Carlos Santos Field Boot GMTO In Patina x The Noble Shoe Impressions

They Are Finally Here!

This week was challenging and continues to be for multiple reasons. Luckily there was one bright ray of light to give me some respite in all this. I am talking of course by the arrival of the Carlos Santos Field Boot January GMTO in Patina.

Thanks to a few great people on Reddit we made a gorgeous boot on a different last and 5 different Patina colors. Today I wanted to take this opportunity and share with you my little victory but also discuss some other matters.

Let’s get this started.

Expensive Items Don’t Make You A Gentleman

First of all I hope you are all safe from this Corona Virus Outrage and for the love of god don’t stock Toilet Paper. It is useless. Now to the matter at hand. A few days ago I received a nice pair of Patina Loafers in Bosco from Carlos Santos. There was a tiny spot that was apparently not painted properly which I totally missed in the beginning.

Excited as I was I showed the client, who turned hostile and ironic very fast. I even refunded 5% back to him and his reply was:

“Great thanks for the big refund, I can buy a pair of Yohei Fukuda now“.

His behavior is a prime example that money and expensive physical goods don’t make you a gentleman. Instead of having a proper discussion and saying what he wants, he instead chose to call names and be sarcastic amidst the pandemic. Respect the people that strive to accommodate your requests and please you and if there is an issue try to solve it in a civilized matter.

There’s Only One Reddit Sub For Shoes…

Reddit is a special place. You can find just about anything and have a wonderful time. When it comes to Goodyear Welted Shoes there is only one option: r/Goodyearwelt.

The group has over 100000 subscribers and the core of them is from the USA. There is a total obsession with rugged service boots which I am not sure where to attribute it to. It could be the more casual nature of the US workplace or just tradition. That’s fine, but when 95% of the posts daily are about Iron Rangers, Viberg and Redwings it quickly becomes repetitive.

The mods also are really quick to wave the banhammer which is understandable when someone tries to advertise something. After posting yesterday a small post with posts from the GMTO which was user initiated (not mine) they took it down and gave me a warning. At that point I asked myself, do I want to be a part of that community and contribute? Probably not as there is nothing that excites me and I don’t want to risk a ban for answering Carlos Santos questions.

The Solution?

Where is this going? I talked with a lot of friends on my various Facebook Shoe Groups and we all agree that a more niche, dressy subreddit is missing. I want to see dressy shoes from entry, medium and high end brands other than Viberg.

Facebook however is full of spam and blatant over-promotion. The problem lies within the accessibility of the platform and they are probably not aware of Reddit yet. If you feel this way and are an avid Redditor, we want to create a small subreddit about High Quality Dress Shoes. Leave a comment down below as the response is great so far. Some name ideas maybe?

The Carlos Santos Field Boot In Patina GMTO

Now, onto the main course after this sidetracking. Inspiration from this boot was the Handgrade Field Boot in Grain/Calf. A client wanted it in Wine Shadow instead and it looked fantastic on the 401 Last instead of the 316. So much that he was happy to post a review. That review sparked the latest Group Made to Order you see today.

The base would be the same albeit with a Dainite Sole and Wine Shadow as the main color. Flexibility is key so we had multiple entries in other colors including mine. In the end the colors were Wine Shadow, Guimaraes, Coimbra, Braga and Petro Shadow.

Specifications

Let’s look at the specifications for the GMTO:

• Brand: Carlos Santos
• Shop: The Noble Shoe
• Origin: Portugal
• Style: Field Boot
• Model: 9156
• Color: Wine Shadow/Guimaraes/Coimbra/Braga/Petro Shadow Patina
• Sole: Dainite Rubber
• Construction: Goodyear Welted
• Eyelets: 4 Eyelets and 4 Speed Hooks
• Lining: Genuine Leather
• Last: 401 Almond Toe
• Price: 315$
• Availability: On Request

Tip: If you are interested in such a Patina make up, please email me at [email protected]

The Design

This is a classic Field Boot that has a striking resemblance to the iconic Edward Green Galway. Very minimal differences but the keen experienced eye can recognize them. It has a really nice pattern especially along the lacing area and a burnished Cap-Toe.

