See an interesting quirk of shoe design out and about that catches your eye? Share it here!
I’ve shared some longer stray thoughts about patterning and design here in the past, like this topic on the way Danner patterns tall boot quarters. But I ran into another, smaller thing today that I’d hesitate to make a whole topic about, even though I think it could be fun for others to see.
I’m sure other folks see stuff to share just like that. So let’s have a place for it.
Check out the tidbits of topstitching on the false tongues for these Red Wing 991s:
It’s like one shake of Tabasco on a mound of mashed potatoes. A little dab o’ western on it!
It also makes me laugh from thinking about how many factory pulls-ons I see with the bugs and wrinkles positioned all over the place. I always figured the wrinkles were supposed to go over the break, but I’ve seen them way back to way down on the toe, over the stiffener.
@thenewreligion I thought you might find this fun. It kind of got me wondering whether @Customboots ever did inlay in false tongues for some lacers, too. I suppose it’s just another canvas.
I’m pretty sure that the background here was that Red Wing did a few low- or roper-heeled but pointier-toed boots for its job site and employer contracts back in the nineties, when lacers had a moment back in Western fashion. Later on, they also did 931s, which had slightly lower shafts, more red-brown leather, and over-molded “Supersoles” with rattlesnake tread patterns, both soft- and safety-toe, in all the widths. They were clearly looking for ways to add a little country 'tude to what are essentially crew boots.
Apart from the pointier toes and kilties thrown in the boxes, the 991s look to be a pretty standard Derby pattern with foxed heel counter covers and bowling-pin-shaped backstraps with loops.
Justin did the same thing, though their patterns tended to have the counter covers wrap further around, meeting up with the vamp-quarter seams at the featherline. And Justin seem to be thinking this style might be coming back. I believe they launched a women’s roper-heeled lacer a year or so ago:
They started doing it for men this year, as well. But they’re made abroad now. And not in many widths, like the old days.
Hey, that’s super fun! I like the idea of the kiltie bug.
