In this week’s lineup, Red Wing pulls a leather (and a sole) from the vaults, Division Road brings back a boot-shoe icon, and Grant Stone debuts a brand new loafer pattern. You’ll find all that and more in the latest: Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week!
Missed last week’s roundup? Last month’s? February 2021? Check them (and every other roundup) out here.
[Ed Note: while we never choose anything specifically because of them, some of these recommendations contain affiliate links—the price is the same for you, but Stitchdown gets a small commission if you make a purchase. It’s essential to keeping the site alive, so we really, really appreciate it.]
Red Wing 8203 Moc Toe in Loden Abilene: ~$400
There are exactly 406 pairs of the European-exclusive Red Wing 8203 available. That very specific number is a result of the result of an attempt to make good use of back stock leather and soles from models that are no longer in production. The big upside? Specs that are nowhere to be found in the current Red Wing catalogue (even in Europe). The upper’s are clicked from Loden Abilene suede, and attached via 360˚ flat welt to Vibram TC1 lugged unit sole. Very unique and fun Red Wing moc here.
Viberg x Withered Fig 1035 Service Boot in Mushroom Chamois Roughout: $860
Richard and Ian at Withered Fig have been responsible for some of the great Viberg collab makeups on record, including their roundly beloved 145 Oxford in Horween mushroom reverse (or roughout) chamois. Well the ‘shroom is back, on this 1035-lasted (a WF favorite), 8-eyelet Service Boot on a commando sole.
Viberg x Withered Fig 310 Service Boot in Aged Bark Chamois Roughout: $880
Aged Bark is a leather shade that’s also highly familiar to Viberg and Withered Fig—although the leather for those OG Aged Bark roughout pairs was made by Milwaukee’s Seidel Tanning, not Chicago-based Horween, who tanned this reverse chamois that happens to share the same color name. Oh well! Man point is: these are straight up dope boots. We feel Viberg’s bump-/sprung-toed 310 last looks its best with a big meaty cap toe and a half-sole underfoot, and that’s exactly what Withered Fig rolled with here. Just a lovely monster indeed.
Division Road x White’s LTT Oxford 300 in Burgundy CXL: $785
Division Road is a bit of a skunkworks for extremely beefy White’s makeups, and their LTT Oxford collab is a paramount example: Vibram 2060 sole, and extra veg-tan tuck under the heel, lace-to-toe quarters, and a lineman’s patch. The only thing that comes close to an exception is the toe, which is left unstructured to encourage collapse over time. Built on the 55 last, the shoes are constructed using White’s signature hand-rolled stitch-down, with a natural Chromexcel welt and burgundy…
Division Road x White’s LTT Oxford 300 in Horween Black CXL: $785
…or black VCL uppers.
Grant Stone Horsebit Loafer in Black Calf: $360
Grant Stone just unveiled a brand new horsebit loafer that’s pretty much designed from the ground up: brand new last (the Campus), brand new pattern, and a different upper construction than their penny and tassel. I’ll confess that my previous bit loafer associations had to do with people that pay too much for cemented Italian “driving shoes” but these are very much a different beast and the pattern is a pretty unique variation on the theme. Four leathers are available at launch, including black calf…
Grant Stone Horsebit Loafer Tobacco Calf: $360
…tobacco calf, and two suede models. We go way deeper into the specs and sizing here.
Grant Stone Cap Toe Boot in Taupe Suede: $360
Not content with only releasing a brand new model, we’ve also got GS’s new Cap Toe Boot and Traveler penny loafer models in taupe repello suede from C.F. Stead. The Cap Toe uses the a blacked out sole stack with a commando outsole and a 360˚ split welt…
Grant Stone Traveler Penny in Taupe Suede: $348
…while the penny uses a single leather outsole and 270˚ flat welt.
Leffot x Alden NST Blucher in Snuff Suede: $755
The latest from Leffot is an Alden NST Blucher on the Aberdeen last in snuff suede, with handsewn stitching on the apron and split-toe and a commando half sole and heel.
Brick + Mortar Seattle x Alden “Meadowlark” in Brown Chromexcel: $710
A lot of the hyper-recognizable Alden models and makeups are defined by their details—Tankers, Indys, and longwings all have highly distinctive uppers. But many of Alden’s lasts also make for extremely solid, if slightly more under-the-radar, plain toe boots. The Meadowlark opts for the Trubalance last and brown Chromexcel uppers, with a 260˚ split welt and a commando half sole and heel. Can’t go wrong.
Oak Street Bootmakers Penny Moc in Greener Pastures Chromexcel: $348
This week’s limited release penny loafer from Oak Street has a very agricultural (or maybe arboreal?) thing going on between the “greener pastures” Chromexcel and a camp sole. They feature a handsewn moccasin construction.
Truman Boot Co. 56 Last Boot in Color 8 Cypress: $480 (Pre-order)
Truman’s latest preorder uses its newest last, the 56, which is (appropriately) and updated version of the 55 last previously used by Truman, and also in wide use across the Pacific Northwest. The uppers use Color 8 Cypress from Horween, on a 270˚ flat welt. Configurable options include the buyers choice of a plain or cap toe, all eyelets or eyelets and speed-hooks, and one of Truman’s four proprietary outsoles.