Balmoral Boot Porn

I was never quite the biggest fan of pairing black with a burgundy and/or an oxblood/merlot type of color, but I must admit that the more that I studied this prototype of mine (for wear-testing), the more that the combination of colors grew on me. Having friends and colleagues try it on, wearing jeans, suits, dress casual trousers etc., the more that I felt that these colors actually go quite nice together. It never presented itself as being too dressy for one thing, yet too casual for another. Meaning, that when my colleague tried it on with his navy suit, I felt that it complemented the outfit quite well and when tried on underneath a pair of jeans, it happened to smarten up the outfit. That being, while it's contrast is subtle and not in the least ostentatious, it still provides a great deal of pleasure to the eye, overcoming the monotony of two colors too close in tone. I am still not sure if this will be a colorway that I offer for my first collection, but nevertheless, I am now pleased to have at least had it made up, which gave me the chance to absorb its subtle yet elegant contrast....

Shoes Of The Week - Koji Suzuki

I never tire of looking at shoes made by Japanese bespoke shoemakers, such as the ones pictured here by Koji Suzuki. Somthing about their shoes, even though they may be classic styles, always seem to set themselves apart from their competitors. Take the monk strap above, for example. It's buckles are extremely far apart from eachother and also have concaved details on the leather strap, as opposed to a strap with straight edge lines. Little things like this, although minute, set the shoe apart from the next and create a feel of elegance, due to the addition of simple details that many shoe brands lack in utilizing.

But this also plays on one's culture, as I believe that Japanese society as a whole tends to appreciate and focus on the finer details in life that not only make things seem more simple, but also more elegant. A quick example, in my opinion, is the fact that they use chopsticks and sit on their knees with a staight back as opposed to eating with babaric forks/knives while sitting on modern funiture. And although (obviously) this is not the case for everyone in Japan, it's stuff like this that carries out into most things that they do and/or create. Looking at these shoes, you might just see what I am rambling on about. Simple, elegant, clean looking and most important, exquisite in every meaning of the word!

Shoes Of The Week - Aubercy

To reiterate on my theory of brands that don't really get thought of when mentioning a certain aspect within the shoe realm (i.e. Bespoke shoes, Italian makers, American shoe companies etc.), one brand that comes to mind is Aubercy. They make some of the nicest shoes I have ever seen but are often masked by the thought of Corthay and Berluti when thinking of French shoemakers. It makes you think that it is companies like this that should be respected, because they simply must live off good word-of-mouth from their loyal clients, as you never see any advertising of them nor can hardly find them anywhere outside of their shops in Paris. But believe it or not, they date back to 1935, and have been going strong ever since. With the way the world is working right now, where men are again starting to appreciate good quality on their feet, it would not surprise me if Aubercy was to get bigger and become more in demand, but then again, I feel like many of the Parisian shoe lines actually enjoy being small and exclusive......who knows.

Spat Boots Available At: Leffot

On another note, I am off to finalize my 7th pair of shoes that I started a little while ago (which you can see here). I can't remember if I get internet access at the B&B that I stay at so if you do not hear from me until Monday of next week, this is why. By the way, for those that keep up, I have decided to dye them green and give it a go at my own little personal patina.

Until next time,

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

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!

Today's Favorites - John Lobb Boots

The jodhpur boot is one of the most intriguing boots around. Not as plain as the chelsea boot, but by far more elegant. I love a shoe/boot that is clean looking i.e. has a large blank canvas of leather, free of stitching. How elegant is it that the leather starts at the toe and extends all the way up to the top, without any stitching? Lovely! The only thing that is throwing me off about these jodhpur boots, by John Lobb, is how the straps end in a way that leaves them almost lying on top of the vamp, as opposed to fastening the other way with the ends sticking out towards the heel. Other than that, this boot is exquisite! And the museum calf, specialized by John Lobb, is one of my favorite leathers of all time. It is so characteristic. It's a patina in itself. There is no fuss necessary. I would love to see how it would age over 20 years, to see if it does so more beautifully than a lovely burgundy shoe....Anyway, as these shoes cost more most people's mortgage payments, $1500, I can safely say, that it will at least be a couple of more years until I can afford to get one.....

Pictures Courtesy Of (and boots found at): Leather Soul

Today's Favorites - J.M. Weston

I know that I usually will do a full post on Mondays, but today I moved the majority of my stuff from Brighton to London and am simply too tired to write a 2-3 hour post. I promise, though, that tomorrow I will be back on track with a full post on driving loafers, so be on the look out!!

