Ciro Lendini Wingtip Boot – $149.00
The Florsheim Gaffney is almost perfect. But the lug sole on that under $100 ships-free bargain limits its use. These from the seems-to-only-be-on-Yoox brand Ciro Lendini are made in Italy, and true to Italian form, they’re slightly slimmed down and a bit more dressed up.
The leather on the Gaffney was good. This is a step above but not mind blowing. Very pliable, has a good look & feel right out of the box, and they feel great against your feet once laced up. The shaft of the boot doesn’t offer any real support since the leather is so soft, so if you’re used to your boots being hockey skate stiff, these won’t work. They’re supportive otherwise, but not north of your Achilles.
The dark brown is so dark that in some light it could be mistaken for black. The detail stitching and perforations are what you want in a wingtip boot. Noticeable but not insane, and instead of a plain toe you get a medallion with these.
If you’ve got a widefoot, forget it. The size 10 pair shown here fit my 10.5 foot just fine, but they do hug right up on the widest part of my foot. Not an issue for me, but know I’m on the borderline between the D and E crowd.
Unfortunately the sole isn’t leather. Or, if you live in a wet climate (Seattle, Portland, Bangor, lookin’ at you) then rephrase that to: fortunately, the sole is a not noticeable rubber. Not a bad option on really wet days when the dress shoes stay in the closet. Suit worthy for sure, especially when paired with a texture like tweed of flannel.
Have any experience with Ciro Lendini? What’s your take on wingtip boots in general? It all goes below…
I bought a pair of Ciro Lendini wingtips (not boots) from Yoox a number of years ago. I loved those shoes. I wore them at probably inopportune times (rain, snow, and walking to work every day in the summer). They looked great but eventually disintegrated, although it did take about 4-5 years of constant abuse before the soles literally fell off. But $125-150 for Italian shoes? I’ll happily take that. If you’re looking for shoes that are durable beyond that, you’d probably expect to pay 2 or 3 times as much.
Why does the world hate wide feet men…
I’ve been searching for a decent brown leather wingtip boot for a minute now. These might have to do…
Curious what most of you do with dress boots. Do you athletic shoe style criss-cross lace it like the above pictures? or do you straight lace it, as you do with your dress shoes?
I myself have done both on both.
The main advantage of dress boots is that they can be worn casually while still being just fine for business. My shoe collection consists almost entirely of dress boots. Hypothetically, if I could be bothered, I would passionately hate the very concept of the polished dress shoe that can only be worn with a formal suit. But in reality i just find it to be more trouble than it’s worth.
Those look fantastic! If only they were available in a lighter brown, like the Florsheim Gaffney. Looks like a great find
That looks like an old school floorboard those boots are posing in…what cha’ driving, Joe?
Damn I love those. I’ve wanted some wingtip boots forever.
Are these resoleable or are they just cleverly designed to look that way?
The floorboard looks like an early 90’s model GM pickup. The blue interior along with the gas & brake pedal are defiantly GM. The floorboard has the vinyl square patch witch is also a giveaway.
Ain’t no Hobbit foot love for us….*shakes head sadly*
bought a pair of these and would say they fit 1/2 size larger than marked and if you’re wider than a d width or have a high instep, they probably won’t work.
How are the quality on these? Good enough to withstand long walks through western Europe during February?