Dappered

Affordable Men's Style

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In Review: The New JC Penney Stafford Kent Boot

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JC Penney Stafford Kent – $80.00

One of the earlier signs that JC Penney was serious about attracting a new, male customer base (which in the end proved to do more harm than good) was the debut of the Stafford Camlin Boot. A perfect shape, construction that was plenty solid for the $60 price tag, and good quality leather that was soft and receptive to shoe creme. The Camlin even won the “Dappy” (dreadful name)  for best shoes of 2012.

But they’re gone now. Gone. Like, Ron Johnson gone. There appears to be some lingering stock in a few brick & mortar stores, but it sure feels like they’re not going to make another run of Camlins for fall 2013. At the JCP closest to the Dappered offices, there’s a fat sticker on the bottom of the Camlin boot on display that says “LAST ONE”. Subtle.

But thanks to the long tail of design and supply in retail, the Wooster/Johnson influence still lingers. And a new winger boot just hit JC Penney shelves. Enter the “Kent”. Here’s how it stacks up to the endangered (if not extinct) Camlin:

What stayed the same

  • The shape of the boot: Still excellent. Slightly elongated with a perfect toe.
  • The wingtip + perforations: Not a longwing like the CH Jayhawker.
  • The Sizing: These things still run huge. Like, at least half a size too big.
  • Country of origin: Still Bangladesh.

kent vs camlinTop: The Camlin after a couple seasons of use. Bottom: The new Kent.

What’s different

  • The Leather

The size of the font there ^ signifies the severity of the shift in leather used to make the boot. Gone is the malleable, ready to soak up shoe creme leather. The Kent’s leather is so smooth and shiny it’s edging up on patent-like. To the touch, it has more in common with a pair of rubber galoshes than an animal hide. And if there’s one thing we touch a lot of around here, it’s the hides of animals who are wearing galoshes. But the differences (good & bad) don’t end there.

  • The eyelets: Now seven instead of six, & reinforced with metal instead of simply punched.
  • The sole: The lug sole is gone. It’s now a very well done rubber w/ micro traction. A nice improvement.
  • The toe medallion: A little more compact. Dressier.
  • The height of the boot’s shaft: About a half inch taller than the Camlin’s.

kent soleThe sole is great. A nice upgrade there, but…

The Bottom Line:

Damn. This is disappointing. If the Kent and Camlin were to be judged on the Mohs scale, the Kent’s glass-smooth, plasticky leather would be up there with the unscratchable diamonds, while the Camlins pliable butter-uppers would sit somewhere near the gypsum. But unlike the minerals, for these boots, increased hardness doesn’t increase their value. It’s just the opposite. The Kent’s leather and diamonds might be brothers-from-another-mohs-mother, but most shoppers are going to be disappointed as dirt.

These ain’t the Camlin with a fresh coat of paint. These are the Camlin under some sort of alien exoskeleton.

Welcome to earth.

leather trioFrom Left: The Camlin, Kent, and a Wolverine 1000 Mile Addison.

Comments

  1. they look like a decent solution for someone on the hunt for a sub $100 Dalton. Obviously worlds apart in quality, but not bad at all. Curious as to how they’ll look after ~6 months of wear.

  4. Thanks for this! I was just thinking about buying these new Kent boots from the JCP website.

  5. I thought ahead and bought the last two Camlins in my size last winter at my local JCP. I’m still getting the Kents, though. I’ve been looking for something black (or nearly black) that will do well in the rain and these look like they fit the bill nicely.

  6. Maybe they’ll become cheaper on clearance. EVERYTHING eventually sells for the right price. I lent my knock-around black shoes to my brother, and the came back pretty much destroyed. I could use another pair of beaters, but I’ll wait to see what the price does.

  8. Wow that is really reflective. Was thinking about pulling the trigger on one of these, but not anymore. Thanks for the review.

