Shoes Of The Week - Anthony Delos

When you look at and appreciate pieces of art, such as these boots, it comes as no surprise that Anthony Delos has just recently won 'Meilleur Ouvrier de France', which translates to 'Best Artisan in France.' The guy is simply a shoemaking genius! There are not enough of adjectives to describe the beauty and elegance of this boot. From ever little single detail of what looks like hand-stitched button holes, to the piped borders of the upper fabric, to the three different constructions, to the bevelled waist and the nailed outline of a rose on the heel. Simply amazing!! This is the beauty of bespoke, being able to create something in your mind, something that is unique, one of a kind, beautiful and timeless. If I could just make shoes all day, but not have to sell them, yet be able to pay all of my bills, I would be a happy guy. But unfortunately, life is not always so simple, so I will leave it up to the artists, such as Delos, to create beautiful shoes that should go down in history as works of art....


Original article and pictures at Parisian Gentleman, have a look!

Shoes -- Part 2: Style Names & Terminology -- Oxfords

To get back to a little bit of education, I have decided to write my 'Monday long posts', on everything and anything referring to shoes, that being, the 'technical stuff' and giving a break to the aesthetic fluff that I usually put up. I first started with the different shoe constructions and am now moving on to the different style names and terminologies. As there is much to write, I will start with oxfords and proceed next week onto the following style: derby's (AKA bluchers). Enjoy!

Oxfords:

-- Wholecuts --

My favorite style of shoe is, hands down, the oxford. For me, it is the most elegant style out of everything a shoe/boot can become. This is because it allows, with it's closed lacing, the shoe to be very clean looking i.e. stitch free. The more stitch-free the shoe can become, the more elegant it gets, at least in my opinion. Oxfords can also be referred to as 'balmorals,' and this is due to the fact that oxfords were first seen in Ireland and Scotland, and thus takes after the name of the Queen of England's castle, which is also called Balmoral. But what you will always be able to use, in order to denote an oxford, is the fact that the tongue will always be stitched under the vamp.

As I was stating before, the most elegant (dressy) of all of the oxfords, is the wholecut (as shown above), due to the fact that it has no stitching across the main sections of the shoe (only the back seam). The beautiful version above is by French brand, Septieme Largeur.

Refer to these images above, for the names of the different pieces from the shoe's upper. Click on image to enlarge.

-- Plain Toe's --

While these shoe styles above are not technically called this, it is a good way to know what's on the next level of the hierarchy of dressiness. I have always felt that the less fluff that you see around the toe area, the dressier the shoe. This is partly because when wearing dress trousers, you tend to see mostly the toe area, and not the rest of the shoe. Therefore, the less stitching, the more elegant the model. As you will notice, however, on the top shoe, there is what is called a medallion, on the toe box. A medallion is brogueing (hole punching) in the shape of some symmetrical (unless bespoke) decoration that is positioned on the front of the toe box. This will be a matter of opinion, when deciding whether or not a medallion makes the shoe less dressy. I think that it does. That's not to say that it is not nice, but when considering what to wear to a formal event, less is always more. (The two beautiful models above by Anthony Delos)

 -- Cap Toe's --

A cap toe, or a straight cap, is denoted by the stitching that crosses over the toe box area. A cap toe is a very general term, much like wingtip, and can refer to any shoe that has a straight cap, such as this. And while this shoe shows all of the pieces of the upper, in a simple manner, I shall explain those as well, just in case the sketched pictures provided above, were a little confusing. The piece in between the cap and the laces, where your foot flexes, is called the 'vamp.' The little piece where the laces are, is called the 'facing.' The part where the heel is, is called the 'heel counter.' And last but not least, the leftover bit is called the 'quarter.'

You will find that the cap toe is probably the most popular model in dress shoe history. Since there have been suits, there have been cap toes, and it seems that they tend to go hand-in-hand, as most business professionals wear them. For many industries, this has become the staple model of dress shoe, which to me is unfortunate, as there are so many better models.

Model Above By: Anthony Delos

 

 -- Wingtips --

Wingtips, or wing caps, are just like cap toes, only they have this W shaped cap, as opposed to a straight line. Because of that shape, they are generally seen as less dressy, as this shape is "more daring," and less business-like. This is by no means my opinion, but rather what seams to be the elementary school of thought considered by many white collar industries, and their superiors. I can understand that it might be less formal, but in no way, does that make me feel that it is any less appropriate for business attire. But then again, things are changing and you will find that more people (thankfully) are wearing this style to work, with their business suits!

