Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
Moderators: Mike, Cajunkraut, Tennessee Smith
- Mark Brody
- Professor of Archaeology
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 7:16 pm
- Location: Omaha
Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
I see a lot of people in these forums obsess about every minute detail of the costume. Let's be fair; obsess is the right word for it, but I'm guilty of it too. While some of these details are legitimate concerns, the color of the boot is not worth any heartache. I don't have a huge collection of Indy boots. In fact, my 4-year old Rockport Farnums are the only Indy boots I've got, but through the years, I've had quite a handful of brown leather shoes the I care for with conditioner and polish in order to extend their life as long as possible. Though each of the boots was a different shade of brown when I bought it, they all ended up the same color after years of wear and USING THE SAME BROWN KIWI POLISH ON ALL OF THEM. As an aside, I recommend Lincoln over Kiwi, but that's beside the point. Only one pair of boots does not conform to this generalization, but I'll get there later.
So here are the Rockport Farnums which, were the most affordable close enough boot 4 years ago (before Todd made his first run), and pretty close at that. It was offered in 3 colors; dark tan, dark chocolate, and black. Obviously, no one here was interested in black. Other than that, members seemed to be split between the tan and the brown boots, trying to determine which one was closer to the color of Indy's boots. Here are the stock photos of the boots in the two popular colors.
My dark tan boots when I first got them were true to stock photo coloring, as were the dark chocolate boots owned by several other members here.
After 3 years of regular wear and care (I don't distress my boots), the boots were a big hit here, despite the poor image quality (cell phone camera).
The boots were clearly in need of polish at the time that last photo was taken. I've since polished them, and worn them enough to get that perfect Matt Damon "Adjustment Bureau" shine, and this is what they look like now.
All my boots, with one exception, look the same after a year or two of wear. The exception, my brown Corcoran paratrooper boots, have a horrible painted on finish that prevents the leather from really soaking up the best qualities of the shoe polish. This seemingly irremovable finish (I've tried several things) is a uniform brown all over, and looks terrible. I still wear the boots often, because in every other aspect, they are extremely high quality. My other brown boots, which I unfortunately do not have any pictures of, were all the same color as these Farnums when they were at the end of their days. Brand new, my Dr. Martins were significantly darker than the Farnums, while the Red Wings were significantly lighter.
The reason I say all this, is because people look at Indy's costume and they see various shades of brown and tan. There are few parts of the costume that have a hint of red or green, but the boots are not one of those parts. When people get their brand new Alden 405s, many cringe at the brick red color, and immediately thrown them in the oven, bury them in the backyard, or take sandpaper to them to get rid on the unsightly top layer (some exaggeration added). Others seek out the Adventurebilt Aldens because they are already have a nice dark brown color. There is no reddish tint to cover up. I firmly believe that if I had the interest (and the money) to buy both the original 405s and the Adventurebilt variation, I could wear them regularly, use the same conditioner and polish on each of them, and after 2 years no one would know which pair was which (except for me). Some people even wondered, when KotCS was released, where they got the Aldens in the old color, because they're clearly not red on camera. I see no evidence that the boots Ford wore were any different than the brick red boots many of you wear. Not to say that they didn't special order a different color, but with the right amount of wear/distressing, it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
So I guess what I'm trying to say with all this is don't obsess about the color of your boots. As long as they are some shade that somewhat resembles a brownish/tanish sort of color, and they aren't an awful painted on finish like my Corcorans, no one will know the difference after a year or two. Not to discredit the Adventurebilt Aldens - I'm sure they're every bit the same quality as the brick red 405s (disclaimer: I've never held a pair of Aldens in my hands - ever), but I don't think it will make any difference in the end. And please, don't distress your boots with sandpaper and abrasive proceedures. Wear them as they were meant to be worn, and care for them as if they were your only shoes, and you needed them to last for years. Now matter how cringeworthy you may find the color when they first arrive, they'll be tolerable in a month, great in a year, and they'll look like they came right off the movie set in two years. If you're ever dissatisfied with the progression of the natural distressing, just apply more polish. Don't worry - the shine is extremely temporary!
