2-Year White Kloud Retrospective

Goto-San has few options when it comes to models. After countless hours perusing his Instagram page, I decided to go with his iconic Blucher.87, but with a brogue cap toe. I was excited to own the first pair with this makeup.

Goto-San measured my feet himself in person. At his trunk show at Railcar Fine Goods in 2020, he brought several pairs in different sizes. After he measured and traced my feet (in addition to some some hardcore geometry), he had me try on a 9.5 boot on the left foot and a 10 on the right. We took a stroll on the streets of Monrovia for him to get an idea of the fit. We discussed the hotspots and he pinpointed which parts of the Round Last would need to be built outward.

In December of 2020, Jake (widely recognized as Almost Vintage Style), hosted Goto-San in the States for a trunk show at Railcar Fine Goods. This was a prime opportunity to meet and have a pair made by Goto-San, without requiring a trip to Japan. I flew into LA and took a long bus ride to Monrovia. December 7, 2020 At Railcar, I had the pleasure of meeting Goto-San, Steven Dang of Railcar, and several boot folks in person: Jake, Alee (vintagefeatherr), Jeff (thedenimdentist), and Michael (bigdudeindenim). After being fitted, I finalized my boot specs with Goto-San. A 50% deposit was to be paid upfront. Here is the confirmation email verbatim: 【Model】 Blucher.87 Round toe　95,000 JPY ・4 eyelets, 3 speed hooks Left: size 9H Right: size 10 【Custom】 Semi custom fit (6,000 JPY×4parts) ＋24,000 JPY Leather Badalassi/Tobacco +15,000 JPY Leather lining +15,000 JPY Commando half sole for customize & heel +23,000 JPY Midsole Double Mid Sole(5mm＋3mm) Double Stitch (Hand stitch & Machine stitch) ・Hand stitch/Brown ・Machine stitch/White +30,000 JPY　　 5. Construction Hand sewn welted +50,000 JPY High Shine Side edge & Heel/Natural +20,000 JPY Hand Moc stich/White +15,000 JPY Shipping cost +5,900 JPY Business trip fee +10,000 JPY Total: 302,900 JPY Deposit: 151,450 JPY Delivery was scheduled for about 18 months later. August 18, 2020 At this time Goto-San started offering Leder Ogawa Shell Cordovan, and I requested to make the switch. Goto-San was happy to accommodate me. Here is the modified order: 【Model】 Blucher.87 Round toe　95,000 JPY ・Brass 4 eyelets, 2 speed hooks ・Left: size 9H ・Right: size 10 【Custom】 Semi custom fit (6,000 JPY×4parts) ＋24,000 JPY Leather Leder Ogawa Shell/camel +49,500 JPY Leather lining +15,000 JPY Vibram brown half soles & heels +20,000 JPY Midsole Double Mid Sole(5mm＋3mm) Double Stitch (Hand stitch & Machine stitch) ・Hand stitch/Brown ・Machine out stitch/Brown ・Black top ・Natural edge +30,000 JPY　 Construction Hand sewn welted +50,000 JPY High Shine Side edge & Heel/Natural +20,000 JPY Brogue cap toe +11,000 JPY False tongues (camel shell) +5,500 JPY Shipping cost +5,900 JPY Business trip fee +10,000 JPY Total　 335,900 JPY Delivery was now scheduled for June 2024, and I ultimately received the pair on February 18, 2022. I cannot thank Goto-San enough for the amazing experience from being fitted in-person, to the flexibility with fine-tuning the makeup, and communication throughout the entire process.

I've worn this pair through everything life threw at me. A tour through the Horween Leather Factory, countless San Diego and Ciudad de México city walks, and several outdoor music events in the woods or desert. Boy, are they versatile.

I overall enjoy my Leder Ogawa Shell cordovan. I enjoy the richness in color it displays, especially after a condition and polish. It does dry out quite fast and requires more frequent conditioning than my Horween shell to keep them looking top notch. But, I don't really clean or condition my pairs that often, so they often live in the dried state. This shell was a bit more tough to break in comparing to Horween shell; it was akin to a stiff cardboard sheet, and I had some minor issues breaking in my pinky toe areas, due to the taper of the last. However, no game-breaking issues here. In the early days, I attempted to position the rolls as perfect as I possibly could, but there was no taming this beast, and I just let it do its thing. I probably won't get a second pair with Leder/Ogawa or Shinki shell due to the aforementioned dryness combined with my lack of TLC with my boots. However I must say, with Saphir Cordovan Cream combined with 2 years of wear, the shell achieves a glorious archival appearance. Finally, I believe Leder Ogawa cordovan uniquely belongs on a creation from Goto-San—making it a truly made in Japan pair.

Overall, these are the most comfortable boots I own. The length is perfect. Just the right amount of ball width—just nicely snug, and the heel area feels just great. My instep is properly accommodated with the facings perfectly spaced when laced up, all the way to the vamp. I wear this pair with Darn Tough midweight tactical socks (T4021). The Round Last had quite a dressy taper to it and this causes very minor hotspots on my pinky toes, which tend to spread when walking. I requested extra arch support on this pair because at the time I was really enjoying my Arch-Ease lasts from White's. While it is extremely comfortable for the most part, it does start to feel quite pronounced after long wear, and I'm unsure if the regular arch would have suited me better. Overall, I am very satisfied with the fit, and it serves me well in any situation.

The design... It's like a White's Semi-Dress refined to bespoke dress shoe levels. But it also gives me this otherworldly feeling and makes me wonder how characters in an animated film by Goto-San would be dressed like. The handwelted construction is one of my favorite parts of the boot. The dizzying precision of the "stair-welt" stitches that runs parallel to the comforting familiarity of the machine stitched outer row... It's stuff only legends can dream of, and I'm glad Goto-San brought it to us. The best part of Goto-San's work is that it challenges you to think of how to capture all the great things about a boot. I can't think of any negatives in this department. If you seek precision, White Kloud delivers.

Ol' reliables! I don't have much to say about these other than if I could have one sole on all my boots, this would probably be it. They hold like hell and provide the comfort and traction I need.

Whenever I have the chance to have another pair made from Goto-San, I will give his bespoke last service a go. There's not much else I can think of to say here. If you ever have the chance to have a pair made by Goto-San, you'll embark on an unforgettable chapter of your boot-wearing journey.