Shoes Of The Week - Dimitri Bottier Seamless Whole Cut

It's amazing that the hardest shoe to make, is the shoe that has the least amount of detail to it. And while I can't really back that statement up with in-depth description of how it is done (since I am not entirely sure), I can say that the seamless wholecut is something that few people can create. This model here, by legendary bespoke maker Dimitri Gomez, is a perfect example of just how beautiful this design can be. To me, the wholecut (and especially seamless version) tells you a lot about the shoemaker. The reason being, is that when you take away all of the fluff (e.g. stitching, brogueing, detailing), all that you are left with is the shape of the last and how the leather sits on that shape. That little thing, will tell you just how well the pattern/last maker understands shape and proportion. A last can be designed a trillion ways, but only a few of them will make you say, "WOW!" And there is no better shoe than the seamless wholecut to make you see that. Needless to say, this model shown is simply flawless and I can tell you, while I have a nice burgundy wholecut already, I will commission one of these sometime in the future!!

Today's Favorites - Sebago's The Patriot

After having some pretty cold weather these last few weeks in London, the sun (and warmth) finally came out today, which almost gave the feeling of a Spring arrival. Now, I must say that I have a real love/hate relationship with our world's seasons. I love the heat and hate the cold, but hate the clothing for the Spring/Summer and love the clothing for Autumn/Winter. Sounds weird doesn't it? But about one of the only things that I really really like for the Spring/Summer 2012 season is the return of the boat shoe. I always look forward to seeing what the boat shoe companies are going to come up with every year in hopes to find something that I really like. This year's upcoming big one is called The Patriot by Sebago, of which any proud British gentleman (and possibly lady) will be able to adorn his country's flag on the sole of his shoe. I can't say that I am particularly a big fan of wearing flags on my clothes, but nevertheless, I quite enjoy the rest of this shoe, from the clear sole to the bold lining colors, and just the colors in general. It's quite amazing to see how much of an impact Sebago has been making these last couple of years, first in the States, and now here in England. I can only be excited about their future collaborations and concoctions! For those that share my passion for a nice boat shoe and fancy this one, it will be available from mid-May, and will be exclusive at John Lewis.

Shoe Cobblers

Let me first off start by saying one thing: a cobbler is not a shoemaker. This is one thing that bothers me and has just seem to have stuck in people's heads since the dawn of time. I do believe that cobblers, at one point in time, did double as shoemakers and shoe menders, but in this day and age, they are simply people who fix other people's shoes. Now, don't get me wrong, cobblers can also be artisans, as shoe mending is quite different and can be quite difficult with respects to shoe making, but nevertheless, they are different. I state this because I feel that many people still believe that they are the same thing, or that they simply just don't know that a bespoke shoemaker is by no means a cobbler. It's like calling a pattern cutter (of suits) a tailor and asking him to hem your trousers. If you do this, you would be insulting that individual to the fullest, as their years of extensive training will seem like nothing. Same thing for a bespoke shoemaker. That being, let me get on with the rest of the post.

Proper high-quality toe piece, the kind that they showed me, telling me that it was what they used

The reason that I am writing this, is because I had a less than satisfactory experience with a 'cobbler' here in London. I can't really say that they did a bad job, but I do have to say that the service was quite disappointing to say the least. I had realized that I had quickly worn down my toe area and that if I wore my shoes any more I would grind it down to the welt. That being, I was in desperate need of some toe taps (blakeys). I thought that while I was at it, I would also ask them to replace the top piece of my heels as well. Now having done a bit of repairs while learning how to make shoes, I can do both of these things, but in reality can't really be asked to do so, as time is tight, space is limited (to make a mess) and the materials are sometimes hard to source, at least in small quantities. Therefore, I decided to go to a place that I had never tried (of which I won't name) yet of which I had seen some of their work done on a customers' shoes and knew that they could do a proper blakey. Now, a proper blakey (as pictured above), is one that you have to slice a bit of the sole down in order to screw it on and then make flush with the rest of the sole. This is not to be confused with those rubbish blakelys that most cobblers here in England use in which they just nail on some piece of crap metal that falls off within a matter of single-digit wears.

Extremely crooked, definitely not perpendicular to the center line of the shoe

Now, I had used a few cobblers before, here in England. One was in Brighton and the other was in the West End. The West Enders are pretty good, but will blurt out a price based on how I am dressing that day....nothing that seems to ever be fixed, which is a bit off-putting. While once replacing the top piece of my heels on one of my bespoke pairs, I had sent the shoes to a cobbler and when all done I had noticed that they had put on this "polish" that they use to finish off the shoes with those fast spinning brush wheels. This crap smelled like gasoline mixed with motor oil and was so horrible that it set into my leather immediately. Needless to say, as they were my black/red bespoke saddle shoes (my absolute favorites), I was furious. I immediately went back to work and stripped them down with alcohol in order to get that stuff off of my leather, before it ate it all away like termites on wood. So, having been scarred from this experience, I kindly asked the cobblers that I was now going to, to please not use any sort of varnish to finish my shoes and if necessary to replace the heel and leave the shoes as I would re-dye them myself. They assured me that they don't use any chemical type stuff, so I trusted them. What a mistake that was....

