On the clothing sites there is a certain amount of interest in handsewn moccasins - camp mocs, canoe mocs, boat shoes, and actual moccasins with soft leather soles, as worn by Natty Bummpo (Mohicans) and Langdon Towne (Congregationalists).
The message boards discovered the Quoddy mocs, which was good for the company and not so good for everybody else. I bought mine direct from Quoddy when they were about $85. Then the hipsters discovered them. My local sport shop has them now, for $220. Unless they are lined with hundred dollar bills, they are not worth $220.
Town View Leather, another Maine outfit, has a line of mocs and slippers. more realistically priced. They also have an eBay shop where the double-sole, unlined version is on sale for a little less than the website. This is where I got mine.
I've had them two weeks. My impressions:
Pros: Immnesely comfortable and they look good. Fine for padding around the house or yard.
Cons: If you are used to boat shoes or mocs with a rubber sole be forewarned — these are slippery by comparison. On wood floors it's not hugely different than walking around in socks.
I think of these shoes as slippers, really, and since it's getting cold, I wear them with socks. If I had it to do again I'd probably get the lined version.
Here's the official photo:
Here are mine after two weeks:
4 comments:
Nice, I might have to get some.
Do my eyes deceive me or are you wearing jeans? Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just recall you saying you didn't like them.
They only 'look good' to American eyes. Having found yet another item to label as "authentic American apparel" people go nuts for them.
Leather slippers essentially (as you said) and yet people make up all kinds of stuff on the clothing blogs to justify wearing them with formal clothes. And paying over-the-odds for them...every time.
I paid about $70 with shipping. I wouldn't pay more.
They are still kicking.
Unfortunately I don't have them here to examine. They are in my fishing cabin, which is 75 miles away and thoroughly snowed in.
I wound up using them as slippers, basically.
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