Shoes Of The Week - Random Mark McNairy's

I really love what Mark McNairy has done in the shoe industry. In what used to be a relatively dull, no-color ridden market, Mark McNairy decided to do something about it and launched his line, emphasizing this prep-chic style (loafers, heavy brogues and buck's) that incorporated a lot of color, particularly in the soles. And since then, he has seemed to grow at an exponential rate. And that is simply great! When coming out with something so bold, as this concept is, one would think that it is either going to make it, or break it. Luckily he made it, even with shoes as daring and colorful as a crayola box.

As I put together my first collection, I am growing insecure (even though I shouldn't) about offering classic dress shoes with colorful options (such as a full-brogue in navy or a forest green whole-cut). When you think about starting a line, you have to know that even though you may want to make all of the craziest options that you always dreamed of owning, you have to also realize that you need to make things that will sell, so that you can stay in business. This is what I appreciate about people like Mark McNairy and Mr. Hare. They both created something that they felt was missing, hit it dead on and are now growing at exponential rates. I just hope that my first collection will have this kind of impact, as I believe that I have been studying a long time, what is lacking in the current marketplace....

Some pictures provide by: The Shoe Buff

Today's Favorites - ts(s)

Coming into Spring, it's great how you see the more colorful stuff come out as well as the wearing of different leathers like nubuck and suede. And while every company is going to have their own version of a white nubuck (or suede) brogue, I am quite fond of the model displayed here by ts(s). Knowing that I absolutely love colored soles (when done properly), what you may not know about me is that I also love a bold stitch like the one around the welt. Most stitching is sadly irrelevant and masked over by color dye, but when they leave it nude or give it a contrast color, I find it to be quite a nice additive to the image of the shoe.

While I really like the idea of the white pair, I think if given a choice between the two I would have to go for the brown. My problem is that I hate dirty shoes and being so, it would seriously limit my using the shoes for constant fear of dirtying them. Ans once you dirty a white nubuck (or suede), it is damn hard trying to clean them!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Hypebeast

Today's Favorites - Ronnie Fieg + Sebago = Nexus Project

If you don't know, Ronnie Fieg is the man behind many of the best shoe collaborations created in 2010. Yet, this is not his first year on the scene. He has been making waves with Asics for awhile now, creating some of the coolest colorways they have ever had to offer. Hailing from New York, Mr. Fieg, has persevered and worked hard at what's known as the 'American Dream.' Having aspirations to become a sneaker designer at a young age, he made his start as a stock boy at New York store, David Z. He eventually made his way up to buyer while at the same time thinking about his jump into the designing side which eventually broke through with his first collaboration with Asics. Fast forward some years and we have him doing collaborations left and right and designing some of the best shoes we have seen in 2010. With the way that the shoe industry is going, thanks to designers like Mr. Fieg and the introduction of non-orthodox colors, I am quite excited to see what he brings 2011!!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Ronnie Fieg's Blog

Today's Favorites - Donald Pliner

I can't really say that I am particularly fond of the shape of the oxford and the way that it's toe box seems to severely slant upwards, but the idea behind these shoes is absolutely amazing! Red detailing on a blue shoe just might be one of my favorite color combinations, if done properly. The oxford reminds me of a bespoke shoe that my colleagues were making while I was training in Italy. It was similar in the idea of having navy paired with hidden red detailing but did not have the red sole and, of course, since it was bespoke, it was 9 million times better looking. And can you guess who it was for?? A daring Japanese customer! (You have to admire their lack of fear in wearing bold shoes) Anyway, one thing I love about Donald Pliner is that he sure is not afraid to go outside of the box and while some of his stuff can be a little too far outside, he also has his moments where he creates just the things I have always wanted to see sitting on a shelf of a shoe department!

Today's Favorites - Grenson Spring/Summer 2011

It really doesn't get much more exciting than this!! For the Spring/Summer 2011 lineup, Grenson is offering all of the things that I wish every company would offer: colored laces, contrasted colored soles, teal/blue colored shoes, some form of saddle shoe, spectators etc. I love the fact that someone (besides me) has made a teal colored shoe that can be sold to the world. I really hope that many distributing stores buy those shoes so that I can catch someone in the act of wearing them. How awesome would that be!! Grenson had a big year in 2010 and I feel that with the direction that it would appear that they are going, 2011 is going to be even bigger! And I am happy about that. It is refreshing to see a major company releasing shoes in non-traditional styles, using lots and lots of COLOR!!!

