Andìa Fora black leather side-zip laced combat boots, EU41, EUC

Andìa Fora is an Italian brand whose focus is mainly on sneakers, refining the technology of their sneaker soles with new technological approaches. I'd say they've been quite successful with their refinements, as every pair of Andìa Fora shoes I've tried has been ridiculously comfortable. These combat boots still feel like sneakers to wear, but with the high-rise laced upper of a combat boot, wide grosgrain laces, and shiny polished slate buttons, they have a distinctively retro look - more like a dressy steampunk combat boot. *When I first bought them, the leather tongues were stitched closed all the way to the top, and the ankles were WAY too narrow, so I sliced out the stitches all the way down to below the ankle. You can see where the stitching was in the 2nd last photo - when the boots are laced up, it's not even visible. I considered cutting the stitching all the way down, but this pair is cut fairly generously in the arch, and the leather is glove soft, so I left the remaining stitching as is. If you want to remove it, however, it won't affect the integrity of the boot; it would just make it more flexible. I'm not sure why they were stitched up, but I'm glad the stitching removal was accessible without damaging the boot. Marked size EU41, these fit slightly smaller than usual for Italian sizing, but they can still accommodate a size 9-9.5. My left foot is almost a size 10 though, & I haven't worn them lately.