Today's Favorites - Random's

I am in a bit of a rush this morning and could not think of a specific maker that I wanted to write about so I thought that I would just filter through my 'random' pictures folder. That being, I am will put up some shoes here, but may not 100% sure about who the maker is. For example, I believe that the stunning spat boot above is made by Aubercy, but also have this feeling that it may be a japanese maker (Correction, a reader told me that it was made by Otsaka M-5)? So, if you know, please feel free to leave a comment so that I can give credit to the maker. Nonetheless, enjoy the shoe porn, have a great Wednesday and I will be back tomorrow for a stronger post. Now that the Paris trip posts are done, I will get back to doing my "Shoes" posts on Mondays, next week explaining everything about the term 'brogue.'

Above: Ivan Crivellaro 

Above: Christian Louboutin

Above: Officina Patina

Above: Mario Rubinacci

Above: Olivier Guyot For Walter Steiger

Above: Tom Ford

Shoes Of The Week - Crocodile Loafers By Bestetti

Using crocodile (or alligator) on a pair of shoes, is most likely one of those things that you either love or absolutely hate. I have always had a mixed feeling, where on some shoes I think it looks atrocious, and on others, I could not see it done better. This loafer, by Bestetti, would fall into the latter category. I do find crocodile to be on the ostentatious side of the leather spectrum, so do find it quite appealing when a shoemaker is able to tame it down, by pairing it with a fairly conservative style, such as this tassel loafer. And while I do believe that this style of loafer, would look good with any type of leather, due to the beauty of it's shape and proportions, it is suited quite well with this particular skin. The only problem with crocodile and alligator, is that they are so damn expensive, thus not allowing for the average man to be able to afford it, even if he wanted to. This then resorts to people buying faux croc, which to me is the most atrocious thing that could possibly be added to a shoe. So, while I appreciate seeing a beautiful crocodile shoe, such as this one, it pains me at the same time, knowing that it might be a good while before I can see one gracing my feet....

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

-- Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Today's Favorites - Clairvoy

Yet another French shoemaker who makes beautiful shoes! I can't really say much about Clairvoy except that they have a deep history in making shoes for famous artists in the world of French theatre, whether it was cabaret, music-hall or opera, and were even known to make shoes for the famous show, Moulin Rouge. But other than that, I feel like they are relatively unknown. I one day just happened to stumble upon them but have had a hard time finding anything written about them to get even the slightest information. Luckily, their website has an english language option.

What I can't seem to get enough of in French shoemakers is the fact that their shoes are so vibrant. This is partly due to the fact that they are not afraid to use colored leathers but also because of the magnificent patina's that they then apply to the shoe to make it that much more amazing. I only wished that they were more easily accessible. Either French shoemakers don't care to sell their shoes outside of France or no store buyers will take the plunge to carry them, but of all of the French shoemakers/designers that I know, I have only seen them in one shop outside of France and that was Leffot in NYC. (Berluti is not regarded in this discussion -- obviously they are everywhere) Hopefully this will change in the near future. Shoe buyers of the world are sleeping on French shoemakers which, in turn, is causing the public to miss out.

Today's Favorites - Marc Guyot's Unique Derby

The French never cease to amaze me when it comes to being stylistically and colorfully creative in the world of shoes. Here you can see that shoe designer Marc Guyot achieved just that by slightly modifying the design of the common derby model. What I like most about it, is that the extra piece of leather gives you the chance to add another color into the mix, as Mr. Guyot did as well. While I have always been more the fan of an oxford, what I like about a derby such as this, is the fact that vamp extends so high up, giving the shoe a very clean and elegant look. Only in these instances could a derby sway my interests in the oxford!

Silvano Sassetti

A common misconception in this world is that most brands make their own shoes. WRONG! On the contrary, most brands have lesser known factories produce their shoes for them. Silvano Sassetti happens to be one of these factories, one of the finest in Italy who has been producing shoes for the likes of many large and famous labels around the world since the mid-nineties. Having learned to make shoes from a master craftsmen in his teenage years, Silvano, with much hard work and dedication, grew to become a respectable shoemaker himself in 1977 with the opening of his personal label and small workshop. Continuing with his passion and determination, 1996 marked the year that Silvano was able to turn his small workshop into a respectable size factory in the village of Monte San Pietrangeli located in the Marche region of Italy. Today, the factory still stands and the magic of making beautiful shoes, continues!

http://www.sassettisilvano.it/

The Sassetti family has thus grown from the work of just Silvano to the addition of his two son's, Emanuele and Andrea who now oversee the creation of new ideas in styling and design. Together the three of them create the entire collection which includes shoes made by all of the various types of constructions: Classic Goodyear Welt, Norwegian, Black Stitched, Blake Rapid, Tubular Moccasin, Bologna and Cement. On top of all of these constructions, Silvano Sassetti also managed to create and patent a construction of his own, The Goodyear Flex. This takes the classic Goodyear construction that is usually very stiff in the beginning and allows it to be flexible from the first wear, creating immediate comfort and wear-ability. Another added value of the company is the de-coloring and re-coloring of their shoes (as you will see in the picture above, right), thus allowing each shoe to have it's own unique patina.

The Sassetti label makes shoes for the likes of: Ralph Lauren's Purple Label, Zegna's Zefer Label, Faconnable (France), Nordstrom (Silvano Sassetti Label) and Silvano Sassetti for Bergdorf Goodman. Their shoes are also found under the Sassetti label at various boutiques around Japan and used to make shoes for the likes of Tom Ford and Tod's. You can see that their range was vast and will only continue to get bigger and their Sassetti label becomes more known around the world. Directly below I have added a few of the shoes that you can find currently as various Nordstrom locations around the US as well as some others that are from upcoming and past collections. Their shoes are very comfortable, stylish and well made and if you are an avid shoe lover, than I suggest you find yourself a pair. You won't regret it!!

Here are some others that are from new and older collections:

http://www.sassettisilvano.it/

Shoe Of The Day

When making a spectator using crocodile and calfskin, or another smooth leather, I really feel like it is hit or miss on how the final product comes out. They are either beautiful or butt-ugly! This one here by a.Testoni, I happen to find very well done. What is interesting about the model is how it's vamp extends all the way to the heel breaking up the quarter and completely leaving out the counter. I find it a very intriguing design. I also love the pairing of these two colors and more importantly the dark piping around the face of the shoe, the mouth and quarter. This shoe commands attention and deserves it!!

Shoe Of The Day

When it comes to shoes made from crocodile, I feel like people either love them or hate them but when it comes to this particular pair here, even if you hate them, you have to appreciate the idea of them and the craftsmanship. From what I gathered on the website, these were a custom made shoe for the company, Harley Davidson, by Anthony Delos, who is a French shoemaker. If you look at the close-up picture, the way in which they were able to color it black, in the lines between each scale of orange colored crocodile, is just simply amazing! The vividness of the color is what attracts me to this shoe and while I am on the fence on crocodile shoes as a genre (sometimes I love them and sometimes I hate them) I have to say that this one right here is something that I would love to own just for the beauty of the work itself.

Shoes Of The Day

Something about unique colored shoes just intrigues me. Probably because 90% of the time you tend to just see the same boring colors day in and day out and every blue moon you catch a glimpse of someone who happens to wear something outside of the boring spectrum and that person just seems to stand out like a sore thumb. I would love to see the owner of these shoes wearing these on the streets to see what kind of outfit he could create. Anyway, the shoes are by Pierre Corthay, from France, and are among some of the most unique colors combinations that I have seen.