Having to shave down each one myself so that they did not scratch my floors

Needless to say, when I received the shoes back (from a delivery to my work as they were not done when I went in to get them, nor had even started), I immediately saw that they had used the very stuff that I had asked them not to, and it was already leaving salt-like stains on my leather. Because it was dire, I did not take a picture to show all of you, but quickly rubbed it all off before it began to ruin my leather. I also noticed that they did not use the same quality blakey that they had previously showed me in the shop, instead using a much cheaper and, in my opinion, more fragile looking one. And on top of that, they were incredibly crooked and were not flush with the sole, meaning that I was going to have to sand them down with a filer. As you can imagine, I was quite disappointed and feel that I am not the only one who has used London cobblers and has felt the same. Time after time again, I see customers who have taken their shoes in for a re-sole and the job that has been done was appalling, so bad that the cobblers did not even bother to take out the old thread but just stitched right over it, creating a disgusting mess on the welt line. It makes me truly curious as to how London (England) is so famous for its shoemakers, but how awful many of their cobblers are. Truly astonishing..... Now, that being, I do get asked by many people to recommend a good cobbler here in London, but I really cannot do so with any confidence. Therefore I need your help. If you are a reader from London and know of a really good cobbler, please do share it in the comments section as I am sure that we would all appreciate it!

At least they did a decent job on the heel pieces

Shoes Of The Week - Alfred Sargent

Picture Courtesy of Style Sage

I once did a post talking about how I felt that the brown full-brogue was the most versatile shoe there is and even though this shoe above, by Alfred Sargent, is not considered a "full-brogue," it really makes me feel that my statement was bang-on, as I feel that I could wear this shoe with just about everything! Not only is everything that has to do with the design, like pattern, last shape and contrasted sole, but the color of the upper is absolutely exquisite. Out of the trillion shades of brown that there is, I really think that this is the best one that I have yet to see. It has a perfect blend between a mid-brown and a chocolate, being a bit dark but not so much so that it could be mistaken for black.....Gosh, it's so hard being a shoe freak, especially one that is starting his own range, as it makes me feel that I will have to stick to wearing only my shoes, but that idea alone goes very much against the grain of my soul, as I will continue to yearn for other models.....ah what dilemmas! That being, as you may have gathered from it all, this shoe is lovely and is precisely the shoe that every man needs to complete his wardrobe: a dark brown brogue of sorts....

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend. Until Monday....

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Today's Favorites - Rider Boot Co.

As you can imagine, I have a collection of images that must range in the thousands and because of that, it can become quite difficult remembering what I have and what I want to put up. I am constantly just browsing the net, saving dozens of pictures at a time, of all of the beautiful and unique shoes that I come across. Because of that, and having so darn many, I have to literally just peruse around my folders looking for inspiration for each post. But the nice thing about it is that it's almost like finding little treasures that you forgot about, like a $20 in your trouser pocket! So when I came to these mid-height jodhpur boots by Rider Boot Co., I was quite excited, as I find their design to be truly lovely. To me, the best jodhpur boots leave the face of the boot clean looking, not having the strap coming around it, as these don't. That way, you get the lovely and undisturbed profile  of a blank canvas from toe to top of boot. I think that the other detail that really attracted me to these was the fact that the strap has a lovely curve at the bottom of it, instead of just being straight and boring. It flows with the ambiance that the stitching, around the rest of the boot, creates. Nothing has a sharp angle, it's all fluid. That, to me, is lovely. It's all in the detail....as always!

Today's Favorites - Edward Green Oundle

Have you ever wondered why the majority of cordovan leather comes in a burgundy color when in fact, it can be made in any color, such as this brown pair of Edward Green Oundles? Well, as I don't know why, I cannot comment further on the matter, but if you happen to, please feel free to leave a comment. Nevertheless, I find myself always being attracted to shoes that come in cordovan leather that is in a different-than-normal color, such as the green pair that Stefano Bemer made or this pair here. And even though I have never really been a fan of the idea of wearing a pair of shoes whose upper leather is as stiff as its sole leather, I have always been so curious about them and having one, maybe just for show...However, I think that I would probably commission one in a blue color of sorts, maybe one shady lighter than navy, as I think that the natural shimmer that cordovan creates, would be lovely in blue. But back to the subject, this pair here is exquisite, not just because it's one of the most handsome monk straps ever made, but because that brown shade of cordovan looks fantastic!

Pictures Courtesy of Leather Soul

What I Am Wearing - Black & Blue

I used to be the black & blue hater #1, and even to this day, I would prefer to never pair them together. But as I get older, the climate changes, my culture becomes something else (in my ever-moving journey), I really just can't be asked to rebel any further. Most of the time, I put them together due to the fear of ruining any of my nice non-black colored shoes, like my red's or suedes or whatever goes best with navy trousers. But the more and more that I spend in Europe, where I find myself outside 1000 more than I ever used to be (as cars don't make sense in city center here and thus commuting by foot takes over), the more and more that I find myself pairing these two colors and the more and more I find myself warming to the idea of black & blue. Strange how life is always playing tricks on you, how you hate something one day and then love it the next and vice-versa. It makes us all a bunch of hypocrites....or maybe just me. And even while I feel that it does create a classier look, I do believe that I will always prefer brown paired with navy, as something that just flows better.

Shoes: Allen Edmonds
Sweater (Jumper): Some brand from Naples, Italy
Shirt - Primark 
Tie - Gieves & Hawkes
Trousers - H&M