White's Semi-dress Boots..

[1911 Man]

Speak of the devil, Baker's notified me on Friday that my new boots are on the way, they will be delivered Monday.

 

[PoohBang]

excellent news. I've really grown on these whites SD... they're a lot like what my old nikes were.. as in they're light weight for the most part and comfortable....

 

[univibe88]

I agree. Mine are really breaking in nicely.

1911, can't wait to see your new beauties.

 

[lupo]

I've had mine for a few months now, and love 'em. Only proviso I'd give: the dress brown only shows as brown when scuffed, and they're not as "semidress" as I was hoping, at least with the celastic toe. You can wear 'em with a sports coat, but it's a bit of a style push. Great boot though. Best I've ever worn. I'll post a photo when I can figure out the lighting.

 

[1911 Man]

My boots have arrived, and I am very happy with them, the British Tan is a winner. I'll post some pics soon, I've been so busy at work that I haven't even had a chance to wear the things past trying them on. They look almost identical to bl@ster's boots on page 9, if you want to look. I would agree they're not a very "dressy" boot. I would wear them with a sportcoat, if the sportcoat were a herringbone, tweed, or courderoy(sp?) type fabric, because I've always felt those fabrics can be dressy and rugged at the same time, much like these boots. I mostly wear khakis, both cargos and chinos, and I think these go well. I wanted the light color tan so I could wear these as a summertime boot, but I am also pleased to find the boots are also perfect for fall clothes. The colors work very well. Again, I will try to post pics by the end of the weekend. I also plan to pick up some better laces, like the leather ones posted by Univibe. Thanks for the link on those.

 

[bl@ster]

1911 Man: Glad it worked out and the customer service was excellent. Look forward to photos. What was the original brown color that was too dark and different from the sample? I've noticed that the "dress brown" is very tricky, in some lighting it looks dark brown but in other lighting looks black.

 

[univibe88]

1911 Man, I always enjoy hearing stories of great customer service. I'm glad White's took care of you and that you are happy with the results. I look forward to seeing some pictures.

 

[1911 Man]

Sorry for the delay, but here they are! British Tan, cap toe, 90' heel, double leather sole, close trim, tan leather liner. The first 2 pics are in sunlight

Then indoor lighting with and without flash

In answer to bl@ster, the first pair were cognac water buffalo. I liked them in the pics on the website, so I asked for a leather sample. The sample looked just like the website pic. When the boots arrived, they were a much brighter, eye watering orange. Think hunter blaze orange. Couldn't do them.

Back when I first decided I might like these boots, my first thought was British Tan, but the sample they sent and website pics were darker than I wanted, but yours were so nice. I reasoned that if the cognac was lighter in person, the BT might be also. It is, the finished product is much lighter, and what I wanted all along. I was able to wear them quite a bit over the weekend , and they are breaking in nicely. I do have to say both Bakers and Whites took very good care of me. It will be a long time before I need more boots, but I will happily go with Whites again.

 

[IsaacRN]

Im hoping you all with multiple White experience can help me out. I just received my Semi Dress in Black Chrome Excel Boots. After all the measurements in the catalog, the company put me in a 11.5 EE. So i take the boots out of the box, and they fit like a glove. They are simply comfortable. Now the insert says they should fit snug. I called White's and told them my concern, and they said to wear them around the house. They also stated that the Chrome Excel should not stretch much if any. Now mind you, I usually wear shoes that are too narrow (width D) and they stretch out to comfort with use. So im just a bit concerned that they might become too big with use. Am I just being paranoid? I would assume they took my measurements and decided I needed to be in the width of a EE. I cant wait to wear these beauties.

 

[PoohBang]

1911 those should break in great! Great choice on options

 

[1911 Man]

IsaacRN - From the way you describe, it sounds like your boots fit great. I wouldn't worry about them stretching enough that they fit too loose. I would love to see a pic of black chrome excel, if you can post one. I've never seen that except on White's webpage.

PoohBang, thank you. I've only had them a little while, but the last week I've been tromping around in them everywhere I could, and they are molding to my foot nicely, as well as developing nice creases. The color is incredible, my pics don't capture it well, my camera is rather mediocre. I am so glad I went with British Tan.

 

[daizawaguy]

New Bounty Hunter from Whites. Same last as the semi dress, but 6", and toe vamp / counter leather parts are different. Black bull hide and rough out.

 

[daizawaguy]

 

[daizawaguy]

 

[PoohBang]

Nice bounty hunters. I like the mix of rough and smooth. And a new pair of SC to go with them too!

 

[djgo-cat-go]

New Bounty Hunter from Whites. Same last as the semi dress, but 6", and toe vamp / counter leather parts are different. Black bull hide and rough out.

Veeery nice!

 

[Lefty]

A pair of these is going to be my Christmas gift, so I've got a couple of decisions to make. With a couple of days worth of playing around with combinations, I think I like the Baker's Bounty Hunter on the Semi-Dress last, rolled top, antique brass hooks and eyes, no toe treatment (box or cap), no pulls, single sole - to which I'll also ask for Cat's Paws.

So, the big decision is: standard brown or the Horween brown chrome excel?

 

[illumin8em]

.

Sounds good, if I had to do it over (if it woulda been offered at the time) I would have gone for the bounty hunter on semi dress last. You probably know that the standard brown looks almost black at times (go check out my post on sufu, you can compare the brown with a black of a pair of 1000 miles in one photo) so if you truly want a brown, go with the chromexcel. But..., over the summer I was traveling through VA and spotted a pair of Semi dress from 50yrs away. They were the best looking pair I have ever seen, and the only other pair besides my own that I have ever seen in person. He was from Nashville, and said his friends at Imogene+Willie convinced him to get a pair and he can't take them off. I asked him what the color was and he said he didn't know, just the tan they offered. It looked as if it was a British tan at the start and I am telling you, this was the best looking patina I have seen. I have been meaning to call them up and ask what they had offered and then call up Bakers to see if they could get the same but... well you know... they are expensive.

So, if you want to start out light, I would do find out what Bakers can get.

A pair of these is going to be my Christmas gift, so I've got a couple of decisions to make. With a couple of days worth of playing around with combinations, I think I like the Baker's Bounty Hunter on the Semi-Dress last, rolled top, antique brass hooks and eyes, no toe treatment (box or cap), no pulls, single sole - to which I'll also ask for Cat's Paws.

So, the big decision is: standard brown or the Horween brown chrome excel?

 

[Lefty]

Thanks for the advice, it's nice to hear from someone who's had them for a while.

I know that the dress brown starts off almost black, but I love the pictures of the worn ones that start to show brown. On the other hand, starting dark brown and having the cache in my mind that Horween carries is a bit of an advantage. I'm not sure that I can start off with something much lighter than that. But, then again, that British tan looks pretty nice. It's the lack of wear photos that make this so tough.

 

[univibe88]

On the other hand, starting dark brown and having the cache in my mind that Horween carries is a bit of an advantage.

I agree. Check out this interesting blog. In particular look at the pair of belts pictured - new vs. 5 years.

http://horween.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/chromexcel®-2/