Bonfire of the Weejuns

Nothing has probably incited more tisk-tisking than the ongoing, intermittent crowing that I manifest  about my Navy Blue Weejuns that I bought in college. 

When I play the “If the House Was On Fire” game, these navy babies always end up on the list of things I’d retrieve before exiting. I remembered the other day that when FootJoy sold dress shoes years ago, usually in golf pro shops, they offered a navy blue tassel loafer almost identical to the iconic Alden tasselated standard. And yes, I owned a pair. Can’t remember for the life of me where those concoctions ended up.

So the quest for a reasonably priced version of the old college blue Weejuns has been a Quixotic endeavour at best. I’d also admit that for me it’s been a half hearted one. I don’t need another pair. My vintage ones are fairing just fine. But I did find exotic navy blue shoddings for consideration. Ron Rider and Leffot can put you in a pair of stunning navy blue venetians for just under seven bills. Lovely but I don’t have that kind of dough these days.

The other reason that I’m not inclined to the Leffot level of navy blue pedal adornmentalia is that the balance on my John Deere’s will be due soon. Some axked me the other day what the status was on this contrivance. A pair of try-on loafers is en route to me this week. The conscientious folks at Yuketen want to make certain that the sizing is just right before they finish my order. Good-green things come to those who wait.

Really then, a navy blue shodding effort was until recently, gonna be a huge financial undertaking. Mark McNairy taunted us last summer with the promise of a navy blue Weejun re-launch. Alas, I’ve never seen these offered anywhere. Mark McNothing.

A couple of readers…that would be about 30% of my constituency, eagerly passed along to me a link to Oak Street Bootmakers with the news of their navy blue loafer offering. So here you go folks, a none too inexpensive but not Leffot level price point navy loafer. I don’t know anything about this purveyor but from the looks of this shoe, it seems to be a solid value. I’d prefer not having a double-soled version but everything else rings true to the essence of Weejuns…when Weejuns mattered.

Onward. With blue things.

ADG, II