The Ultimate "HARDCORE" Shoe Appreciation Thread (Bespoke only)

[DWFII]



Looks good! I might just give that a shot. James Ducker from the Bespoke shoes unlaced blog sells some covers but I think they are about 5£ a pair. Might be worth it with a whole orders of things including silvers pens that I'm running low on. Nice Ostrich leather is that the color they call tobbaco?

The ostrich was a burgundy.

I suspect a pair of covers made from shrink wrap costs me about fifty cents.

 

[bespoke lad]



The ostrich was a burgundy.

I suspect a pair of covers made from shrink wrap costs me about fifty cents.

Oh yeah now I see it in the light of the picture looks burgundy. Well can't beat that price! Thanks DW

By the way I think my dad mentioned something to me about this top stitching pattern originating as your design. He wanted me to show you

Also I dig this up in a folder recently too hope you don't mind me sharing.

 

[DWFII]



Oh yeah now I see it in the light of the picture looks burgundy. Well can't beat that price! Thanks DW

By the way I think my dad mentioned something to me about this top stitching pattern originating as your design. He wanted me to show you

Yes, that was one of the first patterns I ever designed but it was, itself, derivative of a pattern my teacher gave me. So I passed it along to all my students.

BTW and FWIW, there is a portfolio/retrospective here of some of the work that garnered me the Bootmaker of the Year Award this past March

 

[bespoke lad]



Yes, that was one of the first patterns I ever designed but it was, itself, derivative of a pattern my teacher gave me. So I passed it along to all my students.

BTW and FWIW, there is a portfolio/retrospective here of some of the work that garnered me the Bootmaker of the Year Award this past March

Very nice I really like the curves you put into the heels it's a really nice touch. I never really seen that before on cowboy boots looks nice though.

 

[DWFII]



Very nice I really like the curves you put into the heels it's a really nice touch. I never really seen that before on cowboy boots looks nice though.

Thank you.

FWIW, if you are talking about the curved (I call it "Frenched") breast, it is really a matter of aesthetics. when you look at a straight cut heel breast, it will invariably look to be bowed outward simply because the waist of the boot is domed (or fiddlebacked). It won't look straight, no matter how careful you are. The "frenched" breast just looks better, IMO.

If, by chance, you are speaking about the curves on the heel in the second photo--that's historical and is called a "military heel" or a "Cuban heel" depending on the height.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

Cross post from the Japanese shoe thread: I've posted a substantial buyer's guide to Hiro Yanagimachi on my blog, which might be of interest for some, especially since he will do trunk shows in both Europe and the US next year. Loads of pics from my visit in the workshop, the making of my MTO pair, and of the final shoes (some of which I've already posted here). Here's some of the pics from the workshop and the making:

The showroom:








The workshop:








Hiro-san




The making process:












The final pair (other pics than before):







.

 

[Luvwine]

This is a cross post as I just posted a new topic about my first pair of Roberto Ugolini shoes. Actually, they are my first pair of custom shoes. They are pretty mainstream shoes--dark brown derby/blucher in calf with a bit of texture to them. They are similar to a G&G pair I have in wild boar and I include a comparison shot or two below. The last is not Roberto's "U-Last" nor the round last, but rather his "first last" (first one he designed) which has a squared off toe but is not as extreme as the U-Last. Not sure they are unusual enough to warrant a posting here, but hopefully you guys won't throw tomatoes or anything at me for my first post on this thread! I met Roberto Ugolini in his shop in Florence around a year ago. I was impressed at how personable and passionate he is about his craft. I was there with my wife and told her that the problem was if I bought a pair of shoes, we would have to go back to Florence. She said, "and the problem with that is?" Then, she proceeded to tease me for most of the past year that we had to go back to Florence for my shoes. Now, when I tried on the pair he made out of cheap leather, they fit pretty well but were a bit too tight in one or two spots. As we traveled to Istanbul for a bit and then back to Florence before heading home, he started on my real pair and had me try them on again so I had two fittings after the initial measurement. That was great as he was able to fine tune things for me (tho they were close enough the first time). Anyway, got the shoes today. He includes a spare pair of laces, custom shoe trees, a shoe horn, bags, and a small horsehair brush in with the shoes. All this for 1500 Euros for the first pair (1200 for each subsequent pair on the same last, a bit more for boots or exotics or shell of course). Anyway, this is old hat to the folks on this topic, but I was surprised how much smaller the custom shoes are than the ones I have been buying off the rack. When I told Roberto that I had bought a size 10E in English sizing (Gaziano and Girling), he had a funny look and said that to him, I was an 8 1/2. I have bought a lot of 11D in Allen Edmonds so to hear 8 1/2 was a shock. Sure enough, they are smaller than all my other shoes but fit properly. I have already ordered two more pairs on the same last. When we were in Roberto's shop, my wife decided she wants a pair of boots so now we have to go back to Florence for HER shoes. I intend to tease her a bit as turnabout is fair play.....

