Clinch
Hi-Liner
Brass Tokyo
The draw to this pair came very early from seeing them online, mostly Minoru's original pair, which were built in a different leather, hence how different they look. I am someone who has always been interested in early to mid 1900s fashion and these fit perfectly into that vibe, working perfectly well worn with casual or dress clothes.
Choosing the size was mainly done through talking with my buddy maturin, who is definitely a Clinch aficionado, about pairs I have and how I like my boots to fit. After receiving them, tryin them on, and wearing them for two years, it is safe to say that his advice was absolutely spot on perfect.
I wear them for everything— working around the house, wearing them to work, wearing them to officiate a wedding, wearing them to fancy dinners, wearing them with denim, wearing them with suits, etc.
As with all W&C Latigo offerings, the leather starts extremely stiff, dry, and crunchy, as if it were a cold pressed cardboard. With time, this leather softens, molds, and becomes extremely flexible, much akin to wearing a leather sock. I have hundreds of hours and miles in these boots and the overdye is just now starting to finally give way to expose a bit of the tea core everyone expected to see with these boots. The expectation of crazy tea core and wear was partially due to false advertisement, as Minoru's heavily worn pair is technically a different W&C Latigo leather entirely.
CN-S is hands down my favorite ready-to-wear last, although, with the difficulty of getting these boots on this last, good luck. This last works extremely well for my foot shape and is comfortable to wear beyond sixteen hours on foot.
I haven't seen any newer constructed Hi-Liners, but my pair is exceptional, and even makes my Clinch Engineers look a bit sloppy in construction quality. The stitching is very nice, the welt is excellent with no exposed holes or pulling, the sole is great and the sanding well done, and nothing seems like it was done in error. The only downside to my pair would be the clicking on the right boot, but, this has made that boot incredibly comfortable and honestly adds to the vintage vibe, as some of my other pairs from the turn of the century have very similar issues.
The heel is extremely hard wearing and durable, as it still has plenty of life remaining even after two years of frequent wear in all types of terrain. The half sole has honestly shocked me in terms of durability, longevity, and grip. I would love to get some more for other pairs!