[BOOTS (Yes, I know this is a well beaten topic already...)]

On 5/10/2024 at 6:16 PM, kman said:

Hey Dan, sorry to hear about your frustrations.  Boots are quite often the hardest parts of an Officer costume, no doubt.

 

I'm a little puzzled by your experience with Hessen... what size did you buy?  I personally am also size 10.5-11 (depending on the shoe) and have owned three pairs of Hessens: (1) My first pair, a size 10 which was REALLY tight (because their website lies and says they run large but obviously the reality is they run a size small), even after I paid to have them stretched as much as my cobbler to safely do, which I finally sold off, then (2) a size 11 (44) that I had stretched a small amount at a shoe repair place and fits me reasonably well but still always seemed a hair tight (but totally manageable), and ultimately (3) a size 12 (45) which actually fit my size 11 feet (with double socks, key for parades and being on your feet all day anyway) very nicely.  Maybe a hair big but again, with double sock, works VERY well.  The footbed of Hessens is quite narrow, perhaps that's your issue more than actual size?  Unfortunately they don't offer wide sizes without going with their custom offer, but I've heard too many horror stories about their custom sizing going poorly to risk that (even though I also know a few smashing successes, too).

 

I will say I've heard the sizing on Imperial Boots (now Keep Trooping) is a bit more forgiving than Hessen.  I don't love their prices, compared to Hessen, though.  On the bright side if you buy them, as a "name brand boot" in a common size, it's probable that you can find someone to sell them to, if they don't fit, for very nearly what you paid.

 

And I've never been a big fan of Crow Props boots.  They're a good vendor of last resort for people with especially large feet, calves, etc., but yeah, they don't always get it right (to be fair fittings over the internet are really hard), and when they do, they're often less than helpful.

 

I don't really recommend Magnoli for some of the same reasons (mostly price, timeliness, and customer support when they get things wrong).

 

As to those Spanish Cut boots, they ARE allowed (see "Spanish tops" in the CRL), but you're definitely right that flat top boots are far more accurate and more common.  (OT had a few Spanish tops, but the majority were flat, and ALL the new ones are flat)  One option to consider is buying a reasonably-priced pair from somewhere you can return them, to make sure they fit.  Then, any moderately competent shoe repair place should have no problem lopping off the "bump" and turning them into flat top boots.

 

There ARE a couple of super low cost options that I hesitate to recommend because they've not been well-vetted, but PM me if you're interested in being a guinea pig.

 

There is also the ultimate low cost option: The Ovation Derby PVC riding boots.  They're cheap, and readily available from places you can return to easily if they don't fit you.  Not what I would recommend long term, by any means, but they're approvable for basic, and perhaps they would work while you take your time and try to find proper riding boots in your size.  (which is really the best option, but it takes a while because, well, used market, and you have to luck into a good pair that is the right style (since this style is no longer popular), still good shape, and actually in your size.  Took me years to find mine, but now they're my favorites, over the Hessens even.  Or decide you want to splurge on something custom, like Argentina Polo.

 

But best advice, take a breath, and be patient... the right boots are worth the wait.

The biggest issue with Hessen is the inaccuracy of sizing, across the board. Like everyone else, I followed their recommendation the first time & it was wrong, so I adjusted accordingly. Still wrong. While I could get my foot into the boot, it was an unbelievable wrestling match, far more than any board stiff brand-new boot should be, and even worse trying to remove it... even with a boot jack & help. I tired a wider calf option as well, hoping it would also provide a bit more wiggle room through the instep. It barely gave any more room, but now I had a roughly 3/4" gap all the way around my calves. Hessen... done with them. 

 

Crow is Crow... Honestly, I have yet to see a pair of their tall boots, any style, that is not out of proportion. While the size I tried on was measured & sold as 10.5, the foot felt closer to an 8.5, and the calves were ridiculously huge. It was like an inverted traffic cone around my leg. 

 

While I haven't tried IB's boots yet, the whole Crow experience has me turned off to doing so. 