Here are some pics:

 

[Michael Ay329]

All 3 by Clifford Roberts

 

[jerrybrowne]



Who made the pigskin pair?

 

[jerrybrowne]



All 3 by Clifford Roberts

Happy with the fit? What's going on with the eyelets?

 

[Michael Ay329]

Fit is solid as its a bespoke last from Springline.

And the steel eyelets rock

 

[jerrybrowne]



Fit is solid as its a bespoke last from Springline.

And the steel eyelets rock

I like the look of the eyelets for sure. Good choice for that shoe. A few look a bit mangled, but perhaps that's just due to the photograph.

 

[Luvwine]



Who made the pigskin pair?

Gaziano and Girling.

 

[ThinkDerm]



This is a cross post as I just posted a new topic about my first pair of Roberto Ugolini shoes. Actually, they are my first pair of custom shoes. They are pretty mainstream shoes--dark brown derby/blucher in calf with a bit of texture to them. They are similar to a G&G pair I have in wild boar and I include a comparison shot or two below. The last is not Roberto's "U-Last" nor the round last, but rather his "first last" (first one he designed) which has a squared off toe but is not as extreme as the U-Last. Not sure they are unusual enough to warrant a posting here, but hopefully you guys won't throw tomatoes or anything at me for my first post on this thread! I met Roberto Ugolini in his shop in Florence around a year ago. I was impressed at how personable and passionate he is about his craft. I was there with my wife and told her that the problem was if I bought a pair of shoes, we would have to go back to Florence. She said, "and the problem with that is?" Then, she proceeded to tease me for most of the past year that we had to go back to Florence for my shoes. Now, when I tried on the pair he made out of cheap leather, they fit pretty well but were a bit too tight in one or two spots. As we traveled to Istanbul for a bit and then back to Florence before heading home, he started on my real pair and had me try them on again so I had two fittings after the initial measurement. That was great as he was able to fine tune things for me (tho they were close enough the first time). Anyway, got the shoes today. He includes a spare pair of laces, custom shoe trees, a shoe horn, bags, and a small horsehair brush in with the shoes. All this for 1500 Euros for the first pair (1200 for each subsequent pair on the same last, a bit more for boots or exotics or shell of course). Anyway, this is old hat to the folks on this topic, but I was surprised how much smaller the custom shoes are than the ones I have been buying off the rack. When I told Roberto that I had bought a size 10E in English sizing (Gaziano and Girling), he had a funny look and said that to him, I was an 8 1/2. I have bought a lot of 11D in Allen Edmonds so to hear 8 1/2 was a shock. Sure enough, they are smaller than all my other shoes but fit properly. I have already ordered two more pairs on the same last. When we were in Roberto's shop, my wife decided she wants a pair of boots so now we have to go back to Florence for HER shoes. I intend to tease her a bit as turnabout is fair play..... Here are some pics:

really like the leathers on the G&G pigskin pair and the ugolini pair. What leather was the Ugolini pair made out of?

 

[Luvwine]



really like the leathers on the G&G pigskin pair and the ugolini pair. What leather was the Ugolini pair made out of?

Don't know other than to say a dark brown calf. I picked it out with Roberto's help. He does do a bit of burnishing if you want but he prefers not too much and this pair has just a mild darkening toward the toe. I let him guide me and he recommended this leather. It has some texture, but not a lot. I wanted a versatile shoe for my first one and this fits the bill.

The G&G pigskin is also great, but obviously being off the rack does not fit like the custom shoe. Given Roberto's pricing, absent a huge sale, I expect I will be giving Roberto more business than G&G. The pigskin G&G I bought at Leffot in NYC and paid $1400 with no shoe trees.

I also like Roberto and like doing business with a smaller outfit with excellent personal service. I feel I am getting that and terrific value with Ugolini.