Work and safety footwear from 1949
Wolverine 1000 Mile boot for women
Full disclosure:
Wolverine
sent me women's shoes and boots from the
Wolverine 1000 Mile Collection for review.
Since I primarily shop from defunct companies or out of print catalogs, this was a happy turn of events.
Even without testing,
I can highly endorse the Wolverine 1000 Mile collection as a rare example of heritage footwear offered for women without compromise in design or build quality.
Like the original version for gents, the Wolverine Collection for women is made in the USA and is based on the same original 1000 Mile boot pattern.
Both shoe and boot styles are made from
Horween Chromexcel leather (an A.C. favorite) and are constructed on a women’s last with a stitched Goodyear welt.
Catalogs in the 30s and 40s sold this style of boot for farm and heavy duty outdoor wear. Sizes were offered for both men and women. Price point was determined by quality of leather and method of construction. In 2010, the traditional work boot is a rarified, special edition style selling at a premium price point in menswear specialty shops (or in Japan). We'd love to see more of these classic, stylish, well built, American boots made available to the general public.
Some use notes and photos:
Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots for women on test
When I first received them, I immediately had Cat's Paw protective rubber half soles affixed to the bottoms of my new shoes by a local Eugene cobbler,
Baker's. The climate here in Oregon is wet and it's treacherous to walk tiled hallways or to bicycle w/full leather soles.
In my field testing, I've found that I prefer the boots since their look is more classic and they work better w/my stove pipe trouser legs. I would say that the sizing is generous. I normally wear a women's 8.5 wide and both boots and shoes fit a little on the loose side - in the width. However, with midweight wool socks, the boots fit well and are extremely comfortable.
I've been wearing both the boots and the shoes in rotation. After sporting loafers and camp mocs for so many months, I had forgotten how much support and structure a traditional work boot provides. Steel shanks, solid arch support and leather heel counters have virtually disappeared from modern footwear. Though the Wolverine boots were originally designed for heavy outdoor use, they break in and become comfortable for urban applications like office work or even shopping.
My main critique of the boots is the choice of an antiqued brass finish for the hardware (eyelets and speed laces). Wolverine may have chosen antique brass as a way to signal that the boot design is vintage--something from the past. I'd prefer a normal (shiny) brass finish that would show my own history of wear and aging.
Solid brass hardware. I'd prefer a non "antiqued" finish.
Star rivets. Stitching detail. Gusseted tongue.
The
Addie wingtips are sleek, modern, classic without being gratuitously feminized. I love the contrast stitching along the welt. For my own purposes, I'd prefer the oxford in dark brown. I challenge you to show me one other US company producing a classic, US made, low top oxford for women in top quality materials. These used to be standard issue.
Leather stacked sole (great for keeping your foot on a pedal)
Leather sole (pre-Cat's Paw installation)
Handstitching on sole of shoe. I do wish the stitching were recessed into a channel to prevent wear.
Example of recessed stitching on a pair of Tim Little brogues
Favorite detail: hard rubber sole. You never see these on modern shoes for women.
For interested parties, Wolverine 1000 Mile boots and shoes for women are currently available at Leffot (
http://www.leffot.com/) in NYC. Leffot will do phone orders and ship anywhere in the world. We'd love to see these shoes and boots become available in brick and mortar stores on the West Coast.
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