The Dressy Parkhurst 2021 Allen in Colour #8 Dublin

Yeah, I've been publishing a lot of blog articles about Parkhurst Boots lately, including some of their older 2021 and 2022 models. That's because I recently interviewed the founder, Andrew Svisco, and after that, I "rediscovered" some of the older models in my collection that due to my insane rotation of nearly 100 pairs of boots, have not been worn recently. It was a revelatory rediscovery.

 

You can watch the interview here.

 

In this blog post, I'm taking a look at the Parkhurst Brand's signature plain-toe service boot, the Allen Boot, in Horween's Colour #8 Dublin leather. You can see my original review from my YouTube channel by clicking on the thumbnail below.

 

 

Parkhurst Brand is based in Buffalo, New York, and was started by Andrew Svisco in 2018 as a direct-to-consumer brand, meaning that it only sells through its website. Andrew started the company after identifying a market niche for well-made American service/dress boots at an affordable price. That period in the mid to late-2010s saw a number of smaller companies start up with a similar principle of modernising the traditional 6-inch service boot to make it more versatile as a dress and casual boot.

 

Parkhurst is a small batch manufacturer. Due to its smaller size, Parkhurst can't buy hundreds of hides to make a permanent run of boots, so what Andrew does is source some very interesting hides from famous tanneries like Horween, Seidel and Charles F Stead, as well as some proprietary tannages from partner Spanish tanneries, to make small batches of unique boots. They are built around three main boot designs, being the cap-toe Richmond boot, the moc-toe Niagara boot, and this, their plain-toe Allen Boot.

 

You can check out the Parkhurst website here.

 

 

Of course, as a small batch manufacturer, it does mean that they run out of stocks in a particular style fast, especially with a growing and enthusiastic following of collectors who race to buy every time a new drop takes place. Sometimes, a particular makeup does get made again later, but sometimes, a particular leather may become unavailable and be gone for good! 

 

COVID was not kind to Parkhurst and 2022 in particular saw their local supply chains dry up, their suppliers go out of business, and even their partner factory in Western New York close. Through sheer grit and the will to succeed more than anything, Andrew nursed his company through those times that saw other small-batch boot manufacturers like Mark Albert close.  

 

He was able to use contacts from his previous partner factories and tanneries to source and partner with a Spanish factory, and Parkhurst is now producing batches again, with some core models that continue the rugged aesthetic of his service boots. While they are still made in small batches, which means that some makeups change, in my opinion, their scarcity, the continuously innovative leathers offered, and their more consistent quality coming out of Spain, all make Parkhurst boots very collectable. If you like the classic service boot model and can't afford the variety of leathers put out by Viberg at US$700 to $1,000 you can get them at Parkhurst at half the Viberg price but less than $400 and not, in my opinion, at proportionately half the quality.

 

 

 

The Allen boot is a service boot, so-called because they are modelled after the military boots worn in the Second World War. 

 

Six inches high, in this case, a plain toe boot with no toecap, sleek in profile with an almond-shaped toe, a small number of simple panels helping the sleek look. The thick antiqued edging and wheeled welt make it look rugged, but the low profile of the outsole also allows it to be dressy, as does this particular dark burgundy colour, that Horween Tannery calls Colour No. 8.

 

 

 

As a versatile, combination casual and dressy boot, it's built tough enough for you to go bush-bashing if you want, picking up scratches, scuffs and patina, or you can keep it well-conditioned and even put on a light polish with some cream polish, and wear it dressy.

 

In the dressy sense, I have worn it with a dark suit and a less formal, textured cloth shirt such as a slub cotton button-up, making the burgundy colour pop.

 

 

 

You can wear it as a smart casual boot with some moleskin trousers or chinos and a less formal jacket like a chore coat or a bomber. 

 

 

 

They also go well with black jeans and of course, denim - dark denim and a simple shirt, dark wash denim, rolled cuff or not, light wash denim, mid-wash denim and flannels. It's a really versatile boot.

 

 

 

 

I mentioned the leather comes from Horween Tannery. Horween is based in Chicago in the US and is recognised as one of the oldest continuously running tanneries in the US, founded in 1905 as a family-owned company, and remains in the Horween family hands to this day. They are now into the 5th generation of Horweens working in the company.