Shoes Above By: Gaziano & Girling

-- U-Caps --

Far less common, are the U-caps. This style, I believe, used to be used a lot more many years ago, by the likes of Edward Green and older shoe firms but has since been popular until recently. While it is still uncommon to see them, I feel that they will be making a come back in the near future. What's nice about them is that they add a breath of fresh air, to your closet, as they will stand out from all of the other common styles, that everyone owns. While I still do not have a pair, I am definitely going to be adding that to my 'must-have' list, and would not mind if they came from Laszlo Vass, as I love the one's that he did, pictured above.

-- Saddle Shoes --

If you have read my blog before, than you know a thing or two about saddle shoes, and how they are my absolute favorite style ever!! And as I have written a ton of info about them before, including here, I won't bore you with more mumbo jumbo. I will just say, that they never disappoint, and it is good to see them back on the books for many companies upcoming seasons.

Shoes Above By: Septieme Largeur

-- Galosh Shoe --

While this could be up for debate, I have heard this model called 'galosh style' before, as it looks as if there is a galosh covering the toe to heel area, leaving the facing and top of the quarter exposed. Yet, some people also refer to it simply as a balmoral. Whatever the case, it is proper style, one that I find quite appealing and elegant. I only wish that you would see it more, not only in stores, but also on people's feet!

Top Shoes: Craig Corvin
Bottom Left: Laszlo Vass; Bottom Right: Gaziano & Girling

Well, as it is late and I am super tired and therefore I am going to leave it at that for today. While there are so many more to go and you might have thought that I left some out, be patient and you will more than likely see them on another post, when I get to brogues, spectators, derby's, boots etc.

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Today's Favorites - Anthony Delos

Today I met a reader of my blog, and he just so happened to be wearing this shoe that you are looking at now, by Anthony Delos. It was funny because I was chatting with my friend and all of the sudden, I turn around and see the Delos shoes on this well-dressed gentleman. Now, I have had pictures of these (which are most likely taken by him) for some time now, and have just been constantly forgetting to put them up. This encounter made it the perfect opportunity to do so. The only problem was I had forgotten to bring my camera today -- which of course is how fate would play it -- and this was hands down the nicest shoe I have ever seen anyone wear. It was also my first true life encounter with Delos' shoes, and to see them in person was a dream, especially after he has just won Artisan of the Year, in France, which I must say was well deserved! I began to comment on the shoes and it just so happened that he had come to meet me, so it was an easy ice-breaker. We then chatted for awhile, exchanging ideas and discussing the future of my shoe ventures. It was a pleasure to meet a fellow shoe snob and see someone wearing shoes of such exquisite style, and I welcome all my readers to come chat to me, if they are ever in London!

(color is most accurate in top picture)

A Shoe's Shape

Up until recently, I always focused my attention on design (i.e. pattern - wing tip, cap toe, color, details etc.) when deciding whether or not I liked a shoe, not ever really paying attention to the shape, even though it played a big part (if not the biggest) in my decision making process. But now, having made shoes and with my introduction into self-taught shoe design, I have come to appreciate shape on a whole new level. It's funny how one could have never come to this realization until they started to actually play around with the design or construction aspects. I could have been a shoe enthusiast my entire life having not ever attempted to get into the construction side of things and I may have never come to know, that I truly like a shoe because of it's shape, not because of it's pattern, color, style etc. 

Shoe At Top: Foster & Son
Shoe Above: Vass 

You start to notice when you begin drawing on paper, that a shoe can turn out real ugly and disproportionate if the shape is not drawn perfectly. And it is truly difficult to do so. The slightest variation in pencil movement can be a deal breaker. And the same goes in the world of last making, which is essentially design in 3-D. Every little curve on the last is monumental when it comes to the form of the final product. And more importantly than getting a nice shape, is creating the correct proportions, because if the proportions are off, then the shoe will never look nice, no matter how elegant the curves are. This being said, I have been wanting to change the shape of my last for some time now because I am growing quite bored of the shape that it is, considering that I will have made 6 pairs on that same last. So when I do finally finish my 6th pair, hopefully in February, I will change the shape of my last before I continue on with my 7th pair. Ideally, I would love for it to look like the shoe at the top of the page but I am not sure if my last-shaving/adding skills are quite that good. We shall see!

Shoes Above: Anthony Delos

If you were like me and never really thought about how important a shoe's shape is, then I am afraid that after reading this you might become a shape snob, just as I have. These days I won't even give a shoe a second look if it's shape is not specific to my standards. But I am happy that I am now like this because in the past I feel like I bought/acquired shoes based on their looks (you know what I mean) and now have shoes sitting in my closet that I wish I could tear the soles off of, take apart the upper and remake them!

