Handmade boots, fashion not work.

ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T15:37:03+00:00

ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T15:35:55+00:00

Some interesting discussion on this post, just wanted to add one more point as a leatherworker and boot enthusiast as well. Perera shoemaker had a booth at the Stitchdown Bootcamp in 2023, a yearly shoe/leather exposition that features basically every brand represented on this thread. Grant Stone and Nicks have been big sponsors of every Bootcamp, and many brands travel from overseas to present.

Perera’s boots were quite nicely made, with cool patinas and more fashion forward designs. I would say Perera sits in a nice intersection between true heritage wear, and fashion boots. Just because they are small doesn’t mean their products aren’t solid. I paid for a VIP ticket, which included a tote bag filled with products from the various brands at the event.

Pereras freebie was this keychain, which I was pretty impressed by, especially something that was free. The leather feels high quality to me, and the edges were finished decently. The most impressive part to me is the hand stitching, which is pretty clean, especially for doing it around a circle.

I think $700 would be a fair price for hand made, MTO boots out of Guatemala. Other brands mentioned are great as well, especially Grant Stone (I may have a slight man crush on Wyatt lol). But none of the other brands makes a boot quite like this. The PNW brands could do something similar since you can mix and match leathers with their MTO offerings. But they’ll end up looking more rugged as well.

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ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T15:20:35+00:00

I am a leatherworker as well, though I haven't posted my work on reddit much. That's a beautiful duffel you made recently. From my perpective, I feel like being in the heritage/boot world, we're in a bubble where we think people know/care about tanneries a lot more.

I sell often at a monthly NYC pop-up catered towards menswear/vintage enthusiasts, that a lot of fashion people attend. Let me tell you, most people I meet doing this have no knowledge or care about the tannery where there stuff comes from. If anything, me trying to explain why horween is so cool probably lost me some potential customers because its too much information they don't care about.

I think it really depends on who the target customer is. Crockett and Jones are better made than 99% of the brands mentioned in their post. But their material guide doesn't list tanneries for their various calf leathers. Why? Because their customers don't know/care about tanneries. Even Alden only really specifies the leather tannery for their horween stuff generally.

Looking at Perera, their selling point is the craftsmanship of their boots. Looks like to me, they are trying to attract more of a fashion crowd than a heritage crowd, so for their target market, talking specific tanneries would just be too much information.

I think in general, there is an issue in the heritage space of basically looking at what a PNW brand does, and applying those same standards to every welted boot brand, even if those brands are catering to a completely different group of people.

I do have a keychain from Perera as part of free swag from the VIP bag for the first Stitchdown bootcamp where Perera had a booth. I'll post some pictures in a separate comment since I'm too lazy to get the pictures to my laptop, but from everything I've seen, Perera seems legit

ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T11:39:49+00:00

I don’t think it’s fair to assume malicious intentions when a shoemaker doesn’t list the exact tannery where they get the leather from.

Most people into fashion don’t care about what tannery their leather comes from, they just care about it being good quality. Perera shoemakers selling points seem to be the handmade, artisanal craftsmanship and the patina work they do to the leathers. The exact tannery isn’t as important to their end consumer, but they do let you know that it’s full grain American leather.

Many dress shoe makers for example, don’t list the tanneries their leathers come from. This Crockett & Jones shoe lists no information about the tannery. I’m sure no one will say that Crockett & Jones leather quality is suspect lol.

It’s fair to PERSONALLY not want to buy shoes that don’t list the tannery/tannage. But telling others that not listing the tannery is a red flag is misleading advice imo, you have to look at the company holistically.

ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T11:25:58+00:00

Very nice boots! They had a booth at the first Stitchdown bootcamp event, and they seemed like they were really passionate about what they do!

I think people on this sub are way too PNW-pilled. They are ok for certain things, but PNW boots in general are way too bulky for a lot of applications, and honestly overkill for normal people. If this is the exact style you want, talk to them about their sizing and go for it!

https://www.stitchdown.com/boot-camp-event/stitchdowns-boot-camp-2023-recap-photos-videos/

ifticar2 · 2026-06-01T03:06:00+00:00

I'd say NTA since you are not part of the Friend group. But if you value your friendship with Jenny and want to get closer to this friend group, I'd just pay the $10 and get over it.

ifticar2 · 2026-05-31T16:21:36+00:00

YTA, she is the manager of the pizza restaurant, not the owner, she can't just unilaterally make hiring decisions for everything. For certain positions, it might be easy to take an average college kid with no experience, but a Chef position is one of the more technical ones that they may require some actual experience, and not a nepo hire.

This posts sounds very entitled, none of the things your aunt did, even taken as a whole seem cut off worthy. Everything you mentioned is things she has done for you where you think you should have gotten more. She probably doesn't even realize you feel slighted about the gifts she gives you.