 

Horween produces a huge array of tannages mainly from bovine and horse leather, but also tans bison hides. In terms of their products from horse leather, they are famous for their shell cordovan - rare and tough, smooth and rippling rather than creasing when worn.

 

Their most famous product though, is probably Chromexcel leather, used by pretty much every boot maker at one time or other. In fact, I think because of the waxy, oily finish of the product, it was used as engine seals in Second World War tanks as well. 

 

Their list of customers is a who's who of American leathergoods manufacturers.

 

Horween also produce sporting goods leather - Rawlings baseball gloves, Wilson American footballs and basketballs, and so on.

 

In this case, this is their Dublin leather, a vegetable-tanned leather.

 

Basically, leather can be tanned in two ways - veg-tanning, which uses the tannins in vegetable matter to preserve the leather - this can take a long time, up to months in fact, or it can be tanned using salts, primarily chromium salts, which is a faster process, but arguably not as kind to the environment. There is also combination tanning in its various guises which use both methods in the process.

 

Dublin is a full-grain hide, tanned using the same veg-tanning formulas that they use to produce shell cordovan. It's part of a family of tannages produced by Horween, including Essex and Derby leather. 

 

The process starts with the production of Essex as the base tannage with no additional waxes or finishes. Dublin is the next step in this tanning process, taking the base Essex tannage and adding a blend of natural waxes and then rolled to produce a smooth finish, and It results in natural variation, along with all the full-grain scars and textures. The infusion of waxes makes this a pull-up leather. "Pull up" is the effect you get when you "pull up" the leather from underneath and see the waxes move the colour around under the surface. 

  

The next tannage is Derby which takes the Dublin leather and tumbles it to produce a softer, distressed looking product with a lot more pull-up. 

 

As a veg tanned leather, this Dublin is supple but tougher for it's relative thickness, a bit stiff when you first wear it - so it can be used as a knock-about boot without fear. The waxes in it will produce some great patina. Yet, it's supple enough to be maintained in a smooth, dressy form, just making sure that you rub out and condition any scuffs and scratches.

 

This Dublin is in a colourway they call Colour 8. Horween developed this colour for their shell cordovan. It's called Colour 8 because it's dyed in their secret dye formula 8 times to develop that deep hue. It's a really rich colour - a dark brown with purplish burgundy showing through. In strong sunlight, it's a red-brown, in other light there's the purple or deep burgundy and cherry red all over it.

 

 

In the Dublin leather, it should patina beautifully, especially as it is a pull up leather.

 

And how do you care for this Dublin leather?

 

Some people say to condition your boots out of the box. The theory behind this is that the hide may have been stored in the factory for a while, and the boot, once finished, may have been in the box on the shelf for some time before it gets shipped out to you. So, they reckon, it may have had the time to dry out and conditioning it out of the box will replenish lost oils and waxes.

 

In my view, particularly with just-in-time direct-to-consumer brands, it's unlikely the leather has had time to really dry out. I used to condition boots straight out of the box, and then like many boot enthusiasts, looked to condition and oil boots regularly. But I've recently come to the conclusion that really, you only want to condition your boots - "when they need it". 

 

And I believe you can feel it - they start to feel dry and less oily and waxy.

 

Anyway, when you do - or want to condition this Dublin, Parkhurst's website said to use any type of bootwax. And they added a cautionary note - saying that this is a patina making leather, and conditioning it too soon or too often, could change the patina developing. If you've been following me for a while, you'll know by now that for a smooth leather, my go-to product is Venetian Shoe Cream, as a conditioner, and as a less shiny polish to finish the care.

 

I conditioned these after a week spent walking through rain and wet grass and mud - I used Venetian Shoe Cream, in neutral of course, allowing a couple of thin coats to sink in overnight before brushing with a horsehair brush.

 

 

 

 

Now, let's go into the construction of these boots.

 

As usual, I'll start from the bottom up.

 

The outsole is a rubber Dainite sole from the UK. Dainite invented this particular studded outsole in 1910 - so it's not new. It's a firm rubber composite so is hardy, and not too bad in absorbing shock and the heel strike. The rubber studs give pretty good grip - I'm not sure they'd be great hiking through a forest - but where I wear mine in an urban environment, I've been through rain and wet surfaces - including the obligatory waxed floors of a supermarket - and not slipped in any way. 

