Stitchdown - Wear Better Shoes

How Ticho’s and My Shoe Journeys Got Us Where We Are Today

Ahhhh, the Shoe Journey. The voyage from understanding essentially nothing about great shoes and boots to...GETTING IT. It's a path that winds in all directions, and no journey is the same for any two people. But there are almost always similariti... Read More...

How to Find the Best Possible Shoe & Boot Values

WHAT ARE THE BEST VALUE SHOES I CAN BUY? It's the thing everyone wants to know. And while there are some sure-thing answers when it comes to pure bang-for-the-buck, finding the best value footwear, for you, and perhaps more importantly, extracting th... Read More...

Mark (Albert) Barbera on How to Start a Boot Company, and the Future of US-Made Footwear

Mark Barbera of Mark Albert Boots had a dream: make some Chelsea boots. Next thing he knew, he had an entire boot company, operating out of his hometown of Somerset, the little known maple syrup (and maple butter wings) capital of Pennsylvania. Fa... Read More...

Is Shell Cordovan Overrated or What??

SHELL CORDOVAN! That most magical of shoe leathers. King of shine, paragon of durability, bastion of beauty. There really is nothing quite like it. But shell cordovan also has its downsides! The cost, the maintenance, rolls gone wrong. So is it t... Read More...

Black Friday Shoe & Boot Sales: All the Best From 2020

Black Friday: what a wonderful day month. And Stitchdown is here once again to ensure you can maximize all that extra Black Fridayness by cataloging the best shoe & boot sales from all over—and also, for the first time, some clothes and such, bec... Read More...

How to Score Alden Rare Shell Cordovan—Plus Plenty More in the Shoecast Shoebag

"How do I get my hands on some Alden rare shell cordovan boots or shoes?" It's one of the questions we get asked the most. So Ben from @stitchdown and @tichoblancoshoes decided to crack it open, along with plenty of other listener questions you can l... Read More...

Onderhoud Handmade x Stitchdown Lineman Boot

The Onderhoud Handmade x Stitchdown LCV01 Lineman Boot: How to Get a Pair

Over a year ago, I did an interview with the exceptional one-man bootmaker Lars from Østmo, and asked him who else's work he really appreciated. Lars said Rizky Afnan of Onderhoud, an Indonesian bootmaker who can fairly claim to be—in this humble boo... Read More...

Standard & Strange’s Neil on Engineers, and Getting Detained in Japanese Jail With John Lofgren

Neil Berrett, co-founder of the excellent Oakland booterdashery Standard & Strange, is many things. A Viberg and Wesco makeup wizard. A dutiful procurer of Japanese fashion (including John Lofgren boots). A kind-hearted soul who legitimately c... Read More...

Almost Vintage Style vs Tichoblanco: The Stitchdown Bootbate

The Shoecast Is Back With The Stitchdown Bootbate (It’s a Debate About Boots)

After a rollicking first season, the Stitchdown Shoecast is BACK for number two. And to make the return even more special, this first episode presents the first-ever Stitchdown Bootbate, an extremely formal and rigid debate...about boots!...pitting S... Read More...

shell cordovan care—Carmina shell cordovan boots

Shell Cordovan Care: Absolutely Everything You Need To Know

Shell cordovan, that most magical of leathers derived from a horse's hindquarters, is also one that stands to benefit most from regular care. Can you just let your shell breathe, take a beating, and patina away? Absolutely! And it can look great! ... Read More...