So here are the Rockport Farnums which, were the most affordable close enough boot 4 years ago (before Todd made his first run), and pretty close at that. It was offered in 3 colors; dark tan, dark chocolate, and black. Obviously, no one here was interested in black. Other than that, members seemed to be split between the tan and the brown boots, trying to determine which one was closer to the color of Indy's boots. Here are the stock photos of the boots in the two popular colors.
My dark tan boots when I first got them were true to stock photo coloring, as were the dark chocolate boots owned by several other members here.
After 3 years of regular wear and care (I don't distress my boots), the boots were a big hit here, despite the poor image quality (cell phone camera).
The boots were clearly in need of polish at the time that last photo was taken. I've since polished them, and worn them enough to get that perfect Matt Damon "Adjustment Bureau" shine, and this is what they look like now.
All my boots, with one exception, look the same after a year or two of wear. The exception, my brown Corcoran paratrooper boots, have a horrible painted on finish that prevents the leather from really soaking up the best qualities of the shoe polish. This seemingly irremovable finish (I've tried several things) is a uniform brown all over, and looks terrible. I still wear the boots often, because in every other aspect, they are extremely high quality. My other brown boots, which I unfortunately do not have any pictures of, were all the same color as these Farnums when they were at the end of their days. Brand new, my Dr. Martins were significantly darker than the Farnums, while the Red Wings were significantly lighter.
The reason I say all this, is because people look at Indy's costume and they see various shades of brown and tan. There are few parts of the costume that have a hint of red or green, but the boots are not one of those parts. When people get their brand new Alden 405s, many cringe at the brick red color, and immediately thrown them in the oven, bury them in the backyard, or take sandpaper to them to get rid on the unsightly top layer (some exaggeration added). Others seek out the Adventurebilt Aldens because they are already have a nice dark brown color. There is no reddish tint to cover up. I firmly believe that if I had the interest (and the money) to buy both the original 405s and the Adventurebilt variation, I could wear them regularly, use the same conditioner and polish on each of them, and after 2 years no one would know which pair was which (except for me). Some people even wondered, when KotCS was released, where they got the Aldens in the old color, because they're clearly not red on camera. I see no evidence that the boots Ford wore were any different than the brick red boots many of you wear. Not to say that they didn't special order a different color, but with the right amount of wear/distressing, it wouldn't make a difference anyway.
So I guess what I'm trying to say with all this is don't obsess about the color of your boots. As long as they are some shade that somewhat resembles a brownish/tanish sort of color, and they aren't an awful painted on finish like my Corcorans, no one will know the difference after a year or two. Not to discredit the Adventurebilt Aldens - I'm sure they're every bit the same quality as the brick red 405s (disclaimer: I've never held a pair of Aldens in my hands - ever), but I don't think it will make any difference in the end. And please, don't distress your boots with sandpaper and abrasive proceedures. Wear them as they were meant to be worn, and care for them as if they were your only shoes, and you needed them to last for years. Now matter how cringeworthy you may find the color when they first arrive, they'll be tolerable in a month, great in a year, and they'll look like they came right off the movie set in two years. If you're ever dissatisfied with the progression of the natural distressing, just apply more polish. Don't worry - the shine is extremely temporary!
- Texan Scott
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 5838
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: A felt body at rest tends to stay at rest. Sieze the day!
- Contact:
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
...that's been my experience with these 405's. I applied a leather lotion when they were new, then just wore the Billy Bob Thornton out of them...Mark Brody wrote:I firmly believe that if I had the interest (and the money) to buy...the original 405's... I could wear them regularly....no one will know the difference after a year or two.
