The Ultimate Vass (Footwear) Thread (Pictures, reviews, sizing, etc...)

[Meyboom]

Today

 

[ThomGault]

When you ask Vass to make the last wider or narrower, they only adjust the side of the last (at the small toe), not the heel or the instep.

As a followup question, @Notch, are you indicating that Vass does not alter the width throughout the entire length of the shoe, but instead only in the toebox?

 

[Notch]

@ThomGault : That is correct, many makers do this because the heel needs to grip well. Vass' lasts are wood, a rarity these days, and so they can simply glue on a few pieces of leather, and then rasp and shave until the desired proportions are reached.

 

[Zapasman]

@ThomGault : That is correct, many makers do this because the heel needs to grip well. Vass' lasts are wood, a rarity these days, and so they can simply glue on a few pieces of leather, and then rasp and shave until the desired proportions are reached.

Wait. So if they have to make a narrower width E, they rasp the wooden last at the toe ?. It would be interesting to see both processes (increasing and decreasing width). To remove the glue after lasting must be a hassle too. On the other hand, if you adopt that process (different pieces of leather or rasp) proportions will be always different?. I had different proportions with two pairs of shoes in E width same last, that is why I am curious about. TIA.

 

[Meyboom]

Could this explain why people sometimes report sizing differences with Vass shoes in the same size on the same last? I have not encountered this myself but just curious.

 

[Notch]

@ThomGault : I haven't see them doing it yet, but yes the toe area is rasped down, at the little toe. The last is made once, and then it is used over and over. So the last is never restored back to its original form. A wooden last is not expensive to make, once you have the 3D pattern just about any CNC routing machine can make one in 20 minutes time.

The fact that Vass uses wooden lasts might have something to do with sizing differences. The lasts are stored in a controlled room now, but I am not sure if that has always been the case. In winter time the humidity is different than in summer time, so the lasts change proportions. I personally never realised this either until I visited Springline (Springline does not make Vass' lasts, just to make that clear, but I was told that many English makers are switching from wood to plastic because of the proportions changing in wooden lasts).

 

[taxgenius]

Could this explain why people sometimes report sizing differences with Vass shoes in the same size on the same last? I have not encountered this myself but just curious.

I have the F last in a chukka boot and in a London style shoe. The boot fits well while the shoe is too narrow in the front part.

 

[Zapasman]

@ThomGault : I haven't see them doing it yet, but yes the toe area is rasped down, at the little toe. The last is made once, and then it is used over and over. So the last is never restored back to its original form. A wooden last is not expensive to make, once you have the 3D pattern just about any CNC routing machine can make one in 20 minutes time.

The fact that Vass uses wooden lasts might have something to do with sizing differences. The lasts are stored in a controlled room now, but I am not sure if that has always been the case. In winter time the humidity is different than in summer time, so the lasts change proportions. I personally never realised this either until I visited Springline (Springline does not make Vass' lasts, just to make that clear, but I was told that many English makers are switching from wood to plastic because of the proportions changing in wooden lasts).

Thanks a lot Notch for all your comments. I always thought many shomakers would use specific lasts for different widths, changing the overall proportions of the shoes. I understand that plastic lasts can be rasped down too. I am going to ask Carmina if they do the same. Cheers.

 

[Notch]

When I mentioned that a wooden last is not expensive to make, a plastic last is even a lot cheaper. So I would guess that factories that use plastic lasts, will do the effort of having different plastic lasts in different widths in stock.

 

[Zapasman]

Lets see if Carmina is willing to answer me in its thread. My main concern is to know whether proportions change all over the shoes or not with shoemakers. Yeah, plastic is cheaper and fast to produce.

 

[bdavro23]

I would have thought that a plastic last would begin melting when met with a rasp and it would clog it up. Anyone have actual experience? I guess it doesnt really matter, but now I'm curious...

 

[Zapasman]

I am pretty sure they do not rasp nor add material to their plastic lasts. Instead they use different proportioned lasts.

 

[peppercorn78]

Doesn't the Vass book describe changes in last width affecting the entire foot proportions and not just the ball / toe area?

@Fred G. Unn

 

[Zapasman]

For width mesurements he talks about metatarsals (ball). That is why Notch´s contribution.

For sizes, he talks about metatarsal/instep/heel/ankle widhts.

 

[mw313]

The other option is having a tongue pad installed to help the instep after the rest of the shoe fits well. That will help just the instep area