#bootsmack

[restroom]

STEEL 8-Eye Orange These are probably the ones I’m going to order unless the company gets back to me about offering these or another colour with their Air Sole. Safety-Orange is my fave colour, and though they’re not that neon, slightly redder hue, I’m getting to the point where I just need something to move on with that doesn’t let water in. Not tremendously weird, are they? Bein’ picky don’t keep your feet drily shod. Blacklist the “bootsmack” tag if you hate seeing this shit, it’ll disappear!

[restroom]

Steelground Black-And-White 10-Eye Rangers

If they’d just have done all the pieces in the dimpled pattern! As it is the upper, heel, toe and backstrap are just plain whogivesafuck black. Come on, if I’m gonna kick apart a tooth-paste factory or a potter’s yard why would I only want the detritus to be able to settle on the shank and up? Philistines.

[restroom]

Steelground Neon Green 10-Eye Rangers

Hey, and in a metallic-green-to-black ruboff! What a blessing it is that I don’t have delusions about how much money I can spare to wrap my big dumb feet in. Blacklist the “bootsmack” tag if you hate these posts!

[restroom]

Steelground Fire 10-Eye Rangers

Holy shit, they’re the spitting image of my favourite Docs, save for the Gripfast-style single-sole, even down to the triple-stitching! I wonder who copied whom? Still, I can’t get into a pair real easy, let alone try one on, so it’s down to comfort and familiarity. Pretty damn handsome, though, eh?

[restroom]

Steelground “Galaxy” 10-Eye Rangers

These seem to be some kind of iridescent blue-over-burgundy that doesn’t photograph well, with solid soles. If I saw them in person I might be tempted.

[restroom]

Steelground “Blue & Black” & “Neon Blue 8-Eye Rangers”

Read as “knockoff Docs” & “knockoff Gripfasts” in popular leathers. They dont’ show it, but other photos of similar seem to suggest the former has air soles with knockoff Road Sole bottoms. Road Soles were a 90s Docs abomination that offered the absolute worst in both grip and wear, and are still offered today on many offerings. Always go with the Z-Ben (has ×es and a conforming border of lines). If you don’t want to see these posts please blacklist the “bootsmack” tag!

[restroom]

Steelground 8-Eye Rangers “in leather and bovine fur”

See what I meant about really ginning up the 90s shop æsthetic? And I’ve left out all the leopard-print, stripes and that shit because it was never at all my bag. The reason it looks blurry and they’ve titled it that way is that it’s printed bleached hide with short, pressed-flat hair intact, or more likely a cheap facsimile thereof. I well remember this affectation, but never a print quite so bold on it. I’d wear these. Not a whole lot but I’d have some.

[restroom]

Steelground 10-Eye Rangers in Burgundy Velvet

I am only including these because red velvet Docs and others became such a hot commodity around here quite a few years back that shops would put signs in their windows saying they couldn’t get them, and to this day you’ll see ever-more-crushed-velvet versions in the bootheap by the door at goth-industrial afterparties. I would never; velvet, esp. red is abhorrent to me, but this starts a series with Steelground, who looks to be putting knockoff air-cushioned Z-Ben soles on all kinds of interesting shit that looks a lot like a 90s boot-shop stocked. I’m only putting stuff that I find interesting so hop over to steelground.net/en/ and paw around if that tickles your sensibilities.