That aside, I wanted to share with all of you this beautiful spat boot by J.M. Weston. It's not everyday, or any day really, that you see one of these in a store's window, or in the store period for that matter. I mean, obviously, they are not really practical in today's work environment and most people don't have the gumption to walk down the street in a pair of these, so I can't really blame most makers for not actually producing some for their collection. That's why it's nice to see that J.M. Weston, albeit did not commission a line of them, will at least make one on a MTO basis, as they did for the owner of the boots in this top picture.

It's a shame really, that we do not see more dress boots on a normal day-to-day basis, as they used to back in the Edwardian/Victorian era. I do think that they are slightly coming back, but I am still awaiting the day that every shoemaker has a pair in every single fall/winter season that they produce. They can be just as elegant as a regular oxford yet can be even more versatile, as they might go better with your average pair of jeans or more casual outfit where as some oxfords are simply just too dressy. For that reason, I am awaiting the day of their return, and will promise to at least try and make them more popular with my line. But in all honesty, it will only help if there is demand, so if you, the readers, want to see more of these, be vocal about it and it will happen!!

Today's Favorites - Alden

While I have never been a huge fan of Alden for their dress shoes, due to their heaviness and chunkiness, I can say that they might possibly make the best dress/casual chukka boot. They have managed to create the perfect shape, something that can go well with some smart trousers but also look amazing with a nice pair of jeans. One might think that it is easy to create such a versatile shoe, but in reality, creating a last shape that compliments many different types of outfits is not easy at all. Too pointy and it won't look good on jeans, too round and it won't look good dressed up and too disproportionate and it won't look good on anything! Therefore my compliments go out to Alden for creating something so perfect! Now, the only problem is getting a pair. Moving outside of the States has left me with the import tax that they must have being sold here in England (like Church's in the States for $750, and only 300GBP here) which will probably make them upwards of 600-700 GBP (don't quote me on that). But then again, I can always make a trip out to NYC or Hawaii one day in order to stop at Leffot or Leather Soul to get a pair!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

My Ideal Boot

Last year I wrote about The Perfect Boot and how a nice dress chukka could take you a long way, and frankly, I still agree with that but considering it is 2011, I wanted to switch it up a little and tell you about my ideal boot!! I have always been a big fan of how people around the world dressed in the late 1800's-early 1900's, also known as the Victorian and Edwardian era's. If you are unfamiliar with this way of dressing you can always watch movies such as Dorian Gray or Sherlock Holmes to get an idea. But to briefly tell you verbally, these two periods were a time in which people had the decency to always look sharp and by that, I state that the act of wearing a suit and dress attire was the norm. And part of that dress attire, as you can imagine, was some sort of dress shoe or boot, which brings us to the subject at hand.....

Boots At Top Of Page: Crockett & Jones (Clarence model)
Boots Above (4 Pair): Edward Green (Shannon model)

The balmoral boot, aesthetically, has to be my favorite boot and is obviously the inspiration behind this post, particularly the C&J model at the top of this page along with the black & white version of the Shannon model by Edward Green (above, left). Back in the Victorian/Edwardian days, you would have found that this was a favorite for the smarter dressed men of society. Considering that the streets were not paved as they are today, it was imperative for men to have nice dress boots that could help protect from the sludge that was inevitably everywhere. And because the balmoral boot is the dressiest boot there is, you can see why it was the go-to option for the men of these time periods!

Boots Above Top Row: Left - Edward Green; Right - Foster & Son
Boots Above Bottom Row: Rider Boot Co. (both)

While obviously not exclusive to British shoe companies, you will notice that the majority of my pictures do come from British shoe companies. I feel that because they were such a crucial piece in the sartorial realm of men in those time periods (periods characterized by British ruling, and fashion), British shoe companies seem to always have a model available in their current offerings where as shoe companies from other parts of the world may or may not be offering one at any given time. Nevertheless, the balmoral boot remains (as it did in the Victorian/Edwardian era's) a quintessential piece in the wardrobes of the men who still care to dress with some exuberance!! And this is because, as you would know if you own a pair, it is a boot that can easily go from day wear with jeans, to work wear with suits, and then to evening wear with trousers and a button-up shirt. Now if only I owned a dang pair, I could have taken pictures to model that image for you!!!!!!!!!

Boots Top Row: Left - Cliff Roberts (British Bespoke Shoemaker); Right - Carreducker
Boots Middle Row: Left - Stefano Bemer; Right - Gaziano & Girling
Boots Bottom: Gaziano & Girling