My current boots, the ones that just tore, are true German Officer marching boots, with the top adjustment strap. They were properly snug, but not binding or difficult to put on. I also have some Tuff Rider dressage boots, for my Patrol Trooper build, but they are Spanish cut & have a visible zipper up the back, so not CRL compliant. PVC/rubber/faux leather aren't even at the bottom of my list, so those are out. And while Spanish cut are CRL allowed, they aren't compliant with the non-Saga builds, so they aren't going to work either. And they cause some uniform appearance issues, which is a big no-go for me.

Both my black & green uniforms are Wampa, and I have to "make do" with their Medium, as their Large is too large - like it would cost as much to tailor as it did to purchase kind of large. While the M tunic's sleeves are just barely long enough, the gauntlet glove option hides that easily enough. The jodhpurs, on the other hand, fit me almost perfectly... I say almost since they are about 2" too short in the legs, which is why finding these damn boots is critical. Spanish cut ones grab the side of the leg & push the pants up out of the boot, giving it a sloppy MC Hammer look. Stirrups aren't an option, since they pull so tight, thanks to the short length, that I can not sit/bend my legs - I can walk around fine, but even going up stairs is stretching it, literally. So finding the proper boots is crucial to having things fit in a usable manner. 

I've just gotten a set of patterns for the uniform, and the Mrs is a seamstress by trade, so the fit issues can be dealt with going forward, but having the proper fitting boots is still just as important. 

The now torn & sidelined German Officer boots. They are rounded toe, even though they look square-ish here, but not the narrow rounded toe like an equestrian boot.

[BOOTS (Yes, I know this is a well beaten topic already...)]

I am 1 more failed purchase away from just burning my uniforms & quitting on the idea of an officer character. Who sells a proper tall boot, leather, no zippers, with the adjustment strap - I'm doing a non-saga officer, so the strap is allowed - that actually fits a height-weight proportionate, damn near textbook average-sized guy, that is a true 10.5-11 (44/45)?

I have gotten 3 pairs from Hessen, all wrong in one way or another, and a gaggle of vintage boots that may be labeled as 10.5 or 11 but they have the instep & width of a child's shoe.
Crow Props are just as bad. The foot is too small, and the claves are grossly oversized, even though specific exact measurements were provided. I am hesitant to try Keep Trooping (imperial Boots) based on the issue I had with Crow; i.e. sending measurements & getting something grossly out of proportion.

And internet searches just bring me back to Hessen, or to a myriad of "equestrian" boots that are all Spanish cut, so they have the taller outside edge. I am sitting here, next to 5 pairs of boots, from various vendors, and all are wrong in size, in one fashion or another. The one pair that do/did fit just ripped the cloth pull-on straps out of the side, and tore the side open in the process. I have 2 officer builds that can not be submitted for approval until I can find some proper boots.   

Any help is greatly appreciated. I am so over it at this point, I am truly considering throwing out all the officer stuff.

[Officer Hat Vendors]

On 1/24/2024 at 6:39 PM, PiotrRasputin said:

Well...tried hitting the hat with steam and a low-medium temp iron to try and iron it out and...I think I damaged it. Ungh...not happy at the moment as this was the last piece I needed to apply for L2.  I guess I can use this for a Halloween troop if I need to scuff it up or something.

 

Guess I'll try another vendor.  I was thinking ImperialSeamstress instead.  Would anyone know if their Black Cavalry Twill or Black Cotton Twill be closer to WampaWear's Tunic fabric?  

You could always use a thin piece of plastic or cardstock, like they use in ball caps to help keep their shape. I also had the same crease in my WW cap, although not as bad, and cut/shaped a thin piece of ABS sheet to slip in & give a bit more "crispness" to the front of the cap. Once I had it positioned where I wanted it, I made a small hole for the disk screw to secure everything in place.

[Imperial Coffee mug from Andor]

 

[Long arms & long gloves...]

20 minutes ago, kman said:

 

Is your question "do I have to wear two gloves at the same time?"  Obviously that's not the requirement, so yes, you would wear the optional glove style instead of the shorter gloves.

 

Side note: Have you had your local tailor see if they can let your sleeves out a little bit, on your Wampa tunic?  Usually there's at least some fabric in there that could use to lengthen them... not a huge amount, but it might be just enough to help.  And isn't usually super expensive.  Just a thought.

