Sunday 24 January 2010

Kudu, will do now that I have my boots

The waiting game is over...Lodger's Kudu Brogued Boot.

After interviewing Lodger's Nathan Brown back in September my imagination was overwhelmed following his description of his September shoe of the month, the Kudu Brogued Boot. From this moment on I have been day dreaming about them gracing my feet during the coming winter months and beyond. When the Clifford Street store released the first images of the boot I fell head over bootless heels. They were the boots I had dreamed of wearing this winter but until then did not know they actually existed. After placing my order in September I have been patiently...screw that...desperately waiting for that moment when I could take them home.

The boots gracing my feet...(worn with Unconditional wool trousers)

The wait was undoubtedly worth it. The boot is an eight eyelet brogued style, and has a skeleton lining of the same Kudu leather as the upper, and a full lining in a plush purple velvet from Scabal. The craftsman in Northampton have created something truly beautiful out of that antique African antelope hide. As there was only a certain amount of kudu leather available Lodger could only make around twenty five pairs or so. There was only one parcel of this wonderfully battered and aged leather remaining, and the two tanneries that know how to produce it have ceased operation. Once this leather is gone, it is gone forever and my resolve did not last too long and I'm so pleased that I am one of the fortunate few...

Spoken for...My boots were made on 16th October 2009

Lace up boots can be something of a sartorial testosterone shot. They were employed with great effect in a number of Autumn Winter 09 shows, including Alexander Mcqueen, Calvin Klein, Rick Owens, Lanvin and I let's not forget my particular favourite Tim Hamilton. Last year's February shows demonstrated that they can be both smart and causal. Thankfully this AW09 experimentation with boots continued through to a few of my favourite AW10 shows. Not surprisingly Rick Owens did not deviate too much from his futuro-goth aestheticand this included showcasing beautiful boots and cropped tailored trousers. However, there so many lace up boots used in a wonderful and inspiring variety of ways. From Damir Doma's monastic looks to Burberry's military inspired outerwear. From Dunhill's travelling gentleman (as below) to Lanvin's urban warriors. They are a catalyst for the silhouette whilst accentuating both skinny and loose fitting trousers. Lace up leather boots are undoubtedly a true staple of the season and now that I have my beloved Kudu boots in my possession I just had to experiment integrating them in to a few looks...

Relaxed tailoring...Carolyn Massey for Topman Lens scarf coat, red cord shirt from Uniqlo, Carolyn Massey mittens, Maison Martin Margiela trousers.

An air of the military...My trusty old favourite (but often forgotten) Zara coat styled up with a black patent belt from Topman, Carolyn Massey cable knit jumper, Unconditional wool trousers.

Updating my everyday uniform..Custom made suit jacket by j.a.daye worn with polka dot pocket square from Muji, blue oxford shirt from Uniqlo, Oliver Spencer patterned jumper and my slightly battered A.P.C jeans.

A close up shot of my favourite look which demonstrates the mix of textures and patters.

16 comments:

Unknown said...

fab boots x

Mouse said...

That Zara coat's wicked. Your tailored jacket looks good with jeans by the way, not to mention I'm pretty jealous of the boots too...

Percy said...

Lovely looking boots, had a pair of kudu desert boots a while back great leather really hardwearing. Also saw you in the saturday telegraph magazine yesterday!
-Percy
pauperthreads.wordpress.com

Brandon Bond said...

OH Steve! I AM SO JEALOUS!!!! These boots actually looke like the all time most perfect winter boot in the entire world. not only that but I believe they will get even better with a bit of age, some wear and tear and then a bit of tlc (got to keep them going). Congratulations on the new boots Steve!

-Brandon

whats-he-wearing.com said...

love the shoes, they look amazing. and love the last look, really smart.

LOVE!

MonsieurMonsieur said...

Hi - I like your blog and boots! I think you look better in very simple lines. the last outfit was a bit overlayered for you, but the overcoat look was a winner.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

WELL DONE STEVE!! Those are totally the nicest brogued boots I've ever seen. I'm green with envy, and I think my own (non-boot) brogues are going green with mould. Last night was the pretty much the first time all winter I ventured out without my trusty combat boots, and I got stuck in a rainstorm with my favourite brogues. Soaked.

Don't think you'll have to worry about that in those shitkickers!

Anonymous said...

Now those boots look great but how do you resole a rubber sole? Would they not have been even better with a leather sole? And the final look was grand.

Ernest

Unknown said...

oh the boots are amazing!!! just even the inside tag is great! heheh.

Style Salvage Steve said...

kirstyb: Thank you.
Mouse: Thanks, it was fun playing around different looks with the boots. I love them all.
Percy: Thanks, I've only just seen the Telegraph magazine piece..it feels strange being in the printed press.
Brandon Bond: Thanks dude! I have been thinking about these for so long and it feels so good to look down and see them on my feet and yes, I plan on growing old with them...no doubt they'll look alot better than I do with grey hair.
00o00: Thanks, the last look was a lot of fun putting together.
The Merry Miser: Thanks, I love the mix of patterns and textures of the last look but I agree, I tend to feel more comfortable in more simple lines.
Modernaged: Thanks and sorry to hear about your mouldy brogues...time for a new pair or at least a good clean and a polish?
Ernest: The Goodyear Welt is on a Commander rubber sole for a more rugged aesthetic more importantly durability. So these should last a lot longer without the need to resole.
If Jane: I love the inside tag, such a nice little touch that it is handwritten.

we could grow up 2gether said...

u'd be careful dude, me coming over to snag those!

Kevin Martel said...

Actually, that Kudu leather is not that rare. That particular 'pack' may have been old and 'found' in a warehouse, but this material is available from on of the UK's best tanneries, Charles Stead in Leeds. I make an entire range out of a softer, more contemporary suede version of Kudu. kudu are like rats in S. Africa and are widely hunted for their meat. The tannage on your boots could be easily replicated if needed.

Have a look at ours...www.harrysoflondon.com

Let me know what you think.

K. Martel
Creative Director
Harrys of London

Cheers

Style Salvage Steve said...

wecouldgrowuptogether: ha, I'll just have to sleep in them!
Kevin Martel: Thanks for your comment, we will check out your shoes today. First off though, apologies and further clarification are needed. Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest that kudu leather is rare, just this particular batch as it was one of a kind. The leather had been sitting in a shed for over twenty fives years, battered and gnarled and has been made in to these beautiful boots. It was this story that made them truly special to me.

Anonymous said...

whoa ur one heck of a cool person too!
oh and are staying in the same place as stylebubble???
the 2 of u have same the background:))?????

Trevor Howard said...

UniQlo has such great stuff! I'm a regular UniQlo shopper and I notice that none their new 2010 jeans in this new season have size waist 28 for men.

I'm waist 28 and loved (and bought lots of) UniQlo jeans. A lot of my friends are waist 28 and this means we can't buy any jeans from UniQlo any more. I was looking forward to a pair of black T-000 waist 28 length 30 jeans :(

I've written to them as the shop assistant said lots of people have asked and she said, "write to them and complain."

Have you had problems with waist sizes in shops? Size 28 is practically absent in some shops!

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