White's Stevens (Plain Toe)

Vamp breaks. At first I was disappointed. These boots were made for style and arch support but they didn’t deliver. The vamp breaks on each boot contrasted very noticeably, the arch support melted after a week and Dainite slips. Another issue was the loose instep that was alleviated with a makeshift kiltie. A redeeming quality was the leather. The break-in took a day, it was a happy first experience with the famous Chromexcel leather. However, scuffing on the Nat CXL was very apparent. Overall, the first week with these boots soured my interest in the 5050 last but I continued to wear these because of the dome. A polyB pipe burst. The weather changed and feelings began to change with the advent of misfortune. I never planned to join the “Work” dome but I ended up doing a lot of work. Clearing wet drywall, tearing walls, cutting pipes, going to HomeDepot because I bought one less bag of insulation than I needed, cutting tiles, tiling and finally painting. My boots were there through emotional stress. They are a reminder of a short but powerful period of my life. Leather conforms. A good friend gets to know you. I feel the same with these boots. I disliked having to use a kiltie. I’m not a fan of how they change the silhouette on these boots or how they use up so much shoelace that I barely have enough to tie a knot. Small issues compound when you wear them everyday. The boots have shrunk somehow, it wraps. I no longer need kilties. I have grown. I can’t write a whole story but know that this chapter ends with revelation. I can’t fix the broken celastic on the right boot or prevent the large break on the left boot. I appreciate boots differently. I really like how the left boot looks compared to the right boot, completely opposite to how I felt in the first week. I also like how scuffs transforms into highs-and-lows in colour. Wearing one boot for so long has also allowed me appreciate how well built these boots are. I think they’re ready for more.