Every year, like clockwork, when the weather starts to get bad millions of LL Bean “Bean Boots” get pulled out of the closet. It’s easy to see why – it’s a classic design, made in America, and is pretty affordable. At least, affordable compared to other classic, made-in-America shoes. Nobody could fault you for wanting to pick up a pair. Like countless others, you logged onto www.llbean.com with credit card in hand only to find two options: the Bean Boot and the Maine Hunting Shoe.
When you think of the early 1990’s, there are a few things that stand out. For me, examples include the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Ecto Cooler, and the Jordan 5. While you’re probably never going to get that Ecto Cooler you’ve been wishing for, the Jordan 5 Bel Air Alternate aims to combine the other two and give you that nostalgia hit that you’ve been looking for.
Looking to pick up some new shoes for summer? We’re tracking the memorial day sales here and will be updating throughout the weekend.
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.
Just about every shoe that costs more than a few dollars looks great when it comes out of the box. However, no shoe stays pristine forever. We like to take a look at how a shoe looks once it’s actually been used. These Jay Butler Cromwell loafers have really seen it all. Despite their suede upper and leather soles, they’ve been worn in rain, snow, salt and more. How did they hold up? Let’s find out.
Historically, White’s Boots doesn’t really like to change the way they do things. While some others in the Pacific Northwest, most notably Viberg, have very distinct lifestyle and work lines, White’s makes all of their boots to the same standards on the same lines. The difference this makes can probably be seen most clearly on this: The White’s MP Service Boot.
If you had asked me a few months what I thought of the J Crew Ludlow line of shoes, I would have responded with the same way I think about the Ludlow line of clothes. That is, a mall brand that sells affordable options. Great for most people, but not the enthusiast’s choice. However, then rumors began to fly that same factory that makes Grant Stone makes these. With the nearly ubiquitous sales, the possibility of getting Grant Stone quality for mall brand money was too tempting to pass up, and I placed an order for these J Crew Ludlow Tassel Loafers.