Shoes Below: Gaziano & Girling

Today's Favorites - Black Cap Toe's

Shoe Above: a.Testoni

Shoe Above: Anthony Delos

Shoes Above: Gaziano & Girling

Shoes Above: John Lobb

Shoes Above: Stefano Bemer

Considering that black cap toe's are not my favorite style of shoe, I figured that I might display these now before they get lost forever in my collection of endless photos. While I would much rather own a million other styles, there is nothing that says "let's get down to business," better than a black cap toe and because of that, it is the style most purchased (at least in United States) by business professionals. It is the workhorse shoe that will take you through your career without ever letting you down.....

Shoe Of The Day

There is nothing like a beautiful, well made shoe. There is especially nothing like a beautiful, well made shoe that is 3 shades of blue calfskin. This shoe, by Anthony Delos, has to be one of the most beautiful shoes I have encountered. Not that it is something that has not been done before, but I am such a sucker for blue and the way he created the patina and the colors that came out of that, make for an extraordinary piece of art!! I think that my next investment just might have to be a nice royal/navy blue calfskin shoe. That is just something that is unfortunately lacking from my closet and that badly needs to be taken care of. This is art at its finest folks!!

4 Shoe Essentials For Autumn

This summer has been quite interesting with it's record highs and record lows and yet while it is still only the beginning of September, I am ready for autumn to come! I love the sun and being warm but I have never appreciated the simplicity of dressing in the summer. Instead, I have always loved seeing all of the intricate and uniquely layered outfits that are created in the autumn and winter seasons. That being, there are several staple shoes that I believe belong in every man's wardrobe to be able to pull off some of these outfits!

1. Some Sort Of Boot

While #1 would appear to be extremely vague, I have no intentions telling all of the men in the world that they need just one style, so I leave it to you to decide which type of boot would appeal best to your clothing. For me, this Sebago boot (or shoe-boot) is just the thing that would enhance my wardrobe 5 times. There are already so many outfits that I can think of to create with the incorporation of this shoe into my wardrobe. This boot falls under that upcoming rugged category of shoe that is finding it's way onto the shelves of clothing stores across the nation. It seems to be a resurgence in that Red Wing-esque type of look although I personally believe that Sebago has taken this idea and enhanced it by leaving out the rugged sole and heaviness of the shoe. So whatever boot that you choose, make sure that it will fit into "your look" and wardrobe. If not you will find yourself stuck either needing to buy more clothes (which is fine if you can afford it) or having the dilemma of a shoe that does not match your clothes.

2. Dark Brown Suede Shoe










Left Shoes: Alden, photo compliments of Leather Soul
Right Shoes: Anthony Delos
Bottom Shoes: John Lobb

Whether it be a chukka boot, a leather soled loafer or a full on dress style, every man needs a dark brown suede shoe in their autumn line up! Contrary to what you may think about suede, a dark brown suede shoe is a must have for the autumn season, even if it rains every day. Like I have said before, if you protect your shoes right by using the proper applications and by avoiding heavy puddles and extra rainy days, your suede will be able to manage through a wet season and give your autumn outfits some extra depth. While autumn does bring it's fair share of intriguing outfits, it also brings an abundance of monotone inspired outfits. What's great about a dark brown suede shoe is that it's color and texture make for a great compliment to the many fabrics and colors that you see being offered each year for the autumn/winter collections within the clothing side of things.

3.Gray Sneaker












Left Shoes: Gourmet
Right Shoes: A.P.C.

A gray sneaker is a must-have period!! It goes great during every season. It just goes best in the autumn. Like the brown suede, a medium gray really compliments the colors of clothing being offered in autumn/winter. When you think about it, there is really no color that a gray cannot compliment. You can even wear different color grays within your outfit and as long as you don't go overboard on the amount of different shades, it can look great! It's such an easy thing to overlook but once you have a gray shoe in your collection, you will notice just how often you go to reach for it since it's versatility is limitless!! I have added a couple pictures above as well as added a picture of the pair that I wear, here. Another nice option is on the post below by John Lobb. So really folks, if you don't have a gray sneaker yet, go find yourself one!! You will thank me later.

4. A Black Dress Shoe











Left Shoes: Gaziano & Girling
Right Shoes: Vass

Considering the weather is usually at it's worst (in terms of wetness) during the autumn, a nice black dress shoe is an essential piece in the working man's closet. Being able to hide wear and tear on a black shoe is much easier than on a tan or light colored shoe. Rain spots don't tend to show as easily and it is next to impossible to darken a black shoe from excessive water exposure. So when you start breaking out your gray and black suits for the autumn, it only makes sense to have a staple black shoe that you can pair them with. Even better would be to have two pair, that way you can rotate them and let each one breath for at least a day. If you have one that's slightly more casual, say a derby or a wingtip, then it also makes for an easy transitional shoe coming from work to going out on the town.

That being said, if you pack away your summer wardrobe to make way for your autumn pieces, make sure that you have at least these four essentials and you will be set for your shoes! And if you are lacking in one or maybe two, then it's time to start investing!!!