Cowboy boots
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I was just looking through GB's pictures of Dave Little's shop, and I noticed this one of a foot tracing.
I took a look in the John Lobb shop on St. James Street in London yesterday. They're one of the few surviving bespoke shoemakers in the UK, and there was an identical tracing on display. The line inside the outline represents the arch.
It looks like a pretty serious set of measurements. Does Dave carve his own lasts?
Oh, if you're in London then take a look in Lobb's. It's probably not changed in the last century. Unfortunately the shoes are on the far side of reassuringly expensive. :o
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I was amazingly lucky a few years back. My cousin worked at Lobbs and once a year she was allowed to have one pair of shoes that had not been picked up for her or one of her family. She let me have a turn, so I went in early on a Saturday morning and spent the day rooting around in the cellars and store rooms. It is totally Dickensian below street level….Anyway I found a pair that fit, so I now own a pair of Lobbs.....
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It looks like a pretty serious set of measurements. Does Dave carve his own lasts?
Yes he does, of course. Custom boot makers I've visited in Texas all make their own lasts. The level of craftmanship in this "industry" is quite amazing. Handmade top quality, they regularly get visits from luxury manufacturers like Hermes.
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what do you guys think about this company
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I think you should get a pair, so I can see fitpics…
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The style doesn't do anything for me, sorry. And it could be the boot snob in me, but when I see a company based in Marfa, I can't help but think that they located there because a) they can sell to a bunch of country club artsy types and b) they can't compete with the serious bootmakers in El Paso or the Hill Country.
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The style doesn't do anything for me, sorry. And it could be the boot snob in me, but when I see a company based in Marfa, I can't help but think that they located there because a) they can sell to a bunch of country club artsy types and b) they can't compete with the serious bootmakers in El Paso or the Hill Country.
or San Antonio (Dave Little), or Austin (Lee Miller), or…
I fkcing hate it when someone decides that a proven design is old and needs to be updated. Cowboy boots are fcking works of art and cant take being tampered with. Fck that
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I should clarify my previous comment, as it really seems a bit dickish. The boots look like they're well made and if you like the style, (and the price, whatever it may be) then they're fine. That said, I'm something of a purist about cowboy boots, and those aren't, so I'm not interested.
Also, Marfa is a super trendy little town out in west Texas that caters to rich artsy types. For those of you familiar with Sedona, it's kinda similar. When folks open up a shop there and call it something catchy like "Cobra Rock", I'm pretty sure they're not aiming their products at crotchety traditionalists like me.
There are lots of places in Texas to get traditional, handmade cowboy boots- El Paso, (Tres Amigos, Rocketbuster, Stallion, JB Hill, etc.) the Rio Grande Valley, (Rios of Mercedes, all the Raymondville makers, etc.) the Hill Country, (which includes Austin, San Antonio, plus great makers like Duck Menzies in Temple, Eddie Kimmel in Comanche, the Jass Brothers in Lampasas, etc.) and other folks scattered around the state that will build individually lasted, made to order custom boots. With that wealth of opportunity to get exactly what I want, I can't see any reason to go out to the middle of nowhere to buy something off the shelf.
Hmmm, that still sounds kinda dickish, doesn't it…
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I should clarify my previous comment, as it really seems a bit dickish. The boots look like they're well made and if you like the style, (and the price, whatever it may be) then they're fine. That said, I'm something of a purist about cowboy boots, and those aren't, so I'm not interested.
Also, Marfa is a super trendy little town out in west Texas that caters to rich artsy types. For those of you familiar with Sedona, it's kinda similar. When folks open up a shop there and call it something catchy like "Cobra Rock", I'm pretty sure they're not aiming their products at crotchety traditionalists like me.
There are lots of places in Texas to get traditional, handmade cowboy boots- El Paso, (Tres Amigos, Rocketbuster, Stallion, JB Hill, etc.) the Rio Grande Valley, (Rios of Mercedes, all the Raymondville makers, etc.) the Hill Country, (which includes Austin, San Antonio, plus great makers like Duck Menzies in Temple, Eddie Kimmel in Comanche, the Jass Brothers in Lampasas, etc.) and other folks scattered around the state that will build individually lasted, made to order custom boots. With that wealth of opportunity to get exactly what I want, I can't see any reason to go out to the middle of nowhere to buy something off the shelf.
Hmmm, that still sounds kinda dickish, doesn't it…
Keep sounding dickish, man, I love your prose on this thread… Texas is a God blessed place when it comes to cowboy boots (and many other things, by the way). I love visiting bootmakers, even though I end up buying a pair most of the time… which slowly but surely ruins me, takes up a lot of space in my small place… They're usually the coolest guys and are proud artesans.
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Can anyone recommend a decent pair of very plain/basic cowboy boots that won't cause me to go broke? I'm looking for best quality in the $200-$300 range. I know nothing about this style of boot and just want something I can beat the hell out of and that will look better afterward.
Also, what's up with the toe styles? Is there any specific reason for getting square toe vs pointed? Thanks!
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Admittedly, the Black Jack Ranch Hand boots are a bit over the top of your price range, but Black Jack boots are really well made, and for the money, the Ranch Hand is a lovely basic style that you can either polish up and look classy, or beat up and look scruffy. Additionally, they allow a whole host of personalization options and the customer service folks at Tim's Boots will happily guide you through every aspect of your purchase.
If you don't get creeped out by the thought of wearing secondhand boots (or is that secondfoot?), then eBay is a good place to hunt. You can get some really well made vintage boots for super cheap. I once got a pair of barely broken in custom made ostrich boots for less than $50. Sure, they had some other guy's initials on them, but no one could see that but me…
As for the toe styles, that's nothing more than personal preference. At different times through the years, various styles have been trendy/fashionable. In the 30s, the box toe was really popular, in the 50s, pointy toes got big, the last decade or so, the square toe has been hot. All up to you. Personally, I like square and box toes; just seems right to me.
Just out of curiosity, what size are you?
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Thanks for the response Chris. I'm a 9.5-10d in most boots. Second hand doesn't creep me out but I wouldn't know what to look for.
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Thanks for the response Chris. I'm a 9.5-10d in most boots. Second hand doesn't creep me out but I wouldn't know what to look for.
Can anyone recommend a decent pair of very plain/basic cowboy boots that won't cause me to go broke? I'm looking for best quality in the $200-$300 range. I know nothing about this style of boot and just want something I can beat the hell out of and that will look better afterward.
Also, what's up with the toe styles? Is there any specific reason for getting square toe vs pointed? Thanks!
For 300 bucks, check out Luccheses unless you want custom boots. Made in the USA.
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One thing to remember with buying new Luccheses in the sub $300 range- that's going to limit you to the 1883 line, which is not rebuildable. Only the more expensive Classics line can be resoled.
