The Centipede Has Landed + A Question About Japanese Bespoke Shoes

[whnay.]

Originally Posted by RJman

I don't know him either. I'm not into ugly.
David Eden is to shoes what.......[blank] is to [blank]

 

[Artisan Fan]

David Eden is to shoes what...

...Rosanne Barr is to supermodels.

...Cynthia McKinney is to Congress.

 

[LabelKing]

what Excalibur is to cars.

what the New Phantom is to Rolls Royce.

what Jacob the Jeweler is to watches.

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

what Excalibur is to cars.

what the New Phantom is to Rolls Royce.

what Jacob the Jeweler is to watches.

Well, call me tacky but I like the new Phantom and the Bentley Flying Spur.

As to Jacob the Jeweler, there are only two countries where he could pull off his gimmick, the USA and Russia, where among certain nouveau riche, garishness is a way of life.

 

[pejsek]

Well, far be it from me to parachute down in DE's defense, but I just don't quite get the hostility. I mean, it's not like we're talking about Stacy Adams or Mezlan. Any well-balanced shoe wardrobe should include an exotic or two. The best reason for the eschewal of alligator is the discovery of sea turtle. Good taste can strangle you in your crib.
Consider the immortal words of Luca Turin:

"Chic is the most impossible thing to define. Luxury is a humorless thing, largely, and when humor happens in luxury it happens involuntarily. Chic is all about humor. Which means chic is about intelligence. And there has to be an oddness--most luxury is conformist, and chic cannot be. Chic must be polite and not incommode others, but within that it can be as weird as it wants."

In other words, I'll take your ostrich and raise you a galuchat.

 

[Artisan Fan]

I don't mind the alligator and other exotics. It's the cheesy design and weird colors.

Take exotic skins on panels of sneakers for instance. Seriously take them far away from here.

 

[LabelKing]

Originally Posted by pejsek

Well, far be it from me to parachute down in DE's defense, but I just don't quite get the hostility. I mean, it's not like we're talking about Stacy Adams or Mezlan. Any well-balanced shoe wardrobe should include an exotic or two. The best reason for the eschewal of alligator is the discovery of sea turtle. Good taste can strangle you in your crib. Consider the immortal words of Luca Turin: "Chic is the most impossible thing to define. Luxury is a humorless thing, largely, and when humor happens in luxury it happens involuntarily. Chic is all about humor. Which means chic is about intelligence. And there has to be an oddness--most luxury is conformist, and chic cannot be. Chic must be polite and not incommode others, but within that it can be as weird as it wants." In other words, I'll take your ostrich and raise you a galuchat.
Chic was never about sexy, and I'll always subscribe to that; Anna Piaggi is chic while minor incidents like Plum Sykes are not. The only exception to sexy would be Halston and his friends.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Take exotic skins on panels of sneakers for instance. Seriously take them far away from here.

Go ahead, Shecky!

 

[pejsek]

Here's another new name for me: Imai Hiroki. Okay, so maybe Koji Suzuki doesn't have anything to worry about--not yet, at least--but some of these shoes are interesting (and attractively priced with most models running around 40,000 yen). The blog is quite extensive; the interest in coloring reminiscent of Marc Guyot.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/hiroki00/

http://www.zeel.jp/shoes/branditem.j...o=010003001010

http://www.canyonshoes.com/shoe.html

 

[whnay.]

nice find pejsek and very well priced indeed. Might need to visit Japan sooner than I expected...

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by pejsek

Here's another new name for me: Imai Hiroki. Okay, so maybe Koji Suzuki doesn't have anything to worry about--not yet, at least--but some of these shoes are interesting (and attractively priced with most models running around 40,000 yen). The blog is quite extensive; the interest in coloring reminiscent of Marc Guyot.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/hiroki00/

http://www.zeel.jp/shoes/branditem.j...o=010003001010

http://www.canyonshoes.com/shoe.html

Thanks from me also, pejsek.

It turns out that his factory/shop is quite near to me (in the Kobe area) in a place called Himeji. I don't get out there too often but will try to drop by and see what the shoes look like in person.
I will post my observations when I get the chance.

 

[pejsek]

That would be great, Alter. A report would be very nice. I ran the blog through the google translation and it turns out Hiroki is indeed (quite predictably) obsessed with coloring. Maybe you could catch a glimpse of his Kiwi cans. And, yes, whnay, if you're going to see Suzuki I would expect you to do a round sampling of all the local offerings.
This shoe by Yoshiharu Hasegawa is interesting:

http://konylog.com/archives/2006/04/jazz_1.html
http://konylog.com/archives/yoshiharuhasegawa.JPG

Looks like kind of a riff on Cleverly's lazy man lace-up. (also on display is 'foot the coacher's' tribute to Jon Lurie.) Hasegawa seems to keep a very low profile.

 

[Alter]

Originally Posted by pejsek

http://konylog.com/archives/2006/04/jazz_1.html
http://konylog.com/archives/yoshiharuhasegawa.JPG


pejsek, you have an uncanny ability to find some interesting shops that are near to me. The shop that carries the Hasegawa shoes ( http://www.bespoke-tailor-dmg.com/ ) is really close to my office.
I will try to check it out also.

Unfortunately, I am not in shopping mode at the moment; I just bought a home here and all available cash is going towards furniture.

Please try to find some shops in Tokyo next, they are far less tempting

 

[Artisan Fan]

I'm not sure about Hiroki's shoes simply based on the pictures. A couple of things bother me...
1. Seems to have too few nails on the bottom heel
2. I don't like the exposed stitching on the bottom.
3. Sole does not look well finished to me...there are ripples around the edges.

I do like the final polishing and many of the shapes.

 

[bengal-stripe]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

1. Seems to have too few nails on the bottom heel
2. I don't like the exposed stitching on the bottom.
3. Sole does not look well finished to me...there are ripples around the edges.
Those Hiroki shoes are not welted, they are Blake stitched:

Note the long stitches and the distance away from the sole edge. In the waist, the stitching is exposed, and than, just like a tube train, it enters the channelled section to come out again at the end of the journey. That's a very popular production method in Italy (the majority of Ferragamo shoes are made like this).

Those are not hand-made shoes, they are factory-made in a very Italian manner, in look as well as in construction, although the sole states "Made in Japan".