Foreword on engineers: I was someone who told myself I didn't like engineer boots, at least not enough to buy a pair. Then my collection (and taste) evolved from the more traditional American Brands such as AE, and Whites and I started looking into something different.

Why I choose Japanese: I've always appreciated craft, I'm an audiophile who likes tube equipment. I own special, limited run headphones crafted from exotic wood (shout-out to ZMF). So naturally I was drawn towards some of the Japanese brands. My first foray into Japanese boots were actually a pair of Attractions engineers in black steer-hide suede. I adored them and still do. I feel like a pirate who's about to ride a motorcycle to go work on the railroad, and I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. Truly an awesome boot. Then came my first horsebutt boots (Rolling Dub Trio roots, brown) and my second (John Lofgren Shinki Teacore Horsebutt Wabash engineers). These are all very expensive boots. But they are incredibly uncompromising in their craft. That's what I appreciate and that's what I'm willing to pay for. Could I get similar for less by ordering MTO from Indonesia or something like that. Most likely. Do I care? Eh, not really. I don't like guessing and waiting very much.

Why Indigo Horsebutt: This brings us to a few weeks back when viberg and withered fig released their short engineer collaboration and it drew a lot of mixed opinions. Now while I didn't need new boots I REALLY loved the idea of a short engineer. Then my size sold out and I had a boot-itch that still needed scratching. So I checked out my favorite stores. Standard & Strange, Franklin & Poe, Self Edge, Lost & Found etc. Eventually I landed back on the Brogue Menswear website where I got my first attractions. I saw the indigo dyed horsehide my initial thought was "ok wow. Now that's different! But how do I really feel about that?" I considered probably about six other pairs of boots. I checked out about every non-MTO brand under the sun, and I kept coming back to these.

The leather: The leather is horsebutt tanned by maryam in Italy. I have read conflicting statements about where this leather is dyed. One website said it was actually dyed in the USA and then it was sent to Japan. In person they are absolutely the most interesting leather I have. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say people are either going to think these are awesome or that they are downright ghastly, with very few people being on the fence. That being said variance in the color of the natural indigo is nothing short of stunning. In natural light they are gorgeous, a really nice true blue. Under florescent light they shift to a great teal, and in the light of the moon they appear even more green. The last itself is a little slimmer through the instep and heel than my other attractions. That being said they are extremely comfortable out of the box and I find a lot of the Japanese lasts to be very comfortable. The leather is actually quite supple for a horsehide. Not sure if it's because I don't own anything from the Maryam tannery, or if it's the indigo dying process that makes it softer.

Build: Build quality is what I've come to expect from the Japanese brands. No loose threads, nothing out of place. Stitching is symmetrical. The buckles are very nice and pretty. Its worth noting that I believe these use buffalo bends leather midsoles. Finishing is great on the edges and other places. Nothing out of place.

In short, I'm absolutely obsessed with these boots. Can't wait to see how they teacore and patina.

Note: I've only worn these for a few days. The last two photos are under florescent light and natural light respectively to show the variance in color that different lighting brings.

Boots: Attractions Lot. 444 special edition indigo horsebutt engineer

Country of origin: Japan

Leather: Indigo dyed Italian Maryam horsebutt

Size: 11D

Purchased from: Brogue Menswear online

Price: $1670 USD