  9. As an associate of JCP (part time summer work), I’ll be the first to tell you that this place is hit or miss. If you have the time and patience to painstakingly browse through clearance racks, you can definitely find some gems throughout the store. I.E. 100% cotton khaki blazer for $14.99, slim-fit chinos for $9.99… (All before any additional coupon or sale)

  12. It’s corrected grain leather. http://www.leatherusa.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3287 Put simply, they take the crappy stuff that’s too scarred and disfigured to use, sand off the face of the leather, put on a thin coat of plastic that’s dyed to look like leather, and make shoes out of it. It looks like plastic because what you’re looking at IS plastic. But it’s a really thin coat of plastic on top of a leather base, so they’re allowed to label the product as genuine leather.

  16. ACurtin, Thank you for the warning, but not to worry: our fearless leader lost his head in a dynamic style explosion years ago. All that remains are legs, a torso, and a neck. Mrs. Dappered props him up and positions him for photographs, then it’s off to his day job as a mannequin for an unspecified high-end menswear store.

  17. If your just looking for a wingtip boot may I suggest the Oren boot by Dr. Scholls (I know I didnt know they made a shoe either). I got em for ten dollars less and they’re fantastic. The leather is more like the Camlin but in a dark brown, also there is a bit of burnishing on the toe that i really personally like. The only down side is it does have a lug sole, but not a ridiculously thick sole. They’re are part of my regular rotation of shoes and I usually end up wearing them once every week to every week and a half and I think they’ve held up swimmingly.

  19. Ask Nordstrom if they’ll price match 6pm.com. I got them to match the $120 price tag on the Frye James Lug Wingtips.

  21. You wouldn’t believe how many people actually think a nice shoe has to be very shiny from the beginning. They love corrected grain. Also, they don’t want to bother with polish, wax etc. to polish up their shoes…

  22. It’s a shame. I really like the smaller medallion and the overall shape of this shoe much better. Shame the leather sucks.

  23. Aww I guess this also holds true for the new cap toe bluchers? I need a cheap pair, maybe at like half off…

  24. You have a tacky taste in boots. The wingtips are way overdone and you seem to choose some of the worst examples and talk them up as good. IE the Dalton. The English bootmakers make much better looking wingtips, if you are going to obsess over them continuously. The Addison looks a bit silly and the JCPenny ones look terrible.

  25. Why are you obsessed with Saddleback? They use cheap hides and misrepresent the value of good leather. The owner didn’t even know what chromexcel was nor had he heard of Horween.

  26. That leather looks atrocious… It’s unfortunate but also expected considering where JCP is now headed. I got confirmation from our local store that the JCP line is officially going under after this fall. Stafford prep too. It was nice while it lasted I guess.

  27. Just checked out the Orens. Very nice. reviews are ok except that smell…Maybe our fearless leader can “expert review” them lol

  31. Someone is trolling…of course English brands (Grenson, Tricker’s, C & J, E & G, etc.) are going to be better than JCP.

    For UK to US analogy sake, it’s like comparing a Range Rover to a Dodge

  32. that leather looks awful, and I don’t like that they are taller. Seeing the 2 booths side by side makes me wish I had a pair of Camlins.

  33. Interesting – apparently you don’t understand the intended purpose of this website.

    Did you just stop with Dappered and then give up before the Affordable Men’s Style tag line?

  34. dude, go that way…STOP TROLLING…we are well aware of the differences…we dont need you berating Joe or other commenters with snark remarks.

  39. When I was in the Army, guys would get boots like this for inspection days. They come with a mirror shine from day one. You actually shine them up with Windex.

  40. I was thinking maybe hit it with some acetone or stripper.

    But then, even if that does work, there’s the cost of time and effort, might as well just pay a bit more to get something better already.

  42. It’s in line with another poster’s comments on the direction jcp is heading (or heading back to, if you like)

  43. Just grabbed my local JCP’s last pair of Camlins for $50 instead of $60. Thanks for saving me from the Kents.