Samuel Lucchese started making boots for the U.S. Cavalry in 1883. The Lucchese Bros. shop was in Fort Sam Houston, Texas... a small family-run business, they made very fine boots and shoes. Business was good and the shop was turning out thirty-five pairs of boots a day at the beginning of World War I.
Cosimo Lucchese, Samuel's son, took over the business in the 1920s. Cosimo, a master designer with impeccable taste and a keen eye, was well aware of the "Hollywood vogue" for Western clothes and fanciful boots. Lucchese was soon producing the most elegant, flamboyant and expensive Cowboy and Cowgirl boots money could buy.
Lucchese made these boots for World Champion Bronc Rider Vivian White in the early 1950s. Like the lady that wore them, they are remarkable in all respects. Works of art that add up to more, much more, than the sum of their parts.
Boots with elaborate inlays and overlays. Boots with Rococo wing-tips and counter foxing. Fanciful Baroque stitching. This was Lucchese's "Golden Age". Nothing was impossible or improbable.
Cosimo Lucchese and his team of master boot makers created extraordinary, made-to-measure Western boots. Boots that were ornate, not gaudy. No details were overlooked. No compromises were made.
Lucchese's "Golden Age" came to an end when Cosimo Lucchese died in 1961. His son, Sam Jr., took over the business. He developed an elegant and refined look that's still around today. Under Sam Jr.'s management, the Lucchese Boot Company enjoyed a reputation for using the best quality hides and employing the best craftsmen to make the best "stock" Western boots a man could buy.
Lucchese has changed hands several times since and regained some of what was lost. Lucchese boots today have Sam Jr.s "look". But that's about as far as it goes. No more custom work to speak of. To their credit, Lucchese is the only factory producing their boots in the USA. The new breed of Lucchese boots are what they are, but they're not for me.
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Mr Davis,
ReplyDeleteRegarding the decline in quality of Lucchese boots I couldn't agree with you more. I've been buying and selling vintage cowboy boots for about 10 years and have come across a few decades of various Lucchese boots. The workmanship and leather used for the older Lucchese are second to none. I've noticed that if the uppers are stamped "Lucchese San Antonio" they're usually a darn good boot. I think they switched to a cloth tag sewn on the inside boot pulls in the late eighties. That's when I really started to notice a slip in quality. It seems their quest for higher profibility has belittled their reputation as being one of America's great boot makers. This is unfortunate. Nevertheless, I hope they get it together. I'm optimistic.
Kind regards,
John Harlan
Los Angeles, CA
Fantastic boots Davis. The collection is really cool. These lovely Lucchese Cowgirl boots are really amazing. Lovely work done on boots inlays and outlays. I would love to purchase these pair of Western Cowgirl Boots. Thanks Davis for giving information about Samuel Lucchese who had designed such lovely pair of cowgirl boots.
ReplyDeleteLovely design looks so elegant!
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