Wear them as they were meant to be worn, and care for them as if they were your only shoes....No matter how cringeworthy you may find the color when they first arrive, they'll be tolerable in a month, great in a year, and they'll look like they came right off the movie set in two years.
The common denom. with your boots is that you are using the same brown shoe polish on all your boots, makes a difference. I think you may have been mixing 403's and 405's? The 403 color is closer to the Raiders boot color that we see in the Temple, but not an exact match, not quite.
Last edited by Texan Scott on Wed Aug 22, 2012 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
"The common denom. with your boots is that you are using the same brown shoe polish on all your boots, makes a difference. I think you may have been mixing 403's and 405's? The 403's are an orange cordovan color, while the 405's are darker brown/deep cordovan when new. The 405 color is closer to the Raiders boot color that we see in the Temple, but not an exact match, not quite."
I have to respectfully disagree... The 405s are the reddish, orangish, brick whereas the 403s are darker brown.
Cheers!
- Two
I have to respectfully disagree... The 405s are the reddish, orangish, brick whereas the 403s are darker brown.
Cheers!
- Two
- Texan Scott
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 5838
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: A felt body at rest tends to stay at rest. Sieze the day!
- Contact:
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
...brain squeeze! Shows you I have not bought these boots in awhile. 405's came first, then the 403's...the number sequence thing had me for a moment there.
- Mark Brody
- Professor of Archaeology
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 7:16 pm
- Location: Omaha
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
This is exactly what I'm talking about. If you order either the 405 or the 403 new, when you open the box it will not look like any of Indy's boots from any movie (from a color perspective). You can argue that one model is closer to the "correct" color than the other, but neither one is spot on, and that doesn't matter anyway because they're both kinda brownishy.Texan Scott wrote:The 405 color is closer to the Raiders boot color that we see in the Temple, but not an exact match, not quite.
Some gear needs artificial distressing. If you don't have the opportunity to do yard work or gardening, you'll probably need to do some artificial distressing on your gloves. Unless you're wheelchair bound, however (my sympathies), everyone has the opportunity to let their boots wear naturally. This natural wear, combined with proper shoe maintenance will nearly eliminate any minor color variances such as the 405 v 403 v AB in about a year.
All of this assumes that you wear your boots on a regular basis - at least when it's seasonable. If you're going to spend $500 on a pair of boots, however, you had better be wearing them. Otherwise, figuring you wear the costume 5 times a year for Halloween, Disneyland, Comic-con, QMS, etc., if you own the boots for 10 years, you're basically paying $10 to wear them to each occasion. Personally, I think donning the costume 5 times a year is a bit much. I don't really have an opportunity to wear it for anything more than Halloween, but even I don't want to be Indy every single year, so I mix it up. I know a lot of other people here do the same thing (non-Indy Halloween costumes). That means if I got Aldens strictly for the costume, and not for regular wear as well, keeping them for 10 years would cost me about $100-$200 every time I put them on! Even being generous with the life expectancy of the boots and figuring I'll have them for 30 years, that still comes out to about $30-$65 each time I wear them. Would you pay $65 to borrow a pair of Aldens for one night only? I hope not. Get your money's worth out of your gear, especially the boots. They can take it, and the natural wear will look far better than any of the artificial distressing techniques found on the forum. Again, if it's sort of a brownish kinda boot, it'll be the perfect color if you just wear the thing and polish it like it was meant to be.
Texan Scott, I know you more or less agreed with my first post about natural wear, but I had to pick on you because of that quote. Your boots look great, btw! No one will ever achieve that look with water and sandpaper.
- Texan Scott
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 5838
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: A felt body at rest tends to stay at rest. Sieze the day!
- Contact:
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
thanks. Here's the thing...check out the boots in the Temple scene, opening credits. Many people prefer that look, because of that color, more like a tobacco/natural brown, and if I had my choice, this is the color I would have chosen if I had had a choice. Yet, if you look at the later truck chase sequence, you will see a close-up of the boot as he steps on the accelerator, and that boot is a cordovan type color further up the ankle.