Photos Courtesy Of: The Shoe Buff

Colored Soles

Shoes: Alden; Photo Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

If you are an avid reader of my blog or know me, you can easily tell that when it comes to shoes, the incorporation of color (bold, bright colors) is very intriguing and important to me. And since I have been writing this blog -- not even a year now -- I already feel that the incorporation of non-classic colors (red's, medium blue's, green's, yellow's etc) has become more and more prominent in the collections of up-and-coming shoe designers, particularly and strangely enough in the collections of American designers such as Duckie Brown, Mark McNairy and Rachel Comey. And obviously before this, you always had Berluti, Paul Smith and other French and Italian shoemakers who weren't afraid to add a good bit of color into their shoes. But no one has yet to truly capture the idea of making a full-on dress shoe with a bright colored sole.

 

Shoes Above: Rachel Comey

While I have always been curious about this, it really hit me yesterday when my friend and fellow blogger, Style Sage, said that he would like to see more shoes with colored soles. And while you see plenty of pictures here of shoes with colored soles, you will notice that there is a trend about them: they are all casual shoes that you would wear with jeans, khaki's, cords etc., not anything that you would pair with your suit. I thought about this. I had always been so preoccupied with shoes that have colorful uppers. Yet this is already in existence and quite saturated (in a small sense). Many companies offer shoes in non-traditional colors but after several hours of searching through my pictures as well as the internet, I could not really find one proper dress shoe that had a sole that vibrantly contrasted.

Shoes Above: Mark McNairy

Imagine how cool it would be to see an all black dress brogue with a dress sole the color of the blue that the shoe directly above and to the left has! And while some of you may not be on board with this idea or be able to even imagine it, I bet that if you were to see it, it just might grow on you, that is if you are the adventurous type. The addition of bright colors into footwear is emerging at a rapid pace. You will see this in spring/summer 2011 collections and I bet that by 2012 there will grow a trend of dress shoemakers who will start to color their soles in non-traditional colors. I will kick it off, by finishing my 6th pair with a nude colored sole and start to think about a vibrant color that I can add to my seventh pair which will be a full brogue in an off-white upper. Help me out and think about what bright color goes best with off-white? Cast your votes in the comment section!

Shoes Above Top Row: ts(s)
Shoes Above Bottom Row: Left - Grenson; Right - Gucci

Sebago's Comeback

It truly is funny how everything reinvents itself and what was once the 'in' thing in popular culture 30-50 years ago becomes once again the 'in' thing in today's modern culture. The two styles that frighten me about this constant reinvention, though, are the 80's and men wearing bell-bottom's with platform shoes. I cringe just thinking about the return of those atrocities. This act of reinvention is one of the reasons for Sebago's current position in the shoe industry. Growing up I would hear the word Sebago and think of old people and boat shoes, never once associating myself with the brand. Today that is different. I just received my very first pair of Sebago shoes. Considering that I already own upwards of 5 or 6 boat shoes (although I have to admit that none of them are as cool as the one's above) I decided to go with something a little different and ended up getting the Fairhaven boot, which you can see HERE in another post. I was quite surprised of how many compliments I received from my friends about the boots while wearing them (not to toot my own horn!). My Sebago's are comfortable, stylish and I look forward to adding more to my collection, preferably the two above!!

Sebago's history goes as far back as 1946 when 3 New England natives created first their hand-sewn penny loafer which was modeled after the then popular Native American moccasin. With this creation, they also pioneered what would become of the company's patented welt-construction (Sebago.com). They have come a long way since those days and our now taking boat shoes to a whole new level. During the recession I feel like shoe companies either needed to revamp their products in some shape or form or suffer through some tough years with the possibility of just straight tanking. Sebago saw this and in an intelligent attempt to reposition themselves in the "fashion shoe" industry began collaborating with many young and fresh designers. You will notice between the plain Sebago in grey/blue above and it's counterpart to it's right with a orange painted toe, both inspired by the French fashion boutique, Collette. In fact, a lot of the shoes that you will see on this post were created through a collaboration between Sebago and some 3rd party designer (such as Ronnie Fieg) or person of influence.

What I love about this recession and modern day culture is the fact that shoe companies can no longer skate by, making the same old crap that they have been for the last 50-100 years. With the bombardment of options these days, you need to be on top of your game as a designer, marketer or distributor of a shoe company in order to maintain your survival. With that, you see these amazing collaborations that create such unique and colorful pieces of footwear. Things are not so plain Jane anymore and that makes me happier beyond belief!! There is no amount of disappointment greater than going somewhere to find something unique and feeling that every shoe looks just like the other one. Luckily, this is happening less and less!! I applaud Sebago's direction and can only hope to continue to see the same amount of creativity, if not more, put into their designs for future collections!!