The 2025 Stitchdown Patina Thunderdome is already fast approaching, and the best Dome boots this year… might just be the boots you already have?
Amidst more than $50,000 in prizes, we have two new Thunerdome categories complete with their own list of prizes: Pre-Worn, and Leather Goods. If you do happen to be in the market for a new pair, we’ve got you covered. This week it’s a duo of new loggers from Red Wing, limited shell engineers from Role Club and Brogue, as well as some bison Bliskavkas at Arno. All that and more below, so read on.
Check out all the past Shoes ‘n’ Boots of the Week 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.]
Red Wing 8-Inch Logger in Briar Oil Slick: $370
Here’s a former Europe exclusive available in the U.S. for the first time to celebrate Red Wing’s 120th year making boots, courtesy of Franklin & Poe and a few other retailers. The construction is exactly what we’re used to from Red Wing: thick veg-tan insole, cork filling, and a steel shank all held to the Vibram lug sole with a 360˚ storm welt. As loyalists of high-shafted boots (the proportions! the feeling!) this a clear win—hopefully they stick around. Available in the vastly underrated Briar Oil Slick upper leather…
Red Wing 8-Inch Logger in Black Oil Slick: $370
…and Black Oil Slick.
Brogue x Role Club Signature Engineer Boot in Black Shell Cordovan: $3,285 (Pre-order)
Brogue is teaming up with Mr. Boot Rogers Brian the Bootmaker to offer a limited run of ten engineers in teacore Italian shell cordovan. The model is Role Club’s signature engineer on the 1945 last, complete with the custom Role Club heel and embossed leather soles. Like all of Brian’s boots, they’re hand welted, and like most of them, they’re made to measure, so you’ll need to send your measurement to Brogue if you place an order. Expected to ship in April 2026.
Grant Stone Longwing in Safari Suede: $395 (Pre-Order)
GS has long loved applying interesting upper leathers to patterns that rarely see them—and the light Safari shade of CF Stead’s reliable Repello suede is kinda just perfect for some pop on their classic longwing blucher. You can also pre-order the Safari suede in Grant Stone’s tassel loafer, and Traveler penny loafer. Because they care, these and the below Husk suede pre-orders are all available in D, E, or EEE width.
Grant Stone Traveler Penny Loafer in Husk Suede: $395 (Pre-Order)
Stead’s husk suede is plenty more earthy, offering a rich deep brown to GS’s penny loafer…
Grant Stone Plain Toe Blucher in Husk Suede: $395 (Pre-Order)
…and PTB. Also the tassel loafer! D, E, and EE widths!
Brogue x Alden Jumper Boot in Color 8 Shell Cordovan: $928
Speaking of Brogue, they also have a new Alden makeup—a lot of shell over there this week. These Jumpers are built out with commando half soles and a 360˚ flat welt on the Barrie last. We’re including the worn pictures because we love how the shell lightens up at the creases, but there a plenty of unworn images on the product page linked above.
Lost & Found x Alden Plain Toe Boot in Color 8 Shell Cordovan: $998
Lost & Found just restocked the 4600H, a similar boot with a few notable differences. First, no cap toe. Second, they use the 379x military last which offers a round toe and snug waist, with some decent arch support. Hard to fault Lost & Found for making this one of their core models.
Arno Bliskavka Zip Up Boot in Cognac Shrunken Bison: $500
The lack of interruptions make side-zips (as well as true pull-on boots) an ideal platform for heavily textured leathers, which this 3mm pull-up Bison from law tanning definetly is. The zippers are from YKK and 270˚ flat welt is attached via a channel in the leather insole rather than gemming. Underfoot, there’s a Vibram Eaton outsole. Nice boots from great folks—read more about Arno here.
John Lofgren Glover Brogues in Red Brown Shell Cordovan: $1,550
Franklin & Poe’s other pickup this week is the Glover—Lofgren’s take on a British country boot executed in red-brown shell from Japan’s Shinki Hikaku. Here the Vibram Eaton outsoles are combined with a 260˚ storm welt and an all-eyelet hardware setup that matches the branded pull loops.
Bright Shoemakers Engineer Boot in Chestnut Brown: $518
The straightforwardly-named “Engineer” is Bright’s original pull-on model, with a rounder toe and shallow curve to the heel than their Vulture engineer. The uppers are combination tanned, then clicked, closed, and bottomed in Spain, and they’re constructed with a double midsole and rubber half soles. They just restocked in brown…
Bright Shoemakers Engineer Boot in Cyclone Black: $518
…and black.
Paraboot Michael 1950 in Canvas and Nubuck Gringo: $648
Paraboot’s has a new series of decade-themed Michaels and they’re pretty whimsical. The 1950, with its canvas plug and something (…almost looks like a nail-on toe tap? But on the top?) decoratively tacked to the toe is fairly tame…
Paraboot Michael 1970 in Sheep Hair: $648
…but there’s also a hair-on-hide 70’s version with an oversized kiltie, a sporty mesh version for the turn of the millennium that look eerily like hey dudes, and an abstract black and white 60s pair inspired by Courrèges’ fashion design.
Paraboot Michael 2020 in Beige Velvet: $648
The 2020 pair, which has a veg-tan mudguard and thick suede uppers, is probably going to have the widest appeal, but it’s always cool to see more experimental designs executed in a way that doesn’t just disregard build quality. Case in point: all of these decade-themed models have the same Norweigian welt and interior construction as Paraboot’s more standard offerings.
Oak Street Bootmakers Country Loafer in Natural Indigo CXL Roughout: $288
Indigo is the name of the game for this version of Oak Street’s Country Loafers (which we’re not 100% certain are made by amazing little Finger Lakes, NY outfit Aurora Shoe Co., but….) with a wide, near zero drop last, a cinch-able strap, and a Vibram Morflex outsole. All of that is assembled with 360˚ stitchdown, and they’re available in CXL roughout overdyed with natural Indigo that wants to fade like crazy (and probably turn your socks blue just fyi)…
Oak Street Bootmakers Country Loafer in Black Oil Tan Roughout: $268
…or black oil tan from Seidel.