u/Crouchback2268

The first boot is (I think) my Dome build from the Boots on the Line post this week: Cypress Raisin Cherry with a wingtip, etc. The second picture is of u/Few-Movie2373's beautiful pair he posted about a week ago in the same leather. Mine look significantly lighter. Do you think this is an artifact of the lighting, or do you think there may be this much variation in the Raisin Cherry hides? I'll find out myself in a few weeks, of course, but the apparent deeper richness of u/Few-Movie2373's pair is what I have been hoping for.

These have been waiting at home for ten days until I got back from vacation and are exactly what I hoped for. Ordered on June 18 as a Father's Day Lightning Ship and delivered on July 28. I'm thinking of these as my summer boots:

• HNW Last, 12C
• Horween Aspen Acorn
• 4 inch
• Cut top, no pull loop.
• Celastic Toe
• Natural Edge
• Block Heel
• 268 Western Outsole

Apologies to everyone who is excited about this leather, but once I saw this I had no choice. In my defense, I can't wait to see how the plaid patinas and am looking forward to seeing some more builds of the production run.

My first pair of Nicks! Well, kind of. I decided to be thrifty in my first purchase and got a pair of 5-inch lace-ups similar to these on the Marketplace for a decent price. I quickly discovered that the 1925 last does not work for my narrow feet with Neanderthal toes, so those beautiful boots in W&C Bridle Harness Tan (also in 12C) will be going back up as soon as my cobbler finishes fixing a lose thread.

I was obviously disappointed, and suddenly these LL64s on the HNW last popped up in my size on the Ready to Ship page. It seemed like destiny, and I ordered them immediately. They fit perfectly. My wife has declared in a good natured way that I have a "boot problem," and she doesn't even know about the Horween Aspen Acorn pair that are in production right now.

Edited for spelling/grammar.

Pic 1 - At Great Dixter garden in the Cotswolds. Filson Cover Cloth Trench (with side-entry pockets I had my tailor add from other waxed canvas I sourced); light-weight Japanese selvage denim sewn by Taylor Stitch in California 10+ years ago; Filson Tin Cloth Packer Hat; Red Wing Blacksmith boots in CRT leather but treated with Sno-Seal for waterproofing.

Pic 2- Same garden in a different location, same outfit. My woman is in a Barbour Acorn with a Hermes vintage scarf and Patagonia shrunken buffalo leather Chelsea boots..

Pic 3 - On the way to dinner at The Fox Inn in Broadwell, Cotswolds. Jacket is Taylor Stitch's Ojai Chore Jacket in Harris Tweed. The ivy cap is from Sterkowski, also in Harris Tweed. Same Blacksmiths (which were the only shoes I took on the trip). Pants are just Banana Republic chinos in a straight fit.

Pic 4 - The beach in Seaford just before hiking the cliffs of the Seven Sisters. Same jacket and cap. Jeans are heavyweight Japanese selvage, also from Taylor Stitch and also sewn in California 10+ years ago.

Pic 5 - Bath, UK in some very, very heritage wear sourced from a local theatrical company via Strictly Jane Austin tours.

My father bought this new in 1992, and it was his dream car. He always look so happy driving it. He died unexpectedly in 2002, and I had it for the next 15 years as my daily driver. My younger brother had it for next 10 but--with young children--did not have the time to keep up with what was essentially a hobby car for him; it wound up in the garage with one light stuck up in a wink because it had no power. Now it's being shipped off to Austin where one of his son's has the time and inclination to bring it fully back to life. A 3-generation Porsche and a ton of fun to drive.

Edited for grammar.

I recently took a three-week trip to Ireland, France (for a wedding), and southern England, taking my Blacksmiths as my only footwear for the entire trip.

They did did it all: hanging out in Paris and London and Oxford, touring English gardens, attending the wedding in a bespoke suit, standing in for Regency boots in a costumed tour of Bath, walking the fields at Stonehenge, walking the stones of the British beaches, and hiking the Cotswolds / cliffs above Dublin Bay / and the chalk cliffs of the Seven Sisters.

TLDR: Blacksmiths can do it all.