The landscape of high-quality American footwear is so much richer than what it often receives credit for. There are the two big operations that everyone knows of – Alden and Allen Edmonds – but also a number of makers of utility footwear: Red Wing, White’s Boots, Chippewa, Danner, Russell Moccasin, and Weinbrenner. For everyday styles, there’s Quoddy, Rancourt, and Eastland’s new “Made in Maine” line, as well as a couple of small firms, such as Town View Leather and Arrow Moccasin. The difference between these companies and those in England and Italy, of course, is that the American ones seem to focus on - and excel at - casual footwear.
I recently bought some casual shoes from Oak Street Bootmakers. A relatively young company based in Chicago, Oak Street Bootmakers was started by George Vlagos, who worked for some time in his father’s shoe repair shop. Today, he designs shoes in Chicago, sources leather from Horween, and then sends the materials to New York for manufacturing. I picked up three styles for myself, and they’ll be worn with jeans and chinos this summer and fall. In the order was a pair of camp mocs, blucher mocs, and a nicely designed chukka made with a genuine handsewn moccasin construction (see a theme?).
The main difference between these and a lower-end line is in the leather. Granted, cheaper leathers don’t look as bad on moccasins as they do on dress shoes. For example, a really beat-up pair of LL Bean camp mocs or ranger mocs can still hold a certain charm, if worn well. But if you can afford the premium, nothing beats the quality of Horween’s Chromexcel. It has a beautiful depth and richness in its color, and because of the amount of oils in it, it feels exceptionally soft and supple. The difference between these and other lines is much like the difference between a suit made from a high-end wool - one with a soft, rich handle - and a similarly made suit, but built from a cheap, lifeless fabric.
George tells me he’s working on some new designs. Their latest model is called the Trench Boot, which yesterday just came out in two spring/ summer styles (a chukka and what they call an oxford). Those are part of their new Goodyear welted line, whereas everything else is made with a genuine handsewn construction (ie moccasin construction), like these three you see here.