Oak Street Bootmakers - Trench Boot

I remember when Oak Street Bootmakers hit the menswear scene. People went crazy for the vibram soled oxfords. It was crazy. But from what I've seen, it's totally understandable, as the quality is definitely up there, so is the vision of the brand.

It has become obvious that George Vlagos is going for something a bit different than moccasins and loafers with the release of the field boot for instance. However their most recent release, the Trench boot, really hones the brand name.

 Made in the USA (of course) of quality materials in a timeless design in one of the nicest leathers around (Horween's Chromexcel leather in the colour "Natural"). What's not to like? Nothing, I guess, but personally I would never consider wearing a pair of boots that didn't have a rubber sole. In my mind I'm thinking about how nice they would look, if they were equipped with a rugged, English Ridgeway sole. But that's probably just me and my OCD, but make no mistake this boot looks like one of the best boot options around.

READ MORE - Oak Street Bootmakers - Trench Boot

Eastland Made in Maine - Part Deux

I caved. I went back to get the other pair of Eastland Made in Maine shoes, that I had been eyeing for some time. My older mocs (mostly Quoddy and Yuketen) are all quite worn out, and they are my go-to summer kickers, so I felt it was an investment worth making. 

They fit me perfectly and the construction of the shoe feels very solid and very sturdy. The leather choice isn't that interesting per se, but this Chromexcel from Horween feels a bit different from the other Chromexcel footwear I have. It's more waxy, more greasy and bit thicker as well. I'm sure, it'll wear in very nicely. But the colour however is a bit more interesting than the more regular colours you often see, although it's not crazy like some of the more recent moccasin, we've also been seeing.

Another nice feature is the leather mid sole. It's not an original feature, as far as I know, when comparing to bluchers in old LL Bean catalogs for instance. but it is a feature I quite enjoy.

Nice grain on the leather. It has a bit more character than regular Chromexcel, though still very subtle.

Perfect stitching.

I wouldn't mind adding more Eastlands to my shoe collection. They very well-made.

Now this post wouldn't be complete without a video. I hope I haven't posted this one before. It's hard to keep track. This video shows the Rancourt factory, where I'm quite sure, that Eastland's Made in Maine collection is made. It'll make you appreciate your shoes more.

READ MORE - Eastland Made in Maine - Part Deux

Archival Clothing - Webbing Belt

The blog Archival Clothing is a dear favourite of mine and I promise, that they will be featured a lot more here in the times to come. I came to think of them today because I was putting on an old, cherised belt made by J.M Davidson, which is an O-ring belt made of a sort of hard nylon webbing. A bit too flimsy for my taste nowadays.

Archival Clothing has made their version of a classic webbing belt using cotton webbing from the UK, leather from Horween (Chromexcel, of course) in the US and finally solid brass O-rings, that were also sourced in the UK. The belt was assembled in Oregon in the US, where Archival Clothing also reside (except for one of them, who recently left for NY). The belt also features Archival Clothing's signature red bartacking.

If you have ever had anything made of solid brass, you know, that the brass will tarnish and the webbing will feel hard at first, but it will also soften. However it will probably never feel flimsy.

The best part about the belt is probably the price - just around $25,- I would definitely be ordering one, if it wasn't because I have been thinking about making such a belt myself. I just need to get around to doing it. 

READ MORE - Archival Clothing - Webbing Belt