 

They're also pretty good in not picking up dirt, because the studs are set in shallow rings that seem to knock off mud and sand pretty well.

 

They're thin enough when viewed from the side to pass as dressy outsoles.

 

They sit under a veg-tanned leather midsole - the edges antiqued and matching the veg-tanned welt. The outsole and midsole are attached to the uppers using Goodyear welt construction.

 

This is a split reverse welt, meaning that one edge of the welt is flanged upwards against the side of the boot, making it more water-resistant, and not affecting resolability. Inside the sole is cork filling, and embedded in the cork is a fibreglass shank to help with arch support in the gap between the heel and the ball of the foot - and to provide the boot with extra torsion support when you're walking on uneven ground.

 

 

Parkhurst uses fibreglass rather than steel for the shank, because it doesn't rust or flake. Some people swear by steel shanks but honestly, I think unless you're in the heavy construction industry, I'm not sure there's a huge difference, and I like fibreglass because it doesn't set off airport security.

 

The uppers are built around Parkhurst's 602 last.

 

A last is a 3-D mould shaped like a foot. The bootmaker pulls the leather around the last, shaping it into the design based on that last. That's why the shape of a Parkhurst Allen looks different from a Thursday Captain say - the lasts are different.

 

A bootmaker designs the last they want based on the external look of the boot, and then they have to produce that last in the variety of sizes and widths they want to offer. And, they have to have enough lasts for the whole factory to make multiple copies of the same size at the same time. So you can see the investment in lasts could be extremely high.

 

In this case, the 602 last only comes in one width type - basically a C width at the heel and D in the arch or waist, opening up to an E width at the forefoot. The toebox is quite round, without it looking like a clunky work boot, like a Timberland or an Iron Ranger.

 

I personally find the 602 last perfect for my foot, it's anatomically more correct than other lasts that try to effect a slim shape and might squeeze either the ball of the foot or the toes in day-to-day wear. However being a combination D/E width, there may be sizing implications if you have wider feet, which I'll talk about when I talk about sizing.

 

 

The plain toe service boot design incorporates a thermo-celastic toe puff for structure inside, to keep the shape of the toebox. There's also a thermo-celastic heel counter on the outside, covered up by a two-piece backstay, and there's a central strip going up the shaft to cover the stitch there, 

and a heel cup backstay to cover the heel counter. The heel counter in there is what keeps the shape of the heel and keeps your heel locked into the pocket it creates for stability.

 

Stitching is double and triple stitched where it counts. It is single stitched where some reinforcing leather is added around the collar and where the the 5 eyelet, 3 speedhook hardware is attached. The hardware is not backed. They are pressed flat in the typical star shape pressing at the back.

 

The top of the collar is tucked in and then backed by a strip of the same leather.

 

On the inside, the vamp and toebox are lined with veg-tanned leather while the shaft and semi-gussetted tongue are unlined, and the insole footbed and heel inlay are also leather.

 

The overall construction looks, well, I've said it before - tough yet dressy. I've reviewed the same Allen boot in Dark Roast Dublin and in that review I said the Dark Roast Dublin was a tough boot. I'm wearing those as a rough casual boot where I fully expect to see scrapes and scuffs. This colour 8 Dublin however, I'm going to try to keep dressy, so I will brush and condition out said scrapes and scuffs. I'll just allow the patina to develop in a different way, showing out from under this burgundy colour.

 

 

 

I talked about the last being a combination last. That is, it's a narrower width at the heel and waist 

and a wider E-width at the ball of the foot. This hasn't affected my sizing.

 

I'm a US 8 1/2 in a D width true to size. That's true to size as measured on a Brannock device - and just for my non-American viewers, that's equivalent to a 7 and a half in average width in UK or Aussie sizing numbers, and a 41.5 in Euro.

 

Parkhurst, as do most American boot brands, says to go half a size down. So this is a size 8 and it's a perfect fit. I feel the heel is snug and form-fitting, the waist is equally snug and you feel nicely held. 

 

As it broadens into the E width forefoot, I feel roominess in the ball of my feet and in my toes. I'm not swimming in them despite my true-to-size width being a D.

