Robert Land Shoes

[esther]

Does anyone own a pair of Robert Land reproduction shoes? I just received a pair of the regency ladies walking shoes in brown leather via the post.

Upon first inspection, they are lovely and look well-made from soft leather. But, I'm not sure if my feet will like the shoes or not. Upon recommendation from the manufacturer and others who own the shoe, I purchased a half-size up from my normal size because of the vertical taper of the toe. The width of the shoe and toebox horizontally is fine on my feet, but the vertical taper of the toebox is very tight on my toes and presses down on top of them. I have a feeling that this will become painful during extended periods of wear. Also, I think the next size up would be too large everywhere else on the shoe.

My question is, does anyone else have this problem with Robert Land shoes? Will the leather stretch out and become more comfortable? I think I might try taking the shoes to the cobbler and have them stretched. Does anyone else have any thoughts/suggestions about the shoes?

[ladyirish]

I own a pair of front lacing RL boots. And I love them! I usually have trouble with shoes fitting as I have really high arches. But these boots are actual leather and /do/ stretch over time. I've had mine for a year now and they're more comfy now than ever, and I liked them when I first put them on too! Taking them to get 'em stretched might not be a bad idea.

[dawnluckham]

I have a pair of Robert Land’s Regency era boots. (I may have been one of the first orders placed after he shared them at a living history conference several years ago.) I wanted him to make them as close to the originals he was using for inspiration (a pair of brown leather boots in the V&A) as possible. I’m really pleased with the result. I’ve put silk rosettes on them so they will look even more like the V&A pair of boots.

As far as fit goes, they are a slimmer shoe than I often wear for modern footwear. I’ve covered them in mink oil for water-proofing and to soften the leather a bit. I find them comfortable and while I don’t wear them all the time (I have some lovely little flats that I quite like), I find that the more I wear the boots, the more they “break in” and relax into my own foot shape.

Yes! If you find they’re a bit too tight, take them to be professionally stretched. They’re made of lovely leather and they will shape up quite nicely with this.

[esther]

Thank you for the advice everyone. I would like to put mink oil on my shoes, but they are a pretty medium brown color and I'm afraid that the oil might darken the color. Did the mink oil darken the color of your boots? Or were your boots black and it didn't matter?