I admit it - I am a seriously twisted boot fetishist. I have eighteen pairs of boots, and of course, I have my favorites:
I get plenty of good use out of them, believe me:
I recently decided that I had waited for too many years to get what I considered to be my Ultimate Fantasy Boot: The
Wesco Jobmaster. I wanted them to look a particular way, and the only way to do it was to order them
custom-built from the
factory.
I called the Wesco factory in Oregon (NOT CHINA) and ordered the $99 refundable package that contained the measuring form and tape, the DVD and a whole bunch of promotional materials. When it arrived, my boy and I did the
full measuring routine, covering my entire leg below the knee, since I was ordering knee-high, twenty-inch boots.
I obsessed over the details, because I knew that I would be wearing them a lot, and that they would last me for the rest of my life if I took good care of them. I also wanted them to be uniquely MINE, as a form of self-expression.
I sent off the measurements and the money, and waited. I asked nicely, and they courteously provided me with photos showing my boots being constructed:
This shows the custom-constructed white-and-black "lasts" that represent my rather unique feet. The boots were built around them, so that when the boots arrived at my place, they fit my feet EXACTLY. Somebody recently asked me what size my boots were. I replied "MY size!"
This shows the lasts being extracted before the boots can be completed.
I'm just shallow enough to have specified every single option that would make me taller (exactly 2-1/2" taller, in fact), when wearing the boots:
Why would I do such a thing, when I'm already the tallest guy in the building at every event? BECAUSE I CAN. Come on - Wouldn't you love to show up as six foot seven and a half if you could?
The two boots, together, weigh 12.6 pounds. They are breaking in very nicely, as far as flexibility while walking. They are utterly comfortable, and I get an extra "jolt" to the ego from wearing them. Being a big, dominant kind of guy, I feel like they enhance the overall package.
My vanilla husband made a revealing comment after I had been wearing the boots for a month or so: He said "I would never order boots like that, but they sure are impressive!" I agree, and I've never worn them without hearing multiple admiring comments from complete strangers.
2 comments:
Hey Tony, fantastic boots, they do look great on you.
ReplyI have never thought about getting custom boots, great idea. Do you mind if I ask what price range custom boots costs on average?
Hugs, Bill
These start at $450, I believe, and go straight up from there - with all options checked off, they were about $900.