 

I don't know what it would be like if you had true to size E, double E or even triple E width feet. I guess you may have to size up. For lucky Mr Average me, this size is extremely comfortable, and the roomy forefoot meant there was zero break-in. This was super comfy out of the box, and now 2 years later, as my feet have sunk into that leather and cork combination, as the thick leather midsole has flexed, as the Dublin leather has softened, it's even more comfortable. If I had to mention a con, it's the arch support. It's ok but not great for me. 

 

 

 

Now let me talk about value.

 

I think it's worth the US$338 dollars I paid for it, but be aware that 2023 Parkhurst models, after the pandemic wreaking havoc with availability and cost of supply, now sell for the high three hundreds to the mid four hundreds depending on leather. So let's just go through a current price comparison and look at quality at that current price range.

 

Compare it price-wise with other boot brands that sell for US$350 to $450 - ignoring the design, style and aesthetics - and you get brands like Grant Stone, Oak Street Bootmakers when they are on sale, Wolverine 1000 Mile, Red Wing, Allen Edmonds, particularly their Higgins Mill.

 

In my opinion, both the earlier New York-built Parkhurst boots and now the even better Spanish-built models, compare favourably with all of these. Grant Stone is the outlier, but having found a quality factory in China but still taking advantage of the labour and overhead cost differential, Grant Stone probably offers the best value for money.

 

So, overall, when you look at a similar type of boot, the Parkhurst Allen, whether 2021 or 2023 makes, compares well.

 

What makes it worth the around US$400 price? The design, the innovative unique leathers, and I have to say, the customer service.

 

In terms of design, I find the Allen plain-toe service boot pattern is elegant, dressily sleek, and yet evocative of the military boot tradition it comes from. To me, in design terms, the Allen could run close to the design of the Viberg Service Boot in any award.

 

As for customer service, for those of you who don't know, while I've been talking about "Parkhurst" as if it were a big company of many, it's really only one man, the founder, Andrew Svisco. Andrew designed the last and the boot patterns. He partnered or contracted a factory in Western New York to manufacture the boots before the pandemic shut it down, and now contracts a factory in Spain. Andrew will still today, finish off the boots in his warehouse between receiving them from Spain and sending them to customers.

 

He'll inspect the finished article, he'll check before they are sent out, he does the marketing on social media, he updates the website, he responds to customer emails himself. Check around and you'll be hard-pressed to find a bad word about his customer service - very responsive, very low key, but he's there for you.

 

Here's my story about his customer service in regard to these boots.

 

On the third or fourth wear of these boots, one of the speedhooks popped out. There was a slight stretch of the hole punched out for the speedhook to be set through.

 

 

 

 

 

I contacted Andrew and he immediately offered to pay my cobbler to have it fixed, apologising profusely. My cobbler said it was an easy fix, reinforced the area with a piece of leather inside the 

Dublin layers and put in a new colour-matched speedhook, for AUD$20. So I told Andrew not to worry about it, but it was his initial reaction that reinforced his customer and quality-first focus to me.

 

Sure, he apologised, sure, he immediately offered to pay for the repair - that's what you expect. But he made sure to take the time to explain that it had happened before, although rarely, and he explained how he was fixing it with the New York factory, and spoke about the mechanics of setting the pressure on the hole-puncher and discussed his decision to stop using small speedhooks and advised me on what to actually tell the cobbler.

 

He did not sweep it under the carpet after offering the discount. He made sure I knew the facts and what he was going to do in the factory in the future.

 

I like that. As a customer, I felt involved.

 

And that's it! That's my review, after 2 years of wear in a big rotation of boots, of my 2021 Parkhurst Allen boots in Horween's Colour 8 Dublin.

 

I hope you liked it.

 

My conclusion?

 

I love these boots!

 

Over the last three years, watching Parkhurst struggle with supply, partner shutdowns, delivery problems, and emerging as one of the most innovative small-batch manufacturers, I know that perhaps their constriuction quality doesn't match those of handmade brands like Nicks or the precision of Viberg, or even the attention to detail of Grant Stone.

 

But as an attractively designed service boot manufacturer, using interesting leathers, and creating durable boots, they are amongst my top three favourite brands. You should check them out.