can- wrote:hamburgerlady wrote:@WikiZuHeltzer
how's the quality/sizing on your beatwear boots?
i'm thinking of picking up the suede winklepickers, or possibly the chelseas.
so many made up words in this post -- 'beatwear'? 'winkepicker'? cmon son
Joke or not, a bit of history:
Winklepickers are a type of shoe or boot characterised by a long, aggressively pointed toe. They were initially worn by rockers in the UK in the 50s, before being adopted briefly by the mods in chelsea boot (or Beatle boot) form. Winklepickers came about around the same time as creepers and share some characteristics, like the pointed toe on the Apollo branch of the creeper family and buckle fastening straps. Both winklepickers and creepers are now principally found as part of the goth scene and made a bit of a resurgence in the early 2000 when they became heavily associated with goth/garage band the Horrors. Hedi Slimane at SLP has featured both in his collections but they haven't got as much traction as the more classic looking chelsea/jodhpur/wayatt boots.
Examples:
Saint Laurent Winklepicker shoes (best photos I could find):
London Underground Blitz Boots:
A good photo showing how aggressive the point can be on winklepickers - from the Beatwear winklepiker boots:
Beatwear is a shoe/clothing brand that basically copies the styles worn by the Beatles in the early 60s. It takes its name from the 'Beatle boot', a chelsea/winklepicker mashup supposedly invented in October 1961, when John Lennon and Paul McCartney saw Chelsea boots whilst browsing in the London footwear company Anello & Davide, and consequently commissioned four pairs (with the addition of Cuban heels) for the Beatles, to complement their new suit image upon their return from Hamburg. The characteristics of a Beatle boot are a center seam, running down the front of the boot from ankle to the tip of the toe, a winklepicker style pointed toe and a cuban heel. These boots were worn by so many musicians and artists in the 60s and 70s. They were everywhere. Again these saw a resurgence in the early 2000 and have stuck around since then.
Examples - I would post some pics of my own but I've lost my phone and have no other camera:
The Beatles in Beatle boots - this is where they originate from
Modern interpretation of the boots by Beatwear - these are on their website as 'High Caverns' in reference to when the Beatles had their residency at the Cavern club in Liverpool, where the style was first worn:
hamburgerlady wrote:@WikiZuHeltzer
how's the quality/sizing on your beatwear boots?
i'm thinking of picking up the suede winklepickers, or possibly the chelseas.
@hamburgerlady I've had my pair of low caverns since March 2013 and I could not be happier with them. Construction wise, they're cemented, no blake stitching or GYW which could be a put off for some, I have had no issues though. I got a topy put on the leather soles immediately and the boots themselves are holding up exceedingly well. I have not treated them kindly. When I first got them I wore them basically every day from March until summer was in full swing in June/July time and did the same again the following winter, from end of September to June. They are surprisingly durable and comfortable despite their sleek and delicate appearance, which is one of the principal things that drew me to them.
I try to avoid wearing them in the rain but they have been soaked through at least 3 times that I can remember and they're still going strong. I haven't used shoe trees either because I cant find any that will work with how pointy they are haha but the creasing is ok, basically invisible when they are on my feet. I really need to find some shoe trees that work with the shape. I've only conditioned them once and the leather is still looking good to my untrained eye. I seriously love these boots and will be getting a new pair once these eventually kick the bucket - I still wear them all the time, at least 3 or 4 times a week weather permitting.
Sizing wise, I'm a 7.5-8 UK or a 42 euro and I went a full size up. I initially went half a size as recommended but they were too tight in the toes, it was painful. the 43s are much better now they are broken in.