Crepe Soled Boots

[Bwooster]

I wear a suit to work and for both pleasure and necessity walk about 100 NYC blocks per day. I generally wear leather soled shoes, but I think some boots like the ones I found on Sig Panico in the photo below would both treat my feet better, reduce the costs of constant resoling, and give a more laid back look, which I like. Does anyone know where these boots come from? They are exactly what I am looking for. I am familiar with C and J and Clark's chukkas already, but am not huge on the last and sole on those two. Any alternative suggestions would be most welcome.

Thank you,
JG

[DFR]

You might be better served by trying a Board concerned with street wear and the like. I would not have thought that these would be commonly worn by folk here and certainly not with suits.

[kolecho]

Try Church's Sahara. They are made from unlined suede. Very light and comfortable. Sanders also have some but they are lined.

[davidhuh]

Dear Bwooster,

the crêpe sole is more comfortable than leather, but I would only exceptionally wear such shoes with a suit. They are certainly ok to wear in Mr. Panico's workshop, or at a private garden/pool party with friends.

In my experience, they need resoling more often than my leather soles.

cheers, david

[culverwood]

I have an Alfred Sargent chukka boot with a Dainite sole that may suit your needs. I see they have a trunk show in New York on the 12th April.

[Bwooster]

Dear Bwooster,

the crêpe sole is more comfortable than leather, but I would only exceptionally wear such shoes with a suit. They are certainly ok to wear in Mr. Panico's workshop, or at a private garden/pool party with friends.

In my experience, they need resoling more often than my leather soles.

cheers, david

Thank you. I realize they would need resoling more often, but generally would still be much cheaper and quicker than sending my shoes back to Northampton. I understand that they are casual and generally not would be worn with suits, but I like the look and think it works well when done in the right way and suits my needs.


Otherwise, thank you, Culverwood as well, I will inquire as to whether Sargent could make a crepe soled chukka. I like the look of theirs, and I already know my local cobbler can resole crepe very well, so wouldn't need to send them back to the factory frequently.

I apologize if I should have taken this to a more 'street wear' oriented site (I don't read any other clothing forum, so not sure which) but I assumed if a great Neopolitan tailor wore them, especially one of the few tailors, in my opinion, with truly great style himself, they may have some sartorial background about which I wasn't aware.

[J.S. Groot]

Will B's online haberdashery has a pair that, in my opinion, look great:

http://store.asuitablewardrobe.net/easy ... aboot.aspx

If my duck feet didn't more or less require shoes made to measure I would consider them myself. These days I think you can wear them with a casual suit a be just fine.

[hsw9001]

I have a pair of suede chukkas with a crepe sole that are great. Corthay Bob on the 002 last. Got them Leffot several years ago.

[hectorm]

I think some boots like the ones I found on Sig Panico in the photo below would both treat my feet better, reduce the costs of constant resoling, and give a more laid back look, which I like.

Dear JG,
your three main concerns seem to be:
1. Treat my feet better. Nothing will treat your feet better than a good pair of leather shoes or boots. While crepe soles are very good for paddling on hot sand, leather soles are far superior for street walking. Crepe soles lose their shape and their spring sooner. Unlined suede will also lose its shape and look plain old instead of acquiring a patina.
2. Reduce the costs of constant resoling. Crepe soles will wear much faster than leather soles requiring resoling more often. In the long run a pair of good leather shoes will result in a lower overall cost than crepe soled unlined suede chukkas (and their replacements).
3. A more laid back look You could achieve this in much better ways than resorting to crepe soles. You would have to be careful and take into consideration the kind of suit you are wearing, but leather soled suede chukkas or captoe suede oxfords might be the answer.
In any case, if you are sold on crepe and willing to run the risk of rendering your outfit inelegant, I would avoid yellowish crepe by all means and stick to dark grey soles.

[Bwooster]

Thank you HectorM,
I suppose I was thinking more of the shoes than my feet, as well as the look. I am a fast and hard walker, and I've already had to send three pairs of bespoke leather soled shoes back to Northampton for resoling after about 16-24 months of wear (I do take very good care of them, by the way) and want a more disposable and light shoe. I know, in the long run, leather soled shoes are a smarter buy, but I am thinking short run. My wardrobe is too formal at the moment, and I don't like wearing such nice pieces so frequently until I have a large enough rotation where they can get a lot more rest in between wearings.
I agree that the yellowish crepe is unbecoming, and will stick to darker crepe. Intrinsically, I want shoes very similar to the ones in the picture I posted. I understand that some may find it inelegant, but I like the look a lot and it suits my aesthetic and my more practical needs.
Thank you all for your advice, particularly HSW 9001, as I am going to copy you and get some Corthay chukkas at Leffot
JG

[Noble Savage]

Obtain a comfortable, durable pair of leather shoes, in black of course, and have B. Nelson put on a Dainite Studded, Ridgeway, or Medway sole on it. A good shoe made like this can take a decade or more of heavy city walking.

[Merc]

a decade of heavy city walking?

i think you misuse the word heavy because ive never gotten a decade out of anything----
wither that or you have 30 pairs of shoes which you rotate

ive worn through a pair of C&J boots with a commando sole twice in the last 3 years --thats a heavy boot with a midsole as well
and i have a second pair of the same ones that are now worn out and need resoling...so thats basically a year that i get out of a very durable and very thick sole
and its not that theyre the only thing i wear..in the last three years ive needed resoling on two pairs of leather soled dress shoes (both high quality outsoles)

[Frans]

The Church Ryder and Ryder III might be an option too if you are looking for crepe soles with a black finish on the edges. They are lined.

[Scot]

I saw a very nice RTW pair in Foster & sons the last time I was nosing around there.

[radicaldog]

I have some full brogue oxfords with crepe soles by Church's which would probably be a good compromise for the original poster's needs. The come in beige and chocolate brown.