I was flipping through my catalog of shoe images the other night and came across these photos that I took of my booty/plunder/swag upon returning from my trip to Northampton to visit the shoe factories and factory stores back in 2009. One of my favorite purchases turned out to be this beautiful pair of chelsea boots from John Lobb. The model name is the Tudor and the Parisian Brown museum calf is really something to behold. The patina is truly exquisite - I'm still befuddled as to why John Lobb would have discontinued the use of this type of leather.
The 7000B last would seem to be a very sleek last - this pair is actually in a wider size UK9EE, which is quite comfortable on my foot. The shoe is still quite snug despite the wide fitting. There's been relatively little creasing above the toe box, which is either a testament to the leather quality or simply a result of the very good fit. Despite the EE width, the shoe retains a rather elegant appearance.
I had metal toe taps installed at B. Nelson, and also added a plastic heel guard because I sometimes walk to work in the boots and didn't want to kill the rubber on the heel too quickly.
In hindsight, I visited the John Lobb factory at just the right time - factory store prices increased significantly shortly after my visit (my original posts on the trip can be seen here and here). At the time, however, a pair of John Lobb shoes at about 30% of the retail price was just about the best deal
in town . . .on either side of the pond . . .
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