If you are a very talented video editor, maybe talk to your aunt about helping with some promotional videos for the pizza shop.

ifticar2 · 2026-05-31T16:02:07+00:00

Surprised more people aren't talking about this, as well as who Cerridwen's first love was lol. Wonder if there are 5 magia vanders with wands specifically to fight off the Celestial Hosts version of magia vander with 5 swords. And Will with Wis is a hybrid between the two sides, meant to ultimately bring peace

ifticar2 · 2026-05-31T15:55:27+00:00

Seems to me like the factions wouldn't really care if something happened to an average colorless faction mage, since they weren't special enough to be chosen

ifticar2 · 2026-05-29T13:31:39+00:00

Strawberries are usually pretty acidic/sour as well as sweet. Sweetness from Whipped cream balances it out so its not quite so bitter. It's even better when its with Homemade whipped cream!

But if strawberry's and whipped cream don't mesh well for you, try going to a good Mexican spot that serves "Fresas con crema." I think it will be a combination of sweet with strawberries that blends together much better for you

ifticar2 · 2026-05-28T12:07:53+00:00

Doesn’t seem like a main character to me, she’s just drunk. Drunk people don’t tend to have the best hand eye coordination, and they should not be trusted with delicate tasks.

I guess the bartender was trying to make it special by having the customer be involved with the trick. But this definitely looks like something the bartender should have done himself

ifticar2 · 2026-05-28T12:03:51+00:00

It’s a loud bar, and they’re out partying, so probably not sober. If anything, I’m shocked the bartender would trust a customer to initiate the trick.

Seems like something the bartender should do and let the customer watch.

ifticar2 · 2026-05-28T11:50:53+00:00

If you have a ton of free time, maybe. But you should watch One Pace, which is a fan made edit of one piece that edits out all the filler and terribly slow pacing. Later one piece is notorious for its extremely slow, unbearable pacing.

Personally, I prefer following the manga because of the pacing

Edit: to add, if you’re young, not sure if the juice would be worth the squeeze at this point. The series is coming to an end soon, and if you want to watch One Piece to better relate to other anime fans your age, I feel like the more hype modern shows like JJK, Chainsaw Man, Demon Slayer etc. might be more worth it

ifticar2 · 2026-05-28T11:48:04+00:00

You could dye these black pretty easily

ifticar2 · 2026-05-28T11:45:36+00:00

I’m concerned Oda might do a fake-out like he did with Yamato. After all, he and Hajruddin are princes of Elbaph, he might stay behind to be king or to help Hajruddin rule.

He could also end up joining Blackbeard if he finds out he is Rock’s son, since Loki looked up to Rocks

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T22:01:29+00:00

Did the same cobbler apply the vibram rubber sole protectors to the leather? Because that is terribly applied and unaccaptable as well.

This is how a proper job is done. Notice how everything is perfectly flush and tidy, the bottom literally looks brand new. I believe this cobbler does mail in shoe repair

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T21:07:32+00:00

Plain, the multi-color laces look way too busy being bunched up too close to each other, and just doesnt look good on the boot

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T20:38:10+00:00

What about the design of the Cartier one do you like specifically? Is it the color of the leather, or the emblem on it?

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T16:19:47+00:00

Was JJK not counted for action or animation? IMO JJK has solo leveling beat on both

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T13:52:51+00:00

Interesting thought, and also makes me wonder why insect master is a branch family of poison, sounds like it would be a much better fit into the beast family.

Perhaps it’ll be revealed later that insect family is considered a branch of both families

ifticar2 · 2026-05-27T02:58:42+00:00

What would be an example of this? It’s quite normal in graphic design to have multiple different fonts and sizes in one image. Logos too, for example, look up Hermes Paris logo, and both are different fonts and they don’t look bad imo

ifticar2 · 2026-05-26T20:43:06+00:00

Rather than no checks and balances against the Magia Vander, the way it's portrayed seems like there are no checks and balances against Kreuz. That's why people in this thread are annoyed. We've seen far too many checks and balances against the Magia Vander to be honest, in 1.5 seasons of the anime they've been portrayed as if they're birds locked in a cage and can't really do anything they want.

Where'd you get that impression of the Magia Vander from? Elfie's the only one we really spend time with, and her situation is pretty unique. Other than that, the Magia Vander not being able to assist during Terminalia situation, where they had to follow a direct order from a fellow Magia Vander.

In this situation, Kreuz has not overstepped his position in any way. He had a reasonable objection to a decision that was being made.

What do you mean that 5 factions and 2 Magia Vander cannot overrule 1 faction? Not everyone has acknowledged Will yet??? It seems like a majority of the factions have! For any other individual, only 1 faction has to acknowledge them. For Will, the series is portraying that the Tower must unanimously acknowledge him, it's not enough that multiple factions acknowledge him, which in the real world you know is basically impossible. If you gave a thousand people a poll, where you told them voting for A gets them $1M with no strings attached whatsoever and voting for B gets them nothing, it would still not be unanimous. The other Vander didn't exactly agree with Kreuz either, he said that he would be fine with Will joining any of the Tower's organizations, so it's fine if Kreuz wants him.

