I ordered a pair of five-eyelet blucher boots, unlined, in snuff waterproof suede with a microcellular rubber sole on 697 last.
They came in yesterday, and I wore them for the first time today. Gravati really outdid themselves this time. As the quote above illustrates, I was expecting the boots to come in as a variant of the standard five-eyelet 15950; and indeed, they are marked with the 15950 model number. But they aren't 15950s. Their shafts are about a quarter inch shorter than on 15950, and they have three eyelets instead of five. There is a row of stitching outside of the eyelets, too, which the 15950 doesn't have. The shape of the quarters is completely different. And then there's the back of the boot. Where 15950 has a back strap covering the back seam, these boots have none. Instead, they have stitching resembling an abbreviated counter, holding a suede heel lining in place. They are indeed unlined, except for a narrow strip at the top; and they are made from snuff Janus suede, one of British tanner CF Stead's lineup. The smooth side is finished, so it's perfect for an unlined shoe. I don't know what model this boot actually is, but I like it very much, and I'm certainly interested in having the boot made up again. Jim Pierce, the owner of the shoe concession at Harold's in the Heights, has contacted Barbara, the Gravati US Rep, who will contact Ettore Gravati to find out the model details so that this will be possible. Hallelujah!
2 comments:
So you're not pissed about the eyelet thing? Did they ask you before they made the change?
No, they didn't contact me before making the change; and in fact, I didn't remember specifying the 15950 model until I went back through my posts just before writing this one. I suppose I should be upset, but what they delivered was more desert-boot like than what I came up with; so I'm not.
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