Ok ok we’ve got Unmarked’s New Roper Boot, a Withered Fig x Viberg Boondocker that Ben described in (positive) expletives, other Vibergs, a restock of a modern classic from Grant Stone, and more in this weeks: Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week!
Find all of our previous roundups 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.]
Withered Fig x Viberg Boondocker in Horween Brown Nut Cypress: $850 (on Sale Noon ET Friday 1/26)
Richard and Ian at Withered Fig have teamed with Viberg to push their excellent boondocker pattern into a very very good place. The Brown Nut Cypress uppers behave similarly to Chromexcel in many respects, but with exaggerated grain and aggressively contrasty pull-up. Double row stitchdown construction unifies the uppers and the sleek leather outsoles.
Withered Fig x Viberg Rockland Blucher in Horween Brown Nut Cypress: $790
The Rockland Blucher model shares its upper leather and outsole with its taller sibling, but this time those details are paired with tonal thread on the uppers and blind eyelets (in place of brass) on the quarters. They’re anchored by a 360˚ storm welt. Very versatile shoe here.
Viberg, Tricker’s, and Crockett & Jones and LOTS of Clothing on Big Final Sale at Division Road
Snag excellent iterations of some of the goodest(year) welted and stitchdown footwear in the game for as low as $400—then check out the very deep up-to-50% off sale stock of Dehen, Ten C, Iron Heart, Motiv, Shockoe, Gitman Vintage, and plenty more. Don’t forget: everything is FINAL SALE!!
Grant Stone Travelver Penny Loafer in Bourbon Suede: $348
Grant Stone’s Traveler Penny is far from new, but it’s a damned modern classic and it’s back in stock in what we consider to be its most classic, versatile, foolproof color. None of the details are especially flashy (the flashiest thing on the design are the pleasantly-arrayed brass nails holding on the heel), but the geometry is excellent and the bourbon suede uppers are casual, versatile, and wear well. And they’re not often as heavily in stock in D and E widths as much as they are now.
Viberg Service Boot 1035 in Rawhide Waxy Commander: $860
We mentioned Viberg’s new collection in our last roundup, but this time we’ll get into a couple of the models from the new SS24 Collection, including this 1035 model in Rawhide Waxy Commander. The 1035 last is chunkier and much rounder-toed than the almond-toed 2030, and it feels right at home alongside this unmistakably casual leather. The rawhide color in particular seems to show a lot more contrast and color variation than other shades of what is already a heavily textured tannage. Antiqued brass eyelets (eight) lock in the visual roughness, and all of that sits atop double row stitchdown and a Dainite sole.
Viberg Rockland Blucher in Winter Smoke Regency Calf: $820
(Aesthetically) there’s a dark side to this Viberg collection as well. Regency is a grainy, waxy calf tannage that paired with black binding on the quarters and a blacked out sole stack makes these Bluchers look almost garment dyed. That sole stack is chunky too, with a moderately thick Lactae Hevea sole and a 360˚ scalloped welt that uses Viberg’s channelled insole construction.
Unmarked Boots Roper in Black Pull Up: $360
Unmarked’s western boots aren’t the most orthodox, often straying from the traditional pegged waist construction or combining it with brass tacks and Goodyear welting, but they make a damn fine roper, and a totally blacked out version just dropped. This one’s for my goth cowboys. The Roper model is built with a leather outsole and block heel and a 270˚ Goodyear welt, and all of the internal liners and stiffeners are a leather—calf for the liners and veg-tan for the counters, insole, and midsole. The upper leather is tanned by the Panamerica tannery and the outsole finishing is done by hand.
Oak Street Bootmakers Cap-Toe Trench Boot in Walnut Overdye Camnello Asportabile: $536
Oak Street is billing their most recent trio of limited run boots as the most patina-ready boots. That’s of course not exactly something we can just agree and say is 100% true! But there’s certainly something to it. The Tempesti veg-tan uppers are overdyed with a layer of ‘asportabile’ pigment, which essentially means that the stuff comes off really, really fast, revealing the lighter leather underneath. Then there’s the Dainite sole, cap toe, and 360˚ split welt, standard but well-executed details which center the leather. If you like the concept but not the iteration…
Oak Street Bootmakers Cap-Toe Trench Oxford in Walnut Overdye Camnello Asportabile: $508
…there’s also a Cap toe trench oxford with the same specs…
Oak Street Bootmakers Cap-Toe Lakeshore Boot in Walnut Overdye Camnello Asportabile: $548
…and a mid height Lakeshore boot on a sleeker last. We enjoy watching Oak Street continue to innovate with finishing.