Barbour Made for Japan Porter - Yoshida & Co. QP X Tatton Baird Riding High Co. Ltd Rocky Mountain Featherbed Co. Seven For All Mankind Ties and Bow Ties Pierre Fournier founded the Wakouwa shoe line after discovering a Sperry Top-sider / U.S. Navy gym shoe from the late 1930’s. Fournier used that sample and modified it greatly to make it superior. Wakouwa shoes utilize a “modified” Alden last and a special shaped arch support making it what some believe to be one of the most comfortable sneakers on the market. The canvas upper keeps things simple.30Mm BraidedBraided ElasticBraided BeltLeather TipsLeather BrassElastic LeatherElastic BeltTips BrassMaterials BraidedForwardRegent Belt Company 'Braided Belt' 30mm braided elastic belt with papaya leather tips & brass buckle Materials: Braided Elastic, Leather & Brass Made in England Size Guide As this belt is braided elastic it has some stretch to it. For a good fit select a belt size 2" to 6" longer than your actual waist size depending on how much of an overlap you want Color Black Price $75.00
Shopping from ebay – Decks by Cambridge In my quest to source a pair of classic, canvas, vulcanized rubber sneakers I stumbled across this vintage pair of Decks by Cambridge on ebay. I love the nautical rope and wave logo work on the insoles and the great “Tred-Light” tag on the back of the shoes. Is there really a way to improve on such a classic design save for making these available again in sizes for both men and women? I’d buy ten pairs and be set for shoes for life. Shopping from Japan – Shoes Like Pottery Thanks to Archival readers who suggested Shoes Like Pottery as an alt to my obsession over Wakouwa Deck Shoes. As was noted in my original post, the Wakouwas are not sized for women, cost over three hundred dollars and are difficult to find in the US. In contrast, SLPs are unisex, comparably stylish, and easily sourced in the US via favorite shops like Hickorees and Mohawk General Store. The shoes are made from best quality canvas duck and rubber.
And like a nice pair of Aldens, they are hand sewn and hand assembled. The SLP moniker refers to the vulcanizing process in which the shoe rubber is fired in a kiln for 70 minutes to make it more soft, durable and flexible. I still haven’t purchased a pair of canvas shoes but I’m wishfully hoping to find these on sale upon my return from London. Wishful Shopping – Wakouwa Deck Shoes Wakouwas in the window at Anatomica (Paris) I’m heading to London in a week for London Edinburgh London, a 1400k randonnee. I’ve just assembled all my bike gear (which includes many non archival, ziploc packed servings of powdered nutrition). Sadly, I’m going to have very little space in my luggage for non cycling garb. At the moment I’m boiling my travel garb down into a single outfit I can wear on the plane and than for five days in London. What I’m missing is the perfect pair of comfortable canvas sneakers. Many of my pals prefer Superga, Tretorn or Chuck Taylors.
What I want is a pair of made in Japan, Wakouwa deck shoes. I’ve been wishfully shopping for Wakouwas since I spotted them in the window at Anatomica in Paris. You can buy them through a few US stockists but alas, most don’t sell them in smaller sizes for women. At Mohawk General Store, you can even buy them in Yves Klein blue. If you have a secret Wakouwa source, or could suggest a stylistic alternative, let me know. Shopping from 1945 – American Lawn TennisInspiration Pieces MenInspiration ShoesMode MenswearMenswear FashionArtist WorkwearMens Styling DetailIndustrial WorkwearDenim WorkwearDenim JeansForwardPost anything (from anywhere!), customize everything, and find and follow what you love. Create your own Tumblr blog today.Shopping from Japan – Alden SMUs Since Winn Perry closed, I’ve looked to Japan for the best examples of Alden SMUs. What I love about the Alden market in Japan is that most of the shoes are sized down to fit women or gents with smaller feet.
Here are some recent offerings from The Lakota House. Unlike some more aggressive custom Alden smus (Tanker boots and heavy treads), The Lakota House Aldens utilize subtle leather swaps and unique outsoles. Shopping from ebay – Decks by Cambridge Archival Permanent – PDX In Randonneuring, a perm is a permanent route you can schedule to ride at any time. On Saturday, I rode Michal Young’s scenic Alsea 200k loop with several friends from the Oregon Randonneurs. On Sunday, I dragged my friend Bruce up to Portland for what I would consider my favorite Archival shopping perm. The loop starts somewhere around Eye Styles, migrates over to Little Tee for lunch followed by gabbing and gawking at Blake, coffee at Barista, more aspirational shopping at Lizard Lounge and than a post meal retreat to Cinema 21. Though I rarely make purchases on my perm, I consistently catch and release the same evidential photos: Japanese eyewear, FWK Engineered Garments, heritage footwear, denim and print ephemera from the movies.
Contact me if you wish to recreate my route. I will provide you with a start time, a list of controls and a few informational questions to confirm that you followed the correct route. Here is some evidence of participation from my weekend: Theo taking a white line nap next to his lovely MAP custom Vanilla and Map randos outside John Boy’s Alsea Mercantile (via Theo Elliot) Bruce modeling Barton Perreira… Sport footwear check: Oak Street and Arche Aspirational FWK at Blake Mildred Pierce at Cinema 21 From Pillpat, a cryptic French playing card games involving beautiful objects. Archival Field Trip – PDX New S/S Engineered Garments at Blake Brand obsession – Masunaga eyewear from Japan (via Blink) Bike rack Ira Ryan custom porteur Julian boots for Reveille Shopping for yet another Hario brewing device Now Playing – Blue Velvet at Cinema 21 Archival Reissue – Alden Workman’s Oxford Several years ago, friend Jordan Saylor of Winn Perry offered a limited, special make up of Alden Indy shoes in a Workman Oxford style.
To this day I regret not placing an order. I love Alden Indy boots but I prefer the low cut style and double water loc sole used for Jordan’s special make ups. For the record, Archival customer Matt Bernier sent me some snaps of his Winn Perry sourced Alden Workman Oxfords – recently resoled with my favorite, Dainite rubber soles. Until another Alden stockist offers a pre-order for the Indy oxfords, I’ll wishfully shop from Matt’s photographs. Matt’s Aldens – recently resoled with Dainite rubber soles by B. Nelson Beautiful red Dainite soles – via Leather Soul blog Archival Footwear – Clog Boots Probably not for the faint of heart, clog boots are the polar opposite of those ghastly five-toed shoes. I’m fond of my worry-free Muck Boots for wet and cold conditions while working or playing outside. But upon revisiting the much-missed little log cabin, I was reminded of a more archival option – the clog boot. Archival options from Barbour (not in current line).