Behold: Black Friday Friweek Frimonth is here, and we have dutifully and diligently gathered up all the very best sales we could find. Returning to our regularly scheduled programming, we’ve also got a Chelsea collab on a vintage Canadian military last at Viberg, two brand new models cooked up by Grant Stone, in-stock, handsewn, horsebutt White’s, and more, in this weeks: Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week.
You can browse the SBW archives at your leisure here.
[Ed Note: while we never choose anything specifically because of them, some of these recommendations contain affiliate links—the price is the same for you, but Stitchdown gets a small commission if you make a purchase. It’s essential to keeping the site alive, so we really, really appreciate it.]
Oak Street Bootmakers U.S.N. Field Shoe (N-1) in Natural Chromexcel Roughout: $492 (On Limited Black Friday Sale)
There’s going all out, and then there’s THIS. Oak Street has taken its already very good and faithful U.S. Navy “Field Shoe”—the natural CXL roughout, raw-cord-soled WWII-issue boot, more casually known as a boondocker—and sourced three pieces of ridiculously cool period-relevant ephemera. Each pair comes with a deadstock can of WWII dubbing (probably don’t actually use it on your boots?!? But maybe!!), similar vintage laces (can’t hurt to give them a shot!) and a randomly selected U.S. Navy “code flag” card, so you become expert in reading read exactly one random Navy code flag.
The whole package down to the Coyote Brown #10 milspec cotton duck shoe bags is just incredible thoughtful and we’ve never seen anything quite like it. Add that to maybe the best-looking boot OSB’s ever made (and their Black Friday Sale pricing, for now), and there’s a lot to dig here.
David Coggins x Viberg “The Outsider Boot” in Tobacco Chamois: $970 (Pre-order)
The Outsider is a collaboration with David R. Coggins, author of, among others, Men and Style (2016) and The Optimist: A Case for the Fly Fishing Life (2021). This isn’t the first collaboration between a boot brand and a best-selling author. (That brand? Rancourt. That author? Also David Coggins.) But it’s noteworthy for sitting on the vanishingly rare 500 last, a vintage Canadian military last which Viberg describes as fitting similarly in width to the 2030 last, with a rounded toe. The construction is Viberg’s channelled insole Goodyear welt, for which the (split) welt it sewn directly to a channel in the insole, instead of to canvas gemming. The uppers are Horween tobacco chamois, with “The” and “Outsider” embroidered onto the pull-tabs.
Rivet & Hide x Viberg 2040 Service Boot in Black Oil Tan Roughout: $850
London raw-denim scene staple Rivet & Hide dropped their own Viberg collaboration this week, including a commando soled 2040 Service Boot using a sturdy roughout oil-tan from Seidel. The details are thoroughly blacked out, right down to the seven eyelets, and the black waxed cotton laces, and black thread on the double-row stitchdown construction.
Rivet & Hide x Viberg Scout Boot in Brown Waxed Flesh: $850
The second model is a similarly beefy Scout Boot, which in some ways takes the model back to its roots. It’s built on the round toed 1035 last instead of the almond-y 2030, and it uses double row stitchdown instead of the welted construction used on most of the more recent scouts, and a 2021 wedge in place of the thinner Christy. The design recall’s an early era of Japanese-market boots which a certain subset of boot-lovers are likely to really enjoy.
White’s Boots C350-CS in Crazy Cow: $650
To accompany their super-duper semi-annual sale, White’s released a handful of in-stock boots in limited run leathers, including C.F. Stead Crazy Cow versions of their high arched, machine stitchdown wedge-soled boots, the C350CS…
White’s Boots C350LTT-CS in Crazy Cow: $650
…and its brand new lace to toe sibling, the C350LTT-CS, which both look fantastic.
White’s Stockman in Maryam Muschio Horsebutt: $650
White’s also released two in-stock boots in horsebutt, which had previously been available only via special collabs or as a custom order option through Baker’s. There’s a machine-stitched Stockman on a Vibram 430 mini-lug which might just be the platonic form of a boot…
White’s Original Packer in Muschio Horsebutt: $700
…and an in-stock (!) Original Packer built on White’s hand-sewn stitchdown construction.
Grant Stone Garrison Boot in Olive Minerva Box: $380
The Garrison Boot is a brand new model from Grant Stone, and it’s packed full of firsts: their first all eyelet boot, their first one-piece contiguous counter-cover, their first 270˚ GYW construction, and their first brogued upper. You can get all the details on it here, so I won’t spoil too much, but they’re currently available in a tumbled Badalassi olive Minerva Box veg-tan…
Grant Stone Garrison Boot in Crimson Kudu: $380
…Crimson Kudu…
Grant Stone Garrison Boot in Color #8 Chromexcel: $380
…and the ever popular Color #8 Chromexcel.
Grant Stone Josephine Chelsea Boot in Black Calf: $360
Grant Stone is one of a short list of our favorite bootmakers to offer a dedicated women’s line, which gained a new model in the form of the Josephine Chelsea, named for Queen Victoria’s bootmaker. The construction mirror’s the brand’s mens boots, with a veg-tanned insole, 360˚ flat welt, and midsole, cork fill, and a steel shank. They’re available in black calfskin…
Grant Stone Josephine Boot in Dark Oak Roughout: $328
…and Dark Oak Roughout, among others.
Halo x Alden Indy Boot in Clay Nubuck: $706
Alden’s newest leather, tumbled clay nubuck, has been making the rounds, and it popped up this week at Halo on an Indy variant with a well curated selection of customizations, including an external counter-cover, brown hardware, and a commando half-sole. (Rightfully) left unchanged are the Trubalance last and 270˚ storm welt. The combination of various low-saturation browns creates makes for an almost garment-dyed appearance that, (at least to us) comes of as comfortably worn in.
Brogue x Alden Montrose Boot in Black Shell Cordovan: $929
Brouge’s Montrose collab is a shell-cordovan dress boot on Alden’s Plaza last, a slim dress last with a soft chisel-toe. The blacked out design is pared back, with an all eyelet hardware setup, a 360˚ flat welt, and an oiled double leather sole, the only adornment on the otherwise minimalist design coming in the form of a medallion on the toe.