Not so much worried about wearing 2 gloves at the same time... unless I'm an Ardennian and didn't realize it.  I'm more concerned with being able to substitute the gauntlet style gloves in place of the shorter ones, in order to meet approval standards. Obviously, GML has final say, but I'm hoping this may have been previously encountered here before. 

As far as letting the sleeves out goes, the quality of work from both my local tailors has gone downhill in recent years, so I'd rather risk being "too short" than too ruined.

[How do you choose rank insignia?]

14 hours ago, vonmoen said:

Yeah, it's a pity that enlisted ranks got overlooked in the Star Wars sagas. I'd like to see more representation in the NCO ranks as well, although I believe a few showed up in the Imperial Army in the Andor series. And just for the record, Dan, I earned my sham shield back in 1977.

I think the closest representation we got so far were the two scouts waiting around for entry into Nevarro. But at least they nailed the description for the WO in the CRL: "Warrant Officers, serving generally as non-commissioned enlisted officers, do not have a specific task as other ranks do. These officers instead specialize in particular fields that other crew members have little or no knowledge of." Although they forgot the part about mysteriously disappearing prior to any mandatory formations.

[How do you choose rank insignia?]

On 8/12/2023 at 6:03 PM, roshi719 said:

Well, my name is Morgan, so I have to be a Captain, obviously!

I'm kind of in the same boat... Dan. So it's a Lieutenant rank for me! 

Unrelated, but still kinda sorta related... Is there a SW equivalent of the "E-4 Mafia" in terms of characters or ranks? Or at least a Pvt. Snuffy? I know @vonmoen must know the answer to this! Don't leave a 19E/19K hanging!

[Long arms & long gloves...]

@ChrisLie getting a tailored tunic is not something that's financially possible for now. The fact that the sleeve length is "just" at the limit of (what I think may be) too short, is why I was hoping that the problem could be solved with the glove option.

 

@antihero there are no references needed, as the gloves are in the CRL under optional pieces. https://www.imperialofficer.com/forum/index.php?/topic/15427-adding-gauntlets-to-security-officers-non-saga/ My question simply is, does "optional" mean they can be substituted in place of the standard officer gloves, or does it mean they are in addition to? In every other measurement, the tunic fits perfectly fine. As I've already said, getting tailored peices is not something that is financially possible or reasonable for me... being a disabled combat veteran has some perks, but being rich isn't one of them.


 

[Long arms & long gloves...]

 While I don't have absurdly, knuckle dragging, long arms, they are just long enough that my Wampa tunic's sleeve length is just barely past/at my wrists. It would be impractical & cost prohibitive to have a tunic custom made, or get a larger tunic just for the longer sleeves & have to get it tailored/sized down to fit me properly, but easy enough to hide with gauntlet gloves.

 My question regarding gloves is, can the gauntlet style gloves be substituted for the regular length ones? I know that they've been added to the non-saga ISO CRL as optional gloves, but does that mean they can replace the short ones, or they are just in addition to? We've seen a security officer in Kenobi with gauntlets as his primary uniform gloves, so I'd really like to use the gauntlet option as a cost-effective workaround so I can get my officer approved. 

[Welcome to Ask an Advisor]

Question regarding working around an injury/meeting CRL approval. (Originally posted in "Getting Started" but maybe this is the better spot).

In 2022 I fractured my calcaneus bone in 3 pieces (ball of the heel), and have had issues with foot/ankle flexibility ever since. It's gotten better but I still don't have enough range of motion/flex to get my non-zip boots on. There is no hard "you'll be fully healed in 6-8 weeks" on this type of injury, as it also does a fair bit of soft tissue damage to the ankle joint space. I have a standard pair of approvable boots for when I can actually get my foot into them, but can I still meet CRL guidelines/be granted approval even though I'm limited to the zipper boots for the time being? The zip boots are from my (still being built) Patrol Trooper, so they have zippers up the back, as they normally have armor covering them. Aside from a blaster - which is currently printing - I've got all the other boxes checked to meet (minimum at least) 501st requirements per CRL. I know this ultimately lies in the hands of my local garrison, etc, but I was hoping someone here may have some guidance. 

Photo for boot reference. These are the zippered ones.