Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

Some Thoughts on What Makes a Perfect Chelsea Boot—And Five Pairs I’ve Come to Love

For the longest time, I positioned myself quite actively against Chelsea boots. Boots should have laces, I said! But Chelsea boots do not have laces. So there I was, avoiding Chelsea boots at all costs, without a true shred of experience wearing them... Read More...

Shoes ‘n’ Booze Of The Week: Whiskey Wolverines, Armagnac Unmarkeds, and Calvados Enzos

The leaves are turning shades of gold, red and brown, and with that comes some magnificent shades of footwear from some of our favorite makers. Read on to learn about a new leather offering from Nicks Boots, some magnificent shell cordovan pairs from... Read More...

Østmo x Iron Boots: Lars Reveals an Immensely Exciting Upcoming Partnership

Way back in some far-off distant boot past, Lars Jensen was the first-ever Shoecast guest. He came on to tell us his story, one of making truly incredible Østmo boots, 100% by himself, one pair at a time. Now, Lars is back to tell us about Østmo's fu... Read More...

How to Take Excellent Boot and Shoe Photos: 7 Quick ‘n’ Easy Hot Hot Tips

There's nothing more normal than walking down the street and seeing someone taking a photo of their shoes. Everybody does it! It is, in many ways, what makes us human. Or, possibly, people think it's slightly weird but don't do anything about it! ... Read More...

Shoes ‘n’ Boots Of The Week: Ready For Stormy Weather With Viberg, Alden, and Norman Vilalta

The theme of this Shoes 'n' Boots Of The Week is: foul weather. The autumnal rainfall is approaching. So: boots. We've got lots of options to consider this week from the likes of Viberg, Parkhurst, Alden, and more. This is our last roundup before ... Read More...

Benzein’s New Engineer Boots—and Kapak Last—are Looking Gooooood

Benzein is without question among the top bootmakers from Indonesia—an absolute hotbed of hand-welted bootmaking that sometimes seems to make quantum leaps in quality and craftsmanship every hour. And Benzein's new engineer boot—the Keeper Type 2—is... Read More...

Nick Horween’s Leather School: What Is Loose Grain in Leather, and Why Does it Occur?

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Nick Horween's Leather School, where the fifth-generation tanner from Chicago's deservedly famed Horween Leather Co. offers unique insight into leathers of all kinds and their properties, especially through the len... Read More...

oak street bootmakers_lakeshore_boot toscanello horse rump

Shoes ‘n’ Boots of The Week That’ll Make You Go “Sheeeeeeeeeeesh!”

This week’s roundup is bussin’, respectfully. New drops from Viberg, a ton of kudu from Meermin, a trio of limited editions from Oak Street Bootmakers...we’ve got it all right here. Check out our previous roundups here. The Stitchdown Pat... Read More...

Foolproof Ways to Get the Best Possible Customer Service When Buying Boots (And, You Know, Anything Else)

There are few things more wonderful than a great customer service experience—especially on an expensive purchase. Unfortunately, they're also a bit too rare. But there IS A WAY to get fantastic, loving, oh-so-sublime customer service! Oh yes, there i... Read More...

New Shoe Shop Alert: Dashing Chicago Is Primed to Get Creative with Alden, Edward Green, and More

If any new brick-and-mortar retailer focusing on quality footwear opens up in the US, it’s a story. But when that store sells Edward Green and Alden (including a deep forthcoming lineup of custom makeups) with plans to expand out from, and used to ru... Read More...