Stop Press 31 May 2011 – John Rushton has a small number of the Loden green playboys now in stock with more to follow after the factory’s quaint Whitsun holiday shutdown is over. Be quick as it takes months for re-orders, Sanders being so busy these days…
I know this blog is becoming somewhat shoe-centric but what you can do when you come across shoes as nice as these?
Last year when John Rushton told me he was buying from Sanders I suggested he buy some of their playboy chukkas but not in the dull brown superbuck; in the wonderful Stead Tanneries Snuff Suede instead. He did and it’s been one of his most successful models in the store in the last 6 months.
So when I found these mossy green beauties on a Japanese store’s blog last week my first port of call was to show them to John and see if he was interested in getting a few pairs made for me and some Ivy influenced friends. As it turns out, John also loved the idea of more colours and we thought that Loden Green and Dirty Buck would be great additions. Whilst we were chatting a customer came in and asked if John had the playboys in different colours. Straight off the bat, John told him they’d be in shortly.
Good news for those who want to expand their range of Playboy chukkas! Loden Green is a traditional Ivy League colour (Clarks Desert Boots were originally sold only in Sand and Loden in the USA) and of course Dirty Buck is a long US tradition and will look great in the playboys once their crepe foxing gets beaten up and goes a bit ‘fluffy’…
Buy them from John Rushton Shoes – Tell him The Weejun sent you!
PracticalColonial says
Or if you don’t want to spend silly money on what are supposed to be casual suede shoes for kicking around, you could buy a virtually identical looking pair of GBX Playboys instead ….for the very reasonable sum of $49.99.
The Weejun says
Ha ha, great sense of humour Dan! Those GBX plastic shoes are so bad.
PracticalColonial says
RJ Colt? Stacy Adams?
Somehow i don’t think Steve McQueen was riding motorcycles and playing basketball in $300 crepe-soled shoes!
The Weejun says
“RJ Colt? Stacy Adams?” The same re-branded crap, Dan.
And whether you want to think it or not, McQueen was wearing Hutton’s (the style was still under patent then) and I love the idea that a movie star earning thousands a week would have been driving his Ferrari and worrying that he spent too much on his shoes! Classic. You should be doing stand up, Dan
COLTRANE says
When are these due in ?
The Weejun says
Hi Coltrane, Usually takes 6-8 weeks for them to be made. I’ll update when he gets them in.
PracticalColonial says
Or maybe the point is…..that McQueen was a movie star and had a bit extra money to burn? He was out there kick starting his Triumph and playing basketball with them.
…not putting me in a glass case and treating me like the Shroud of Turin? How much you want to bet that blog readers that like me aren’t kickstarting Triumphs or playing hoops with their stupidly underpriced plastic fashion shoes.
I love the idea that I get pretend to be Steve McQueen with my dainty shoes and costume party get-ups, but don’t have 1/4 of his testicles ! THAT is classic.
$30-$40 for painted pigskin shoes? “Ever feel like you’ve been cheated?” I know I have.
The Weejun says
Hey Dan, I thought you were a comedian. I was wrong.
But you are one of the Muppets, aren’t you?
PracticalColonial says
Is there any particular reason that you are completely changing the wording of my posts, or do you just feel THAT threatened? Why don’t you just delete them instead of altering what I wrote? Juvenile to say the least. BTW, I already know my name. You don’t have to repeat it 1 or 2 times in every weak retort.
Playboys cost roughly $25 in the mid sixties. With an inflation calculator that would be roughly $150 today. Reasonable enough for an imported shoe. And about HALF what they are charging today.
Paying more $ still won’t make you Steve McQueen. Maybe I’m just a queen though.
The Weejun says
Paranoid now too eh Dan?
The Weejun says
What’s really funny about this idiot is his own bio on a site he writes for and I quote:
“Dan Geddes
Dan Geddes lives in San Francisco, and in-between annoying people on-line, he gets his high-octane thrills by riding his Vespa GS around town like Steve McQueen in “Bullitt”.
http://www.uppers.org/showContributor.asp?id=95
I rest my case, your honour.
