White's Semi-dress Boots..

[Doublegun]

Thanks, BL. First of all, well done on the boots. Is it just me or does the classic brown apprae to be a little "richer" in tone than the British tan?

 

[Grayland]

Thanks, BL. First of all, well done on the boots. Is it just me or does the classic brown apprae to be a little "richer" in tone than the British tan?

I've tried to forget about White's Semi-Dress (as I really don't need to spend any more money), but when I was researching them, I remember thinking the brown was way too close to black in my opinion.

 

[Doublegun]

My semi-dress are in the dark brown and the color is pretty lack-luster. It's a practical color, works well with pretty much any color jeans/khaki's/wool pants but there is nothing special about it. If I order a pair of the shoes I want to go with a lighter color, like the British Tan or the brown BL had his semi-dress built in.

 

[bl@ster]

Thanks, BL. First of all, well done on the boots. Is it just me or does the classic brown apprae to be a little "richer" in tone than the British tan?

That's correct. The brown dress leather is a very deep brown, sometimes looking almost black in certain lighting conditions. I think it will age very nicely though with lighter brown accents.

 

[Dickie Teenie]

Hey bl@aster how is your HH looking, any recent pic's? Curious minds want to know, you know.

 

[Griemersma]

Which soles???

So, I've been wanting a pair of SD's for about five years now, and might actually get around to buying some now. Currently, I can't decide which sole configuration to go with, though. The main factors I'm taking into account are comfort, looks, and durability/ease of resoling. After looking at many, many photos on the internet (but never actually seeing or handling any in real life) I have decided that I like the looks of the single leather sole the best. I have never had any leather soled boots before, so I am not really sure what to expect as far as comfort and durability. Does anyone have first hand experience that can comment on the longevity and comfort of White's leather soles as compared to the Vibram's? How many years of wear do most people get out of them, and how much does White's charge to resole? As far as the comfort factor goes, I am on my feet most of the day in a concrete-floored classroom, but I still like to take my kids out to the park and do things outside--what do you guys think would be best?

--G.

 

[s_crumb]

I can't speak to the comfort etc of White's leather soles, but as someone who wears leather soled dress shoes everyday. I would not want to have boots with a plain leather sole. I would imagine they would be slick and not provide much cushion. That's why I chose double midsoles and rubber half soles.

 

[s_crumb]

Can anyone recommend a polish to use on my brown chrome excel SD's? I'm surprised at how easily they scuff and mark. Is there anything I can use to hide some of the marks?

 

[Bums_Fan]

My White's Semi-Dress showed up a couple of weeks ago. Can't say enough good things about Baker's Shoes/Kyle's customer service. The wait was just over two months, but worth it.

 

[Boyo]

Bums,

How much wear have you put into the above pair.. they look like they are breaking in nicely..

 

[coloradorider]

Can anyone recommend a polish to use on my brown chrome excel SD's? I'm surprised at how easily they scuff and mark. Is there anything I can use to hide some of the marks?

You can usually remove the marks by heating up the boots and rubbing the mark lightly with a soft cloth. I'll leave them in the car in summer until the leather gets a warm to the touch. The leather is stuffed with wax so when you heat the boot you soften the waxes and can even the finish out. I use Obenauf's Leather Oilto treat my boots and avoid polishes. The Obenauf's HD LP is very good but it may darken your boots permanently.

Cheers

 

[coloradorider]

I can't speak to the comfort etc of White's leather soles, but as someone who wears leather soled dress shoes everyday. I would not want to have boots with a plain leather sole. I would imagine they would be slick and not provide much cushion. That's why I chose double midsoles and rubber half soles.

The leather lined soles are treacherous when it's wet, icy, or snowy. I personally like the look of the Vibram 269 the best but your mileage may vary. I don't personally like crepe soles but I have friends who swear by them that work on a concrete floor all day.

 

[Bums_Fan]

Bums,

How much wear have you put into the above pair.. they look like they are breaking in nicely..

Five full days of wear and a couple half days. They felt comfortable from day one.

 

[univibe88]

Here's my SDs after shoveling 2 feet of snow today! Not great pics, but I thought you guys would appreciate a snapshot of some SDs being worked hard.

They are sealed with Obenauf's and kept my feet dry. I have Vibram half soles. I chose the half soles b/c of the vintage look and to provide some traction. They are still a bit slippery but got the job done.

I don't baby these boots at all. I wear them hiking in mud, shovelling snow, painting, etc. I just treat them with Obenauf's about once a year. I love them! I recently took a 7 mile urban hike on cement and my feet felt great.

 

[smoothsailor]

Here are mine black chrome excel semi dress with brown chrome excel back stay leather.
Ive been wearing them since november, neverhad a better shoe. At first I thought that the whites arch ease system felt like my sock rolled down and got stuck under my foot. After 2 days it felt comfortable.

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[univibe88]

Those look great!

 

[Boisebooter]

Thanks to you all for the wealth of information about White's semi dress boots. I have been wanting some for a while and the wait is going to kill me; I ordered my pair from Bakers yesterday. I ordered the British Tan with No Toe Cap, the Vibram Composition Half Sole, Antique Eyes & Hooks, Edge Natural, Upper (Shaft) Leather British Tan, Midsole Single, no Pull Loops, no Leather Liner, Sole Trim Close, Last #38 Swing Last, Toe Vamp Leather British Tan, Celastic Toe Box Single Celastic Toe, Heel Base 90 Degree Blocked off Heel (Traveler). The basic semi-dress starter package.
I wear black 6" Hathorn's as my daily work boot. I had an 18 year old pair cut down to semi-dress height after sending them for a rebuild to see if I would like the height and where it hits the ankle. I like it but it probably is not a true comparison to the big brother that I ordered.
Thanks to Kyle at Bakers and thanks for the recommendation, so far so good. Looking forward to them although fire season may push em' back a couple of weeks.

 

[bl@ster]

Got some new White's Semi Dress in from Baker's. Here's the config and photos.

•Leather 1: Brown Smooth
•Celastic Toe Box: Single
•Leather Liner: Tan
•Eyelet Color: Nickel
•Sole Trim: Close Trim
•Eyelet Configuration : Eyelet
•Sole: Leather
•Heel Shape: Curve
•Heel Height: Minus 1/4"
•Last: Standard
•Midsole: Standard
•Midsole/Edge Color: Natural

 

[bl@ster]

And some new British Tan SD's came in as well. Here's the specs and photos.

Last Standard, Sole Leather, Hardware All Antique Eyes, Edge Natural, Upper (Shaft) Leather British Tan, Midsole Single, Pull Loops No Thanks, Leather Liner Tan, Sole Trim Close Trim, Toe Vamp Leather British Tan, Toe Cap Leather Toe Cap, Celastic Toe Box Single Celastic Toe, Heel Base 90 Degree Blocked off Heel (Traveler)

 

[bl@ster]

I want to add a third set to the record that I just took delivery on. This may seem like overkill, but I think it's important to document the options and leather. It's been very helpful to search this thread to see what various leathers look like on White's boots before choosing a config.

Anyway, here's the config and photos:

•Leather: Brown Dress
•Celastic Toe Box: Single
•Steel Toe: No
•Leather Liner: Tan
•Pull Loop: No
•Eyelet Color: Antique
•Sole Trim: Close Trim
•Eyelet Configuration : Eyelet
•Sole: Leather
•Heel Shape: Curve
•Heel Height: Minus 1/4"
•Last: Standard
•Midsole: Standard
•Midsole/Edge Color: Natural