The client requesting these boots wanted a roomy fit in the front, but also needed room for an orthotic insert that takes a fair amount of room in the back. I really like the quality of this particular orthotic. It is better than most I have seen.
At the last minute, he requested a bit of ornamentation. I’m of two minds on ornamentation. On the one hand, some ornamentation is just fine. On the other, many times the ornamentation, in the form of broguing, degrades the integrity of material on the seams right where the strength is needed most and they must be sewn twice to make up for it. The broguing on this boot is not on any seam. The line of sewing that borders it, however, does sew in the undyed part of the liner. Rather than having a strip underlay the broguing, the quarter facings from the liner seam forward are lined with cordovan as can be seen behind the speed hooks above right.
On the red cordovan boot I made before this pair, I used the color of the liner for contrast, which also matched the stitching. On these “Color 8” cordovan boots, the rust colored stitching serendipitously matches the undyed cross-section of the leather made by the hole punches.
These boots were made using double-stitch construction. The welt is sewn straight into the insole then down to the sole. With the reflection of the bright finish and deep colors, it’s difficult to get a true feel of the color and texture. I’ve included this last photograph on the carpet to help put the color in context.