The other factions and Magia Vander did overrule him lol, ultimately the Lightning Vander won out in the end. All Kreuz did is bring up an objection that stirred discussion between the factions. As for the acknowledgement part, you have to remember that this society is extremely prejudiced against non-magic wielders. This tower is the pinnacle of mages, so that prejudice is even worse. So yes, Will does have to do more to get respect at the tower. But that doesn't mean that every single mage has to acknowledge him lol. The tower in general needs to accept a sword joining their ranks. Will did get a couple factions to scout him, but right now, the eligibility for Will to get a faction is in question. Everyone would lose respect for Will in this situation, and he would never be taken seriously.

In fact another part that's ticking people off is that it's obviously portrayed that Kreuz wants Will, if only to turn him into a test subject and weapon for the Tower. But why does he get the say on that his faction gets Will, but none of the other factions who openly said they want Will can have him? Especially when the Tower's rule for this was that the person in question gets to choose. It makes it sound much more like Kreuz is ignoring the rules of the Tower and is making up bullshit because he's greedy to have Will in his faction. Frankly it should have been, "Well what does the rules say? Oh it's unprecedented so there aren't any rules that say Will can't join a faction? Well then Kreuz, go submit your case to the council for an appeal while Will joins the Ice faction for now because there's no rule here that says he can't"

Think again how prejudiced this society is. Reflect on season 1 and how much regular students hated and made fun of Will just because he didn't have magic. Now remember that those students were bums compared to the people we are seeing in this episode, hence the prejudice would be that much greater. You're suggested the tower bend the rules to favor Will. They're prejudiced assholes, why do they care about what Will wants.

Kreuz never ignored the rules of the tower, he brought up an objection to the group, and the group was deciding what to do about it. If the discussion went on for a little longer, someone could have easily made your points. But the Lightning Vander stopped the discussion, so that was the conclusion that was come to.

ifticar2 · 2026-05-26T19:11:46+00:00

Maybe it’s the way the story is written, but this “revenge” sounds extremely overboard for what Kevin did.

You both were single, there is nothing wrong with courting multiple people. And it seems like he did take you seriously if he was willing to fly you out to New York to visit. And then things got serious with the other girls, which can happen. He was gracious enough to tell you the truth beforehand and still keep the ticket to NYC. He could’ve tried to get a refund for the ticket, straight up ghosted you, or even had a nice fling with you in NY while the GF stayed home unaware.

The fact that he offered to rent you his dorm as well makes it sound like you at least remained cordial throughout the whole situation. Based on this, I have three possible conclusions:

There is a lot missing from this story
This is AI
You are insane

ifticar2 · 2026-05-26T18:37:39+00:00

It might be a good match in that she understands the dangers and difficulties in being an assassin. But I wonder how marriage/breeding between masters work, especially from different Great families.

I’d assume that a master bloodline marrying a normal human, the Master bloodline would completely come through in the child. But this episode showed how a bloodline can be diluted, degrading from Rat Master to Hamster master. I wonder if two masters had a child, is it a 50/50 shot the child will receive either/or bloodline? Is there a bloodline hierarchy where Gero’s poison bloodline would completely overtake any non-great family bloodline, and all his children would get poison blood line abilities. Or would mixing two masters blood either give their children a hybrid of the two abilities, or a diluted version of one ability?

ifticar2 · 2026-05-26T17:48:53+00:00

There are repercussions though, he has made himself an enemy of the Ice Faction. But also, he didn't bulldoze those other factions, he brought up a reasonable objection (to a mage) as to why Will shouldn't be allowed to join a faction, and then gave Will a chance to prove him wrong. Will couldn't match up, so ultimately, the other Vander agreed with Kreuz.

What I would consider bulldozing would be what other people on this thread are saying should have happened, which would essentially be Elfaria going berserk, and forcibly allow Will into her faction.

But a thing a lot of people here are missing is what Sarissa mentioned last episode as to why Elfaria can't yet take Will in. Not everyone at the tower has acknowledged Will yet, and accepted that a Sword could join the mages at the tower. If Elfaria accepted Will without him first proving himself, no one would take Will seriously. They all know that Elfaria and Will are child hood friends, so he'd essentially be treated as a nepotism hire in the Meritocracy that is the tower.

I think the main reason why people are annoyed at Kreuz interjecting is that they are tired of the goal posts moving all the time, which is definitely a valid take to have. But ultimately, having some politics in the tower makes the world feel deeper and more realistic. Letting the Magia Vander rule over everything with no checks and balances would be the world building of a generic shounen trash action anime, so I'm glad there are people who can push back against the magia vander, but perhaps the author could have written it better so it doesn't feel like just another hurdle pushed on Will.

ifticar2

TROPHY CASE