The Chukka says
Very interesting blog thank you! I bought the Sanders/McNairy Green Suede Chukka Boots with the natural coloured crepe sole (not Playboys) and I ended up returning them as they were just too green and looked a bit panto! I think green suede, pointy toes and that big sole could look a bit Ted but if that’s what you are after then ok! I wish Sanders would do the Playboy style with a nice round toe, they would be great in snuff suede.
John Gall says
Oh no it’s Russell v Chensvold all over again…please spare us! These shoes look amazing. Are they in yet? I need to spend some serious wedge at JR’s. What’s your opinion on the Allen Edmonds wing-tips he’s got in Weejun? I personally didn’t get anything like the buzz that the old Walkovers used to give me. They were too restrained, too Anglo. Not quite vulgar enough for an old mod like me.
The Weejun says
Haha, there’s always a moron wherever there’s a comments form John!
JR will call me as soon as they’re in – usually minimum time for English shoes to be on the last is six weeks, but Sanders are super busy with export stuff right now.
John did tell me that Sanders have agreed to hold stock for him in the navy suede Playboy chukka in the meantime for anyone looking for those, just give John Rushton a call with your size.
(Or buy a pair of RJ Colt. Only joking.)
COLTRANE says
All is quiet on the weejun front !
any news on the loden pb’s yet? keep up the good work!!
The Weejun says
Hi Coltrane, been extraorindarily busy last couple of months and just returned from a few weeks in Buenos Aires & Montevideo. New posts will follow!
Michael says
Saw these last weekend in London. Blue, green and brown all looked great. At £150 , John Rushton is cheaper than the other sources. Lovely shop and lovely staff. I held back on purchasing, though. as in crepe soled, suede shoes/boots, I currently have 3 pairs of Clarks, a pair of George Cox, a pair of Loakes and a pair of Church’s dirty bucks.So I couldn’t justify it just now and it’s been a foul summer in Scotland, so far. Not great weather for desert boots. However, the Sanders are definitely on my list.
The Weejun says
They are really classic aren’t they? However, I’m in the same situation as you now with around 10 pairs of desert boots from Clarks to Church’s and back. JR called me to pick up my ordered Loden pair but I haven’t been down there yet. I don’t have room for another pair of shoes at home! I need to start clearing some through ebay or FNB I think…
Peter Kinnaird says
Mine arrived a couple of days ago – excellent speedy service form John Rushton. The shoes are really fantastic, even nicer in the flesh. Very happy indeed.
Harry hunter says
Found the original playboy shoes, of the 1960s-1970s. However its from a shoe company in Denmark and, they don’t, won’t or, can’t ship to the state’s. Can anyone help ! with information how to ?
The Weejun says
Harry Try Zoovillage.se – seems they will ship outside of Sweden.
mookeychase says
Hey Weej wassup my dude how’s everything? I saw that kid say RJ Colts,Stacey Adams and GBX PBs are the same as Sanders WTF? You’re right there is always some idiot on these forums I guess they like to go back and forth with strangers to pass time,shows what pathetic lives they have. I’m loving the Loden man I gonna have to get a pair.
The Weejun says
Hey Mookey, the loden ones are great. I’m trying to get John Rushton to order them in tan leather though, like those ones in Mike’s store…
mookeychase says
Hey Weej wassup my dude? How is everything going were you able to get to JR to get the run started? I Hope so bro, well anyway I just stopped by after getting a little Playboy fever and looking at the Loden Greens,the Snuff Sanders and other chukkas and breezing thru the old site. Okay Weej good luck with everything my dude… Mookey
Fred Torres says
The 70’s were my best years of sporting quality shoes and apparel . I love wearing my playboys , alpaca sweaters and my beaver hats. Would give anything to relive those years!