I actually wanted the dark brown, but the cactus looks much better in real life than it ever did on the screen. I'm not sure whether or not I like the way the cactus leather has been finished. The pair arrives with marks all over the place, and while I suppose that is part of the charm of a well worn pair of camp mocs, I would at least prefer my marks and discolorations to be my own and come from my own activities. That said, there is certainly nothing to complain of in the feel of the leather, which I quite like. It's soft and supple.
What I absolutely do not like, not at all, are the black laces (they may appear chocolate brown in these pictures, but let me assure you, they are pitch black). I think it is a horrible color to go with a brown, whether cactus or not, and I am resolved to replace them with brown/yellow Kiwi laces made in the USA as soon as it is feasible to do so. I will, then, of course, need to readjust them.
I'll keep you updated on how they work out...
Should be easy enough to find laces in other colors. You might want to tie a knot in the ends of the laces...I know on my moccasins these stiff leather laces are forever coming untied.
ReplyDeleteA friend of mine swears by a slightly strange method of tightening up yet breaking in boat shoes. You roll a damp washcloth into each shoe then place them into the dryer with a couple towels. Then run the dryer on high-heat for awhile. Supposedly, this works. Honestly, I've never tried it because I don't want to ruin my Top Siders.
ReplyDeleteThey DO look very conformable!
ReplyDeleteYikes, can't believe they paired black laces with brown shoes. I hope they break in - there's nothing worse than walking around on tiptoes because you have blisters
ReplyDeleteYou know, although I prefer the brown color and the traditional laces, the leather on those looks better than the leather on the dark brown (which I recently purchased.) It looks more soft and supple... the brown is a stiffer leather, although it does eventually soften to some degree, and it feels comfortable enough. L.L. Bean does include a card in each box explaining that "genuine leather" may have irregularies [they may even say "scratches"] and that that is part of the charm. (I don't know exactly how they word it, but that is, in effect, what they claim.)
ReplyDeleteThe pair I initially purchased this past year came unstitched at the side within just a couple wearings, which outraged me. I returned them and haven't had problems with the new pair, but both were made in El Salvador, when they used to be made in Maine.
Scott Alexander - boat shoes and camp mocs are two different things! (Though perhaps you are not using those terms interchangeably and you are just suggesting that the breaking-in method for boat shoes can also be used for camp mocs.)
Those are great shoes! They remind me of the shoes we wore in HS (preppy was so in in my town in the 80s!). We'd wear them sockless or in the winter with really cool knee socks....and with khakis. Of course no one was ANYONE without a pink Izod (male or female) and much to my chagrin; I was never able to afford the coveted pink Izod. Looking forward to seeing how you wear these! ~Serene
ReplyDeleteWhile I like the way the cactus looks, both in color and texture, I cannot stand the black laces. I have the brown version and while I like the way they look, the leather has never really broken in the way they used to. I have also found L.L. Bean sizing to be most frustrating across the board.
ReplyDeleteBeen meaning to get a pair, seems like a great alternative to deck shoes like the blucher moc.
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