge of 2021 (… and 2022)… An Essay

[johnniegold]

One out, One in. The addition by subtraction continues.

Today, after the exit of the Rod Laver tennis sneakers, the Classic 550 in Walnut arrived from Blundstone.

First… The Packaging.

This is the second pair after I returned the first pair for a better fit. I started with 10.5 but went up to 11.5 (the half size translates to a wider, not longer, fit. The size on the box reflects the Australian size

Inside the box…

Next…

 

[johnniegold]

The Boots….

Classic 550

 

[johnniegold]

The Fit…

I started out with a 10.5 and sized up to 11.5. According to Blundstone, the half sizes provide for a wider boot. My big toe was resting against the front of the boot (while wearing a fairly thick sock) and the width felt right.

So sizing up to 11.5 would essentially take care of the length of the boot while the width would remain the same by ordering it in the half size.

The boots are definitely roomy so I did put the inserts in that came with the boots and now they fit perfectly, not to mention having a tad more cushion with the inserts.

They are comfortable right out of the box. I hope to enjoy them for a good many years.

They may not see much use as we get into the late spring and summer months but they will be called upon when the rains come.

They are light, comfortable and a bit stylish. They appear to be well-crafted and durable, although like so many durable goods, the cognoscenti have said that the quality of these boots has diminished since Blundstone began manufacturing most of these boots in Vietnam, Thailand, India, China and Mexico although some of their boots are still manuactured in Hobart, Tasmania.

Anyway… I like them.

And then there were two (Chelsea boots).

Both of these Chelsea-style boots tend to lean towards a much more casual look.

I think I would like to add a more refined, dressier Chelsea boot to the collection, more in line with the boots produced by…

Crockett & Jones

or perhaps

RM Williams.

But I’ll leave that for another day.

 

[blantyre]

Very nice. I also like the look of those Crockett and Jones. Currently trying to keep at least some of the more recent buys in my regular rotation before seriously considering anything else.

 

[johnniegold]

Getting ready for the summer with some new slides. Ordered these Adilette slides from DSW on sale.

Originally ordered a Size 11 but they were huge. Returned them for a Size 10 but had to return those too.

Now I know I can be a bit much when it comes to details on footwear but the reason I returned the second pair was one detail I was not willing to overlook…

THEY SENT ME A PAIR WITH TWO LEFT FEET!

Sorry, I gotta draw the line somewhere.

But they made it right.

 

[johnniegold]

How is it that a pair of sneakers comes out of nowhere and falls from the sky?

As I continued on my daily search for the Rod Laver tennis sneaker by adidas, I continually hit the wall.

I had recently sold my pair of all-leather Rods that were Size 10.5 and were just too snug in the toe-box area.

And the search continued….

A few days ago, I realized that I had not searched for them for a few days so I typed it into the search engine and the usual suspects pop-up.

But I conducted my due diligence and checked to see what sizes were available and came upon a Size 11.5 and it says (1 available).

What do you think happened next?

Now I was really looking for a Size 11 but in light of the scarcity of this sneaker I’m willing to take a shot in the dark and try the half size larger.

If they’re too big, on the selling block they’ll go. But as with other adidas, I have ordered 11.5 (Grand Court) and they fit just fine while Size 11 in Superstars fits well too. So we shall see.

Also, unlike the all-leather pair I just sold, this pair has the mesh upper which was the original design from the 70’s and rather than the green colorway (which wasn’t a available anyway) I went with what appears to be the royal blue.

The all-leather version was also quite heavy. The mesh version should be much lighter.

And true to form, I went back to the Nordstrom website where I purchased them from and that size is no longer available.

It’s kinda odd really…

When I get ‘em, you’ll see ‘em.

 

[johnniegold]

Indeed they were awesome but alas 11.5 was too big.

Sooooo….

The search continues…

 

[FarmerTan]

Those are sharp. Too bad they didn't fit.

 

[blantyre]

Disappointing. Good luck with the ongoing search.

 

[johnniegold]

The Purge continues as this pair of Pro Keds is on their way to a new home.

 

[johnniegold]

This used to be the everyday rotation before the pandemic (which included all of the J&Ms that were recently purged.)

That rotation has been replaced by this rotation:

And some boat shoes and moccs.

And of course, some sneeks.

What’s going on in the watch thread?