Initial Impressions

I have to admit, I was a bit scared when I ordered these Viberg Service Boots. On some pictures, the boots can look somewhere close to bright orange. Thankfully, these fears were completely unfounded. The leather on the upper is much closer to a typical tan in most lighting – though it is difficult to capture in photos.

Viberg Service Boots almost need no introduction. After breaking onto the scene during the Americana/workwear craze around 10 years ago, they have been the yardstick that many others are graded on. Since that time, countless others from the pacific northwest have followed suit – White’s, Nick’s, and others owe much of their recent success to Viberg.

When Brooks Brothers ended their contracts with Alden, Crockett & Jones, and Alfred Sargent, there was a bit of an uproar. Including from your author. For many men in the United States who prefer to not shop for shoes online, Brooks was the only place to get these brands. Their Golden Fleece Captoes, and others in the line, had the unenviable task of trying to replace these giants of the shoe industry on the Mahogany shelves of Brooks Brothers stores.

Creating a classic sneaker is hard. Every year, a dozen models or more come out of the big sneaker brands only to fade into obscurity once the next Jordan collab comes out. Even harder than that is trying to improve and build on a classic sneaker. This is the loop that Adidas has been in with their Ultraboost line. While the Ultraboost 19 and 20 were not the commercial success Adidas wanted, they have another try with the Adidas Ultraboost 21. Is this another classic, or is this more Jordan 33 than Jordan 3?

If you’re not familiar with the brand, TB Phelps has been around since 1938. Originally starting off making leather bags, they expanded into other leather products over time. You can really tell that the leather choices are at the heart of what they do. Offering a variety of products in sheepskin, deerskin, elk and more, they offer a way to take traditional designs and give them a slightly different style. It’s a look that I feel works best with shoes that lean into that rustic design – and may be best exemplified in the T.B. Phelps Weekender.

Here at 100wears there are a few recurring themes on shoes we like. Generally, they are made with higher end materials, are assembled in the United States, and often have a hit of 90’s nostalgia to them. When I heard that there was a pair of sneakers coming that met all these criteria – and from a local sneaker store no less – I knew that I had to pick up a pair. Is YCMC’s New Balance 992 Rewind worth it?

For a sneaker as storied as the Air Max 90, there really isn’t that many famous colorways. Sure, the Lunar90 might go for a lot of money, but outside of the small overlap of sneakerheads and NASA enthusiasts, most people don’t really know about it. In fact, when it comes to collabs that people know about, I think there is only one clear winner: the Nike Air Max 90 Bacon.

The J Crew Kenton Boots line is designed much like their Ludlow line. In other words, offer a more affordable alternative to higher end footwear, while keeping some of the key features such as goodyear welting, higher end leather and more.

The Jordan 1 Low can sometimes feel like Rodney Dangerfield in 2021. It can’t get no respect. It’s high counterpart is consistently rated one of the best – if not the best – sneaker of all time. We’ve taken a look at several. The Dunk Low, which is a very similar shoe check out our comparison here, is on a tear right now. Even the most out there colorways immediately sell out. Even the Jordan 1 mid, the typical butt of sneakerhead jokes, had the fearless pack with some hyped-up options.

Out of the box, these are far better presented than any other J Crew Shoe I’ve received. Each shoe was individually wrapped in plastic, held in place with a plastic strap, and covered with an individual shoe tree. On a suede shoe, this goes a long way in keeping the suede from rubbing in shipping. I guess these shoes are regularly bought and returned after people have taken these items, but it’s certainly a better unboxing experience if you’re the first one in there.