As I remember it, mine had the Erlandia sock which I think dates them from about 97 when their licensing agreement with Clarks expired, maybe a little later.
Nice quote at the end from a blog before they chose to go to the Portugese.
For those longing to see Padmore & Barnes return to shoemaking, there is some solace in the fact that the old P&B plant that made the original Wallabees is still intact in Kilkenny, Ireland. But these days it’s the skills needed to make the shoe that are lacking. “We have looked at going back into manufacturing, but we have been unable to find a partner factory who could manufacture to our standards,” Frank Bryan, general manager and director for Padmore & Barnes
Just thinking about Clarks - LL Bean used to stock them & they were highly prized as an exotic import item in New England. I once stayed in a B&B in Freeport & had a really tedious conversation about them with the owner by the fireside when I was itching to run upstairs to have a go on Mrs Jim...
... For his part, he was very 'so what?' about my Weejuns...
An interesting cultural exchange.
I told him that the proper English way to drink a G&T was very quickly & not to sip at it like he was doing. That helped the evening no end. I told him the correct English way to drink was very quickly and then to slow down later, not to sip, sip, sip away until you start to eventually feel the effects. I think I was right in telling him that.
Mrs Jim was alseep when I later joined her. Over breakfast the morning after I explained I had been detained talking about shoes. 'F*ckin' 'ell', she replied in somebody else's accent, with a wave of her brioche (Very rare in Maine).
30 years this Spring, Mrs Jim and I. She stays for the comedy.
Just a quick note on the Portugese company making 'em.
They've been producing suede gear for a lot of high-end brands for a while now- particularly for Yohji Yamamoto and Prada.
Last edited by Leer R. (2013-01-29 03:56:02)
^ I once passed on a pair of original Grasshoppers in my size - regrets...
^^ Mrs Acton raves about her Sioux Loana loafers, lasted better than any other pair she's owned.
Im not sure if they would cue sexual arousal in me like that bloke in the ad. But they do look good
Are you serious? Did you know that anyway... or did you work it out?
I could probably have dated the photo from the Incontinence pants examples some 10 years ago. In this case I knew the year the photo was taken.
The prof's jacket's a bit big on him isn't it. But it's real people stuff, the way east coast Ivy continued when it wasn't called Ivy anymore.
Im going with 85 or 86
Wait 73!
53!
Wallabees look like the sort of footwear that would be popular with members of the Ramblers Association and the National Trust. Very comfortable and they look good with that nice cagoule.
Or the kids at school who always carried a slide rule wherever they went.
I love the national trust and though I'm not a member of any group I love walking (I don't know anyone who calls it rambling).
Wallabees are a tool for a job. The right balance of practicality and aesthetics. What's not to like!?