The leather is supple and the Patinas are a work of art for the price point. It is a good time to remind you that Patinas are not perfect and irregularities are NOT defects. Embrace the character.

A Dainite Sole works great for those of you in more rainy/snowy countries and is way more flexible than a leather sole for most. The boot is rather easy to slip in and out and has the added flexibility of the speed hooks. The pattern there has a nice wavy “hockey stick” nature to it.

My Favorite Last

The 401 Last is a Carlos Santos classic and probably my best fitting RTW Last right now. It sports a higher instep, slightly wider width and good arch support. It fits rather true to size although I found out that if you are between two sizes you should take the smaller one.

Pretty comparable to Carmina Rain, Meermin Hiro and CJ 348 sizing wise for me, it is slightly elongated and perfectly accentuates the Cap-Toe of the boot.

Don’t forget to size down 1 Full Size from your regular US sizing while choosing.

Color #1: Wine Shadow

One of the most common and favorite patinas is Wine Shadow mainly due to its variety. It is a mix of burgundy red and some brown and each time one or the other shows more.

It is a very flexible color and you can wear it with practically everything. It looks really well with jeans and chinos in my opinion while you can also rock it with shades of grey. I would not hesitate to wear it under a navy suit either but would avoid a charcoal one.

Color #2: Coimbra

If you are more into classics look no further than Coimbra. A very Dark Brown color with just the slightest lighter hues. Essentially you get a classic color with just a touch of flair to make it more unique. It ages really well and the lighter brown hues pop up more with time especially around the tongue.

Now this one along with Guimaraes are probably the most flexible colors for everything as dark brown can work with most colors. It will look like a derby under a navy suit and these bad boys take your more casual outfits to a whole new level. A very good sensible pick.

Color #3: Guimaraes

Riding high on the dark brown train with Guimaraes. It is an absolutely gorgeous patina and slightly lighter than Coimbra and accentuated chestnut hues.

Needless to say that everything we said about Coimbra applies here with a tiny bit of less formality. Look at how the chestnut pops up around the shoe under natural light.

Color #4: Braga

Now that we are all inside the house under quarantine it is time to bring out the brandy or cognac and take a sip by the fireplace. Braga is the perfect companion for these moments. It has a very deep, rich amber shade that resembles cognac.

This is a casual color that works well for those of you that use darker casual outfits and want contrast. Olive Green, Navy, Denim will all work great with this and it will be a bright talking point for your next date.

Color #5: Petro Shadow

Here’s where I took a gamble. I have now seen almost all of the Patinas of Carlos Santos in real life. One that I liked in the stock pictures was Petro Shadow. It looked like Teal, a mix of blue and green you might say. Nonetheless a gamble to make something like this but I wanted to join the GMTO which made it the perfect opportunity. And boy it did not disappoint.

I think this color would suit a pair of monk straps very well or even the wingtip boots. I already had fun wearing these and they are surprisingly easy to style.

Awaiting The Reaction

All the shoes are currently on their way to their owners all over the world. I am excited to see their reaction as this is a one of a kind GMTO which I do hope to repeat. A small change as a different color can take your favorite shoe and make it completely different.

Wrapping Things Up

With the world economy going in free-fall now is the time to support smaller local businesses. Of course I am not talking about just The Noble Shoe. Regardless, to help I am offering a 10% Discount on All Carlos Santos Non-Sale Shoes until the end of April to honor my new partnership with Styleforum. The code is SF10. Remember to be a real gentleman and not just look like one. Be safe, take care and don’t panic and we will all be fine. Don’t forget about the elderly and most vulnerable either and behave humane and with empathy and kindness.

Indulge yourselves in the little pleasures of life and extract the maximum out of the situation. If a beautiful new pair of shoes like this Carlos Santos Field Boot can help, why not! This brings this showcase to its end and next week we will take a closer look at legendary shoemaker Maftei Vienna.

Thank you for reading,

Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy