Sadly, these are not mine, but I saw them for sale on eBay. They’re made by Falconhead in El Paso, Texas—a shop famous for its over-the-top designs, intricate tooling, and custom work (they make all of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s boots, for instance). I’ve seen the “Gila Monster” boots in boot books (they’re made of leather, not of Gila monster—the reptile Heloderma suspectum), but I’ve never seen them for sale: these have a starting price of $3500: no more than a third of what they’d cost new. Fortunately, they’re too big for me, or I’d be in a real dilemma, since they’re way out of my price range. (I do have several pairs of much cheaper but still fancy Falconheads I bought on eBay, and one pair of their hippo boots made to my measurements.)
The intricate hand-tooling and painting are by Brad Martin, whose signature is in the last photo. I just wanted you to see how fancy (and pricey!) boots can get. If you want to see bootmaking at its most elaborate, go look at the Museum Collection at Falconhead’s site (there are four pages of boots), or the “Award Winners” (“The Mexican”, which incorporates old Mexican silver coins, is probably the most elaborate boot I’ve ever seen).
(Note that there are four lizards on each boot.)
If you’re a size 10 (I’m an 8.5-9.5, thank Ceiling Cat) with loads of spare cash, you might want to pick these up. They’re a bargain considering that it probably took 250 hours of work to design these boots, put them together, and then tool and paint them.
Those are gorgeous!
Unfortunately they are too big for me as well. I am in the same size range as you.
But, I don’t know. A size ten might work well enough for these boots. I’m kidding myself. They are way out of my range. My wife would, justifiably, kill me.
I dunno. A couple pairs of socks should make them fit.
Stuff some newspaper in the toe.
“$3500: no more than a third of what they’d cost new”.
Wow! You’d need to be careful where you wear them or you’d risk getting mugged for your boots!
I pity the fool who tries to mug Ahnohld for his shoes!
b&
“If you’re a size 10 with loads of spare cash.”
Yes to part 1, no to part 2. They are lovely works of art, though.
The biggest question for me: where would you dare to wear them, both from a fashion standpoint, and also the risk of damage to art?
Not sure, but they are so pretty they should probably be worn with shorts so everyone can appreciate them.
: )
Believe it or not, boots and shorts is a very popular look with the young women at the local university here in Texas. I don’t think I have the legs to carry it off, though, and I think the wife would probably veto my attempt to set new fashion trends.
Boot books exist!
I love the gila monster on the boot!
Well this makes clear that I come to this site for the intelligence….not for the taste in clothes 😉
A bit too elaborate for my taste (especially The Mexican). I like spare features with sharp contrasts.
Just out of interest, given the hypothetical availability of sufficient spare funds, would Professor Ceiling Cat choose the boots (in the correct size), or a bottle of 1982 Pétrus? The cost would be roughly the same.
One condition: if he prefers the wine, he has to drink it and share it. With whom would he share it?
If he plumps for the boots, would he choose an occasion to début them, and if so, which occasion?
Oh, man, that’s a tough choice. 1982 Petrus is a once-in-a-lifetime experience (I started collecting Bordeaux in the that vintage, with La Lagune at about $9/bottle!), and certainly pricier than these boots. But when it’s gone, you’d only have the memory. The boots are footwear that keeps on giving. If I had those boots, I’d wear them on special occasions. It’s not the tooling I’d worry about, but the paint.
My flip-flops set me back nearly $2.00!
What a work of art!