Not one but two winter storms arrived this week, bringing high winds and autumn's first serious rain to a parched Northern California. The forecast called the pictured shell cordovan boots to duty on only their second day out of seasonal storage. Shell cordovan of course is the water resistant leather made from the rump muscle (or shell) of a horse, and in boot form it provides protection from the elements up to mid-calf.
Unfortunately, getting caught outside without an umbrella or other rain gear meant that booted feet were the only completely dry part of my body. Too late, I called the Alan Flusser Custom Shop to ask where my Mackintosh was (it may arrive the day after the rain moves out of the area).
Worn with wet flannel trousers, a somewhat water resistant tweed jacket and a dripping beaver felt hat.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Boots and Flannels
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15 comments:
Nice combo!
Care to share with us the maker of those boots? G&G?
Will,
Does one need to worry about getting a high quality beaver felt hat inordinately wet? (My only experience is with wool felt, but I'm hoping to order my first Art Fawcett beaver fedora before the end of fall.)
G&G made the boots.
Johnny, I try not to get beaver felt any wetter than I would wool. It holds up better but it's not a raincoat.
G&G made the boots.
Johnny, I try not to get beaver felt any wetter than I would wool. It holds up better but it's not a raincoat.
amazing set of boots
My favorite combination. Flannel /boots.
Yeah, cordovan. Much better in soaking rain than proper wellies. Wear 'em in the snow, too, while you're at it. Very practical.
"Winter storm?" Must have been all the rain that led you to call it that.
When the weather calls for Wellies, take a flight South.
Lovely boots. I've yet to find any retailers here in Seoul who sell cordovan, though. Perhaps it has yet to make the leap over here. Then again, most men here stuff their feet into a pair of perpetually tied shoes, and very few of those shoes actually have proper leather soles.
I've read that cordovan can develop a white or bumpy quality when exposed to water. I'm curious if you've noticed anything like this with your boots. The condition is supposed to be temporary.
I need to commission a pair. My EG Chelseas I wore the other day when it poured still have a wet sole. Besides the horsehide upper, what about the sole of the boot?
The hat I wore that day got soaked in the downpour as well, and is still air drying.
Maybe I should invest in a hat cover. My favorite haberdasher, John Helmer, sells them. As dumb as it would look, it might be a good idea to protect my hats from storms. (Fortunately, normal rain does not call for such drastic measures.)
Great shoe (well, boot) & trouser combination. What were the socks?
I thought my Alden shell cordovan AF79 were marvellous but those look superb. Lovely boots and nice combination
EA
Double leather soles suit the scale of the boot, JC, and are less likely to eventually soak through.
I've never observed any problems with cordovan in the wet, but I may not have paid enough attention. I did have one pair of Aldens that exuded a white powder but was told not to worry about it and it brushed out.
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