Admittedly, I’m a bit of a hoarder. When I find something I like, I try to get it in every color. Recently, I’ve been doing this with a couple different things: Patagonia Stand Up shorts, as I’m afraid they are about to discontinue them, the Duck Head field pants (in every color), and Russell Moccasin boots. I now have five pairs of Russells, and love each one. I’ll get into the collection in another post, but today I want to talk about these.
My decisions on Russells have been a rather slow burn. I don’t get a bunch of pairs at once, but instead figure out where they would fit in my wardrobe…
I saw this pair at SEWE last year, and haven’t been able to stop thinking about them:
They are Cavaliers, but made with Red Maple Boomer Leather, which is a really nice, supple, oily leather that should patina extremely well. I’ve wanted a pair of Russells that I can wear to the office that aren’t too rugged, and these are the winners.
They are everything I love about Russell Moccasins: the fit, the look, the quality, and the style. While I’m not treating these like ‘dress boots’, I am going to wear these in more formal settings than chasing quail around a field. I like to think I’ll wear these in situations that I’d wear my Red Wing 1178s, Chelsea boots, or Bean Boots. That’s the roll these will play in the lineup.
More details:
I couldn’t be happier. Be on the lookout for these making an appearance in #WIWT soon….
Those are beauts. Given the lead time to make them, and the cost, I think I will be leaving a trail of breadcrumbs for my wife as my Christmas gift next year. I have two pairs of their shoes, and they are simply the best thing I have ever put on my feet. For what it’s worth, Russell’s allows buyers to split payments, half down, half on completion, which makes the initial nut easier to swallow. Regardless, they are worth every penny.
Any tips on breaking in or conditioning? I have the same pair but would like to darken the leather a bit, if possible. My parents inadvertently threw my last pair away thinking they were trash. I will never get over it. Perfectly broken-in pair that I purchased my freshman year of college.
Discontinuing stand-up shorts or just the 5″ ones? I found some 5″ inch ones at Half Moon Outfitters — only one color but a full size run in case anyone is wanting to lock down a pair before they go the way of the dodo.
These work with the pants leg taper you prefer? Pictures wearing them with some five pockets would be cool. Beautiful though.
I have a couple pair of Zephyrs with the zipper up the back and they fit a bit tighter than the Cavalier. I ebay’d my Cav’s a while back and wear Gokey field pull-ons I bought in college.because their top is narrower.
Russell Moccasin can always take some out of the top if you feel they are too wide for your leg.
Post a breakdown of your Russell lineup. Huge fan of Russell…I’m up to 4 pairs and eyeing a couple more!