More MP's - but these are a little different - White's MP 8" From Franklin and Poe

There are a lot of post about White's MP boots out there, so I won't cover all the details, but I wanted to post these up because they are a little different than the normal build and my experience with Andrew from Franklin and Poe.

I always prefer taller boots, and had found their black 8"MP boots, which I really like but already have a pair of 8" black boots. Initially I contacted White's to see if I could get a taller version made of another color, but they told me that was not an option. I then contacted Franklin and Poe about getting their taller model made with British Tan CXL. After a bunch of back and forth emails with him, my boots went from different color to a fully custom build, with changes to the toe cap, speed hook count, and sizing.

Based on my foot measurements, initially I was sized at 9D (same as my Red Wings size). Since I had never worn any White's boots and I was pretty much putting in a one-off order, Andrew shipped me a pair of 9D and 9.5D MP's, and I'm really glad he took the trouble to do so because I found that the 9D's were a little tight at the ball of the foot, and the 9.5D's were a little too long. I ended up ordering a 9E, which White's doesn't normally offer in the MP. The fit is really good - just a touch loose with thinner socks and just right with thicker socks. I hope that my order wasn't too much of a hassle for him, and I definitely appreciate all the service/communication during the order process.

I put the order in the order in late January, and was told it would be about 8 weeks. Then the world stopped and I am amazed that these pretty much stayed on schedule. White's must still be operating full time.

Other initial impressions - no issues that I noticed with the construction, just some tool marks that I'm sure will come out easily. The leather is nice and thick, which seems to be standard at White's. The unlined leather is probably thicker than a lot of lined boots. I really like pictures I've seen of British Tan CXL, but I'll say that in person when new, it looks a touch dull (lighting yesterday was really bad though). I'm sure in a month it'll look really nice though.

Now I just have to figure out what laces to use on them. I think I may go with the flat waxed laces and put the leather laces on my motorcycle boots.

Also, are there any tips on how to keep the tongue from creasing weird during the first few wears? I seem to have this issue a lot.

Album: https://imgur.com/a/Jc2UDpj (sorry for the bad lighting, yesterday was a pleasant April snow followed by typical Illinois spring dreariness all day)