Buying a new pair of boots - you wouldn't think it'd be so hard...

[whiznumber6]

OK, this gets a bit involved, but should provide a bit of amusement...

I've been wearing a pair of Windsor Smith Motor Boots, for the last seven or eight years. They've given great service, but are now starting to fall apart, so I decided that it was time for a new pair. And thus do my woes begin!

For starters, Windsor Smith don't make 'em any more. Managed to find an "only worn once" pair in size 12, and happily purchased them. They arrived, I tried them on - too small! I take a size 12, so was puzzled - until I checked my old pair, and found that they were actually 13s.

OK, my bad. I put the boots back up on eBay, and got back what I paid. Fair enough!

Take two: a brand called Johnny Reb has basically the same thing, so I bought a pair of 13s. Next day, the transaction's been cancelled - they apparently don't have size 13, despite it being available as a selection on their listing.

Take three: I try another seller. Same deal - transaction cancelled the next day, and refunded.

Takes 3a and 3b: Sellers on another site have used pairs. One won't post, the other sells them in the eight hours between my sending an enquiry and him reading it.

Take four: I try a different brand of boot this time. I confirm first that they have 13s, then I buy, and the boots arrive a couple of days later. Naturally, they've sent size 12 instead of the size 13 that I ordered... I get in touch, they're very apologetic, and promise to send a pair in size 13 with a return label for the 12s.

Meanwhile, I've finally found a seller (not on eBay, this time) who has a pair of the Johnny Reb boots in size 13. I buy them.

While I'm waiting for them, the replacement size 13s arrive from the mob who sent the wrong ones. The right hand one fits just fine. The left is a lot tighter than I'd like. I persevere for a couple of days, but finally give up and take it to Mr. Minit to get stretched. I pick it up tomorrow (fingers crossed!).

Then, like a white knight riding to the rescue, the size 13 Johnny Reb boots arrive!! Beautifully packaged, great-looking boots - and enormous. I try them on - they're like canoes. Miles too big. I try gel insoles, which fix a lot of the problem with the inner space, but the top of the over-large boot rubs against the back of my calves with each step I take - after one day, they're blistered.

So, they're going back up for sale when I get a chance. I've since ordered a pair of the Johnny Reb boots in 12, and am awaiting their arrival.

Meanwhile, as I type this, I sit wearing a brand new size 13 on my right foot, and my old Windsor Smith on the left.

To summarize: 

Pair one: too small

Pair two: Out of stock

Pair three: Out of stock

Pair four: wrong size sent

Pair five: left one is too small - awaiting results of the stretching 

Pair six: too big

Pair seven: to be announced - watch this space...

[countessalmirena]

I have a coat/jacket that I think of as "decayed Regency". It would fit the ambience of steampunk...

Yes! I look for things that will last and can be used as often as possible. Quality is ironically cheaper in the long run, I think.

[performance_parts_clearance_centre]

Just to illustrate the dopeyness of it all, here are the boots I'm wearing at the moment - the one on the left is part of my old pair, the one on the right is one of the new pair. Note the vast difference in size between left and right. And then reflect that the pair to the boot on the right (clearly much larger than the old one on the left) is in being stretched because it's too tight...

So: a boot that is visually much larger doesn't fit, while a boot that is visually smaller is perfect. Perhaps the smaller one is the footwear equivalent of the TARDIS - bigger on the inside than it is on the outside...

[digital*ghost]

New shoes are a bit like that, though - I currently wear Rockports and I ended up buying 3 pairs of the same style when I found them on clearance for 75% off. I had two pairs in storage, but after another shoe-related thread recently, decided to start using the other two in rotation so that the soles don't deteriorate without ever being worn.

They are all identical in sizing, made the same year etc, but the original pair is soft and comfy and worn in, leather stretched out and conforming to my feet, and of course there's some general wear on the soles, and the inner is a bit compressed etc, making the inside of those feel a lot bigger than the inside of the new ones. 

The pair on the right looks like a much chunkier design, making the outer sole thicker and longer, but the actual toe is shorter (on the older pair, the sole was either shorter, or it's worn down to match). Even without that, the newer pair are longer in the top-down view, but if it's a much later model, they might have made it from cheaper materials and bulked it up a bit so it doesn't wear away as quickly. I notice the labeling that's on the older pair is absent from the newer pair - no embossing on the front bit of leather, and the ribbed section where the zip is looks quite different as well - those could possibly be more cost-saving measures. They probably have a thicker lining as well, which looks synthetic on the new ones with some cushioning, while the older pair looks like it might have had just the leather lining and upper. 

[countessalmirena]

When designed goods are outsourced to China after years of being manufactured lovingly by the maker who took care with the materials and minutiae of the design, the result is never satisfactory – not entirely.

Craftsmanship matters. I have seen this in ceramics, shoes, leather goods, clothing, etc. My favourite slippers are a German brand, but a couple of years ago some of their designs were being made in China all of a sudden. My feet could tell before I researched what had happened...