Mountain Clog Style, for someone who isn't ready to let summer end
September.
The calendar says it's autumn, but my mood is still hanging on to summer. I keep reaching for short sleeves and shorts, wanting to hold on to that summer feeling just a little longer. That's where I am right now, reluctant to let go of a season that's nearly over.
And precisely because the sunlight is gradually softening at this time of year, I find I don't much mind showing some skin, either.
Thinking about autumn from the feet up
The sun no longer scorches your skin the way it does in midsummer, and if anything I want to feel as much of this pleasant air on my skin as I can. It's that boundary between seasons when switching to long sleeves still feels like a bit of a waste…
If I'm going to bring in just a little autumn at a time like this, maybe it really does start with the feet. I find myself thinking, “Maybe I'll at least swap my sandals for Clogs.”
The pleasure of breaking in leather
What I like about the leather Mountain Clog is that it isn't at its finished form the moment you first put it on.
As you wear them, the suede or nubuck gradually changes character: the nap lies down, the color deepens, and even the scuffs and dirt become part of how they settle onto your feet.
Keeping them pristine is fine too, of course, but there's something about wearing them a lot, taking them on trips, and having them slowly become “your own pair.” Isn't that the way to savor the Mountain Clog?
Unlike a wallet or a bag, the Mountain Clog isn't something your hands are always touching. That's exactly why dirt builds up, the nap gets ruffled, and the leather slowly dries out without you noticing.
I hadn't taken care of mine for a while, so now that I'm about to start wearing them a lot again, I decided to give them some long-overdue care.
Making them your own, one round of care at a time
This time I used M.MOWBRAY LEATHER DELICATE CREAM.
It's a moisturizing cream for leather that is low in oil and doesn't easily leave blotches, and it conditions dried-out leather back to a supple state.
First, remove the straps and lightly brush off the dirt all over.
Just getting the dust off the surface with a brush or a dry cloth makes quite a difference to how they look.
After that, take a small amount of cream at a time and work it in while keeping an eye on how the leather responds.
With suede and nubuck, cream can darken the color slightly or change the look of the nap, so I recommend testing it on an inconspicuous spot first.
This time I treated my own well-worn Mountain Clog Nubuck Leather.
I'll go through the care steps in detail another time; for now, here's the before and after.
Yes, that came out nicely.
It's less about simply making them clean and more about bringing them to a state with depth, while keeping the traces of all the wear.
That feeling may be what makes breaking in leather so enjoyable.
Clothes that are fun to “break in”
One of the things I look for when choosing the things I like is that they gain character the longer you use them.
Not things that are at their most complete when brand new, but things that settle into your life as you wear them, wash them, and treat them a little roughly.
The RAL Chambray Work Shirt is one example.
Iron it and it looks crisp and neat, yet it still looks the part even if you treat it a bit carelessly. (That said, being the lazy type, I'm almost always in the latter camp.)
Still, clothes that can take that kind of rough handling really are reassuring. You grow attached to them, too.
Both the leather of the Mountain Clog and the Chambray Work Shirt change character the more you use them. Even the dirt, wrinkles and scuffs aren't mere wear and tear; they remain as traces of how you've used them. That's the kind of style I think looks cool.
In the season ahead, I'd like to layer the clothes and gear I've broken in little by little like this, and enjoy an autumn style that's all my own.
