White Kloud Blucher.87

Goto-San has few options when it comes to models. After countless hours perusing his Instagram page, I decided to go with his iconic Blucher.87, but with a brogue cap toe. I was excited to own the first pair with this makeup.

Goto-San measured my feet himself in person. At his trunk show at Railcar Fine Goods in 2020, he brought several pairs in different sizes. After he measured and traced my feet (in addition to some some hardcore geometry), he had me try on a 9.5 boot on the left foot and a 10 on the right. We took a stroll on the streets of Monrovia for him to get an idea of the fit. We discussed the hotspots and he pinpointed which parts of the Round Last would need to be built outward.

In December of 2020, Jake (widely recognized as Almost Vintage Style), hosted Goto-San in the States for a trunk show at Railcar Fine Goods. This was a prime opportunity to meet and have a pair made by Goto-San, without requiring a trip to Japan. I flew into LA and took a long bus ride to Monrovia. December 7, 2020 At Railcar, I had the pleasure of meeting Goto-San, Steven Dang of Railcar, and several boot folks in person: Jake, Alee (vintagefeatherr), Jeff (thedenimdentist), and Michael (bigdudeindenim). After being fitted, I finalized my boot specs with Goto-San. A 50% deposit was to be paid upfront. Here is the confirmation email verbatim: 【Model】 Blucher.87 Round toe　95,000 JPY ・4 eyelets, 3 speed hooks Left: size 9H Right: size 10 【Custom】 Semi custom fit (6,000 JPY×4parts) ＋24,000 JPY Leather Badalassi/Tobacco +15,000 JPY Leather lining +15,000 JPY Commando half sole for customize & heel +23,000 JPY Midsole Double Mid Sole(5mm＋3mm) Double Stitch (Hand stitch & Machine stitch) ・Hand stitch/Brown ・Machine stitch/White +30,000 JPY　　 5. Construction Hand sewn welted +50,000 JPY High Shine Side edge & Heel/Natural +20,000 JPY Hand Moc stich/White +15,000 JPY Shipping cost +5,900 JPY Business trip fee +10,000 JPY Total: 302,900 JPY Deposit: 151,450 JPY Delivery was scheduled for about 18 months later. August 18, 2020 At this time Goto-San started offering Leder Ogawa Shell Cordovan, and I requested to make the switch. Goto-San was happy to accommodate me. Here is the modified order: 【Model】 Blucher.87 Round toe　95,000 JPY ・Brass 4 eyelets, 2 speed hooks ・Left: size 9H ・Right: size 10 【Custom】 Semi custom fit (6,000 JPY×4parts) ＋24,000 JPY Leather Leder Ogawa Shell/camel +49,500 JPY Leather lining +15,000 JPY Vibram brown half soles & heels +20,000 JPY Midsole Double Mid Sole(5mm＋3mm) Double Stitch (Hand stitch & Machine stitch) ・Hand stitch/Brown ・Machine out stitch/Brown ・Black top ・Natural edge +30,000 JPY　 Construction Hand sewn welted +50,000 JPY High Shine Side edge & Heel/Natural +20,000 JPY Brogue cap toe +11,000 JPY False tongues (camel shell) +5,500 JPY Shipping cost +5,900 JPY Business trip fee +10,000 JPY Total　 335,900 JPY Delivery was now scheduled for June 2024, and I ultimately received the pair on February 18, 2022. I cannot thank Goto-San enough for the amazing experience from being fitted in-person, to the flexibility with fine-tuning the makeup, and communication throughout the entire process.