A great introduction, well constructed, and eventually a canvas for my DIY impulses

It was my main pair of shoes for a very urban lifestyle. Near daily use through to December, however for January I was working from home. It was still my main pair whenever I left the house. It's been through harsh sun as well as commute through storms.

It had some sort of top coat that, while it didn't wear out, added a sheen and refraction I did not care for. On somewhat of an impulse I decided to strip this off with acetone, dye it, and coat it in beeswax. This is documented in my pictures.

This was made to measure and it feels lime it. It's great on the foot and has broken in well, the only real. issue with fit is that I have very skinny ankles and I previously could not lace it tight as the two sides would meet before it was tight. I have added some slight additional arch support with an additional insole which also helped my issue at the ankle.

This is a custom model, I had based it on their existing models while also adding in what I felt I wanted: All leather above the sole, but not overbuilt. I specified an unlined shaft, this will become important later. Stitching I feel was done well, lines are straight and even for most of the boot. I have not encountered any issues with stitch lines or seams, and after beeswax everything has held up tight enough for me to never have had wet socks even after brief walks in an active storm. Now the issue with the unlined shaft, and the relatively thin leather I had asked for, is that the speed hooks and eyelets repeatedly pulled out of the leather, anywhere from day one to month three. I was informed that yes they usually line at least the part where the hardware goes but somewhere in the instruction process it was noted that I had very specific instructions for this custom job and it should be followed. That was on me, and as my intention for the boot was something I could truly call my own, I decided to add another layer of leather to that section as well as install new hardware. I did it myself, in a way spoiling the clean stitching of the professionals. I'm happy with it because this boot is truly mine, self inflicted flaws and all.

If I were more familiar with the rules I could have joined the regular dome, as it arrived mid October. I had work in for 2 weeks before the late entry period so unfortunately it was pre-owned for me. I wanted this to be my introduction to heritage style boots, the intention being to best appreciate the time and work that goes into making leather functional and beautiful. This influenced everything from selecting a shop to the design of the boot and my eventual decision to do things myself. I chose a family owned shop that traces back to our local leather capital, set a small but reasonable budget they could work with, and what I received was a pair that had cheap but durable leather, well put together. This pair let me see all sorts of things and brought me different kinds of joy and fulfillment. I saw first hand why top coated leather isn't great, what kind of blemishes lay under the leather, and how much work it is to dye leather evenly (I did not manage to make it even) I tried my hand and adding material, stitching and installing hardware myself. It's nowhere near the quality of the professionals, but I have a semblance of an idea of how much practice and skill it takes to work leather properly. It's not perfect, it was never meant to be, especially not with the budget I set, but it's perfect for what I wanted. What it is is a pair of boots that fits like a glove, feels great for walks, and I'd pick first for most situations. I'll keep wearing it, next on my list is to replace the sole protectors myself when I've worn through the lugs.