Check out this link:
http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-mens_i ... TAodA3YAwA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If I had my choice today, I would have much preferred the 4th color from the left. To me, with aging, I could have eventually arrived at something close to the film boot (Temple) with that color, and would have been satisfied with it. Not that I would have been striving for ultra-SA, it is just a preference though, as I typically do not like the cordovan, reddish brown color. Yet, until the last 2-3 years or so, that is just about all that was available, but it is just a preference.
Check out this link:
http://www.theshoemart.com/alden-mens_i ... TAodA3YAwA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
If I had my choice today, I would have much preferred the 4th color from the left. To me, with aging, I could have eventually arrived at something close to the film boot (Temple) with that color, and would have been satisfied with it. Not that I would have been striving for ultra-SA, it is just a preference though, as I typically do not like the cordovan, reddish brown color. Yet, until the last 2-3 years or so, that is just about all that was available, but it is just a preference.
- Kittlemeier
- Archaeologist
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2002 12:23 am
- Location: Valdosta, GA
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
I have a pair of those brown Corcorans and they're absolute junk. Like you said, the finish is horrible but the construction on mine is just as bad. I tried using them for the same kinds of work that I'd used the Aldens for for years and about three inches of the upper separated from the sole at the arch. Could stick my finger through and scratch my foot. I had it repaired but only use them for casual walking around now. I don't mind spending money on boots but $150 was too much for these.Mark Brody wrote:
All my boots, with one exception, look the same after a year or two of wear. The exception, my brown Corcoran paratrooper boots, have a horrible painted on finish that prevents the leather from really soaking up the best qualities of the shoe polish. This seemingly irremovable finish (I've tried several things) is a uniform brown all over, and looks terrible. I still wear the boots often, because in every other aspect, they are extremely high quality. My other brown boots, which I unfortunately do not have any pictures of, were all the same color as these Farnums when they were at the end of their days. Brand new, my Dr. Martins were significantly darker than the Farnums, while the Red Wings were significantly lighter.
Agree with everything else you said and love my formerly brick red Aldens.
- Texan Scott
- Legendary Adventurer
- Posts: 5838
- Joined: Sat Jun 21, 2008 8:55 am
- Location: A felt body at rest tends to stay at rest. Sieze the day!
- Contact:
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
Here's the deal with the boot caper, I think... Even if these boots are well worn, you still have the undertones of the original color, as noted above here. The only way the off color scenario works is if all the polish/dye is worn off totally, or if you do what you did above, and apply the same shade of polish on all of them. Another tidbit to think on...it is possible to rely on trial and error, buy boots, try them for awhile, and if they don't fit or look right, buy another pair, etc. But if you go through 3-4 pair in the process, looking for a reasonable close enough, provided they hold up, better to just by aldens the first time and apply your fav. shade of brown as they are worn...? As you know from being in the military, buying 2 pair makes the user alot less likely to wear the boots out, economies of scale. I agree, on this point: divide the price you paid for the boots by the number of times you use them. This will help you determine if they are cost effective per person, useage. At present, Todd makes the best CE on the market today, and for the quality/resemblance to the real McGuffin, the best price out there.
Last edited by Texan Scott on Thu Aug 23, 2012 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- Mark Brody
- Professor of Archaeology
- Posts: 938
- Joined: Fri May 04, 2007 7:16 pm
- Location: Omaha
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
We've actually had similar experiences with the Corcorans (except I got mine before they hiked up their prices 50% in one go). Fortunately for me, the separation between the uppers and the sole, at the arch just like yours, occurred when I needed new soles anyway, and I don't think the cobbler charged me any more for that fix. All in all, having worn the boots fairly regularly for 7 years with only one repair - I think I've gotten my money's worth out of them.Kittlemeier wrote:I have a pair of those brown Corcorans and they're absolute junk. Like you said, the finish is horrible but the construction on mine is just as bad. I tried using them for the same kinds of work that I'd used the Aldens for for years and about three inches of the upper separated from the sole at the arch. Could stick my finger through and scratch my foot. I had it repaired but only use them for casual walking around now. I don't mind spending money on boots but $150 was too much for these.
