Steve Mcqueen in the iconic 877 Red Wing
I’ve never considered the fact that I might need a work boot ever in my life. I mean, my workplace is sort of a farm, with really loud animals, but not the kind where you need boots like this. The 877 Classic Prairie Boot might not be the first boot from the Red Wing company since it started in 1905, but it is this very 8″ boot that elevated the Red Wing Shoes company to an iconic status, with celebrities like the King of Cool, Steve Mcqueen wearing them.
The 877 is the Original Red Wing boot, made with russet colored leather, tanned by using the sap of sequoia bark. The process yielded a rich color that was very close to the coat of an Irish Setter hunting dog. The 875 was the second style that followed suite to be overnight sensations among hunters and workers then, and trendy denimheads now. While both the 875 and 877 are Red Wing’s most widely recognized boots, I would have to opt for the 877 as it is the first to be produced.
A trip to the Red Wing Shoes shop in Suntec yielded the fact that there is a 1-3 months waiting period to pay an upwards of SGD$400 for the pair of 877. After lecturing me on not taking proper care of my Hardgraft 2Unfold, the very abrasive salesman Ben measured my foot and let me try on the 875 to get a gauge. My usual feet size is 10-10.5, and the 875 I tried on was a 11E. It feels big, but according to Ben, the heel should leave the sole about 1 inch when walking and the toes should be able to wriggle around freely without touching the insides at all.
While he wasn’t able to give me a price upfront, he stated that the size I try wasn’t going be the size he order for me. I tried to get the actual size out of him so I can get price options elsewhere, but he shrugged my question off. Sneaky.
Jack Nicholson is shining
Lookbook user -FIVE- R pulling off the boot flawlessly
See also:
Red Wing Heritage
