As a blogger, you try to absorb everything from everywhere in order to put up great content for your readers. While I never really take anything but pictures, I can tell you that certain blogs have been a source of inspiration and admiration. And for me, the one that deserves the most credit is Simon Crompton's Permanent Style. Writing a blog is harder than you may think. In order to be good and capture people, you have to write about things that interest people, provide intelligent and thought-out information but also need to move them on an emotional level. And on top of all that, you need to have direction. In my opinion, no one has done that better than Permanent Style and through my time as a blogger and even before, I have read and loved some of his posts related to shoes. And since my posts are not nearly as thought out or descriptive as his, I figured that I would share my favorite 5 shoe posts that have come from Permanent Style in hopes to provide some well written pieces on the important aspects of the shoe industry.
(Click on titles to go to blog post, pictures courtesy of Permanent Style)
1. The Diminishing Returns Of Shoes
It's hard to truly understand what you are getting when you buy a pair of shoes, and the salesman helping you may not understand it either, which is a shame but happens more often than not. These days there are so many terms thrown around in the shoe industry that the idea of what you are truly getting, in terms of quality, is jaded. In this post, Simon does a great job explaining why shoe A might cost more than shoe B but be the same in terms of quality. For all of those curious to the costs of shoes, this will help provide some useful information that you may have always been stumped on. A must read!
2. Bespoke Shoes At Cleverley Part 1
For all of the people truly curious in the process of getting a pair of bespoke shoes, this is the holy grail of information. To my knowledge, never before has something been written in such depth. Sure, there are the shoemaking blogs that I have on the side of my blog, but those usually start at the process where the upper is closed and it's time for the making to begin. But to see all of the work that goes into the bespoke process before the making is something that you don't have a whole lot of access to, so the fact that Simon has provided it, it such detail, is truly amazing.
Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6; Part 7; Part 8; Part 9; Part 10; Part 11; Part12
3. How Great Things Age: Edward Green Part 1
This article is fantastic! What is great about it, is that it backs up the statement "you get what you pay for," showing that a well-made shoe, can last you a lifetime! Simon had had his Edward Green's for 5 years before needing a resoling. Some may say that this is not a long time but living in London, commuting through the wet and concrete terrain, 5 years on a leather sole is a lifetime, believe me! And even better, after this resoling/refurbishment, they will last another 5-7 years before needing another re-sole. The upper will maintain and the shoe will age beautifully, as they have already started to. The beauty of buying well made shoes!
Part 2; Part 3
4. Shoes Being Repainted At Berluti + The After Shots
This service is truly an art! While I do more deep cleanse polishing myself, with the ability to add a patina, I have yet to capture the art of re-painting the shoe, which is essentially what many French shoemakers and patina artists have mastered. Here Simon, shows how the Berluti shop in London, was able to rejuvenate the leather and color of his 6 month-old Berluti's. Not sure how much this cost, but in my opinion, it is a service that is unmeasurable in terms of cost and value. It truly transforms your shoe from being old to new again. The feeling of walking out of the store with brand new shoes is priceless and that service allows you to feel this way over and over.
5. The Rules And How To Break Them
Last, but certainly not least, is the article that more reminds me of my style of writing and thinking. Being from a society (and culture) that is built on rules and adhering to them, Simon is able to say, 'Hey, this is outdated!!' This is the classic, 'no brown in town' article yet with an actual description of where it comes from and why. I love that about this article, because since I have been here in England, I have met MANY people (young and old) who still stick to this and to see that Simon is trying to educate, helps me know that I am not the only one who cares about breaking down unnecessary rules that deter society from moving on to the more stylish individuals that we could be!
Well, I hope that all of you are able to get a chance to read these articles, because they are truly an invaluable source of information that you may not find anywhere else.
Until next time,
Justin, "The Shoe Snob"
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