Comparing colors from different scenes can be challenging. I once had a pair of pants and a jacket that were almost the same color. In sunlight the jacket was redder than the pants, but in fluorescent light the pants were redder than the jacket. The artificial studio lighting in the temple and what appears to be natural refracted sunlight in the truck chase could result in different colors in the same way it affected my jacket and pants. The only thing that really seems certain looking at these two scenes is that the boots are brown, and they're darker than the pants. I couldn't say with absolute certainty whether he wore the same pair of boots in both scenes, or if it they were different pairs.Texan Scott wrote:Here's the thing...check out the boots in the Temple scene, opening credits. Many people prefer that look, because of that color, more like a tobacco/natural brown, and if I had my choice, this is the color I would have chosen if I had had a choice. Yet, if you look at the later truck chase sequence, you will see a close-up of the boot as he steps on the accelerator, and that boot is a cordovan type color further up the ankle.
You're right that there usually will be some undertones of the original color, but it would hardly show up even in the detailed pictures you took, Texan Scott. Usually you find it in places like under the seams, close to the lace hooks, or high up on the boot where the leather surface doesn't get much abuse (and even that gets covered up significantly over time).
- Michaelson
- Knower of Things
- Posts: 44484
- Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 12:55 pm
- Location: Out here knowing stuff and things and wishing I were with the family at Universal Studios Orlando
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
In the mid to late 80's the 405's were brick red.
Alden's even supplied a small jar of Meltonian Shoe Cream in 'brick' color with every pair sold for touch up.
Personally I think the leather they were using at the time was the best, strongest leather out there. It just lasted and lasted....then they came out with the infamous 'pumpkin' color and change of leather, and it kind of went 'downhill' from there.
Regards! Michaelson
Alden's even supplied a small jar of Meltonian Shoe Cream in 'brick' color with every pair sold for touch up.
Personally I think the leather they were using at the time was the best, strongest leather out there. It just lasted and lasted....then they came out with the infamous 'pumpkin' color and change of leather, and it kind of went 'downhill' from there.
Regards! Michaelson
- Kittlemeier
- Archaeologist
- Posts: 251
- Joined: Tue Jul 02, 2002 12:23 am
- Location: Valdosta, GA
Re: Boot Color (it's not worth obsessing about)
I wish I'd gotten near that with mine. They split at the sole in about six or seven months.Mark Brody wrote: We've actually had similar experiences with the Corcorans (except I got mine before they hiked up their prices 50% in one go). Fortunately for me, the separation between the uppers and the sole, at the arch just like yours, occurred when I needed new soles anyway, and I don't think the cobbler charged me any more for that fix. All in all, having worn the boots fairly regularly for 7 years with only one repair - I think I've gotten my money's worth out of them.
I got mine, brand new off the mannequin, from Chris King in '99 or 2000. Not sure when they were actually produced but they had to be the brick red as there was no orange about them. They look just like the accelerator shot from Raiders. They were a matte leather without the shiny coating that the pumpkin always appeared to have in pics. They've lasted through everything, with a couple of sole changes and several heels, and they're still good to go and are worn often. They feel like gloves now they're so soft. I'd love to get another pair of these.Michaelson wrote:In the mid to late 80's the 405's were brick red.
Alden's even supplied a small jar of Meltonian Shoe Cream in 'brick' color with every pair sold for touch up.
Personally I think the leather they were using at the time was the best, strongest leather out there. It just lasted and lasted....then they came out with the infamous 'pumpkin' color and change of leather, and it kind of went 'downhill' from there.
Regards! Michaelson
Sorry about the overuse of "they."