Today's Favorites - Septieme Largeur

I figured that while I have been pitching wholecuts quite tough for the last few weeks or so, I might as well keep on! I mean, how could I not after seeing these bad boys by Septieme Largeur? It just makes sense, doesn't it? I think so.....Nevertheless, the beauty about having a custom patina done on your shoes is the fact that you can have any shade of color that you would like, and even multiple shades of many colors if you fancy that. You see, for me, this blue is perfect. It's not too light, but it's not too dark either. It's just right and shows you that it is a blue. There would be not question about it, like navy can sometimes come across as black. This is blue, period. But you would have a hard time finding this exact color at a leather tannery or supplier. There might be something close, but not exact, and more likely than not, once lasted it would not look the same. It's amazing how far along shoes have come since their conception. I remember once going to some museum and seeing replicas of some of the first shoes made, and to think that since then we can now do what we do, having customized fit, color, shape, detail etc....it's quite amazing.....yet I feel that we are at the peak in terms of customization (not craftsmanship), because what more could we truly do to make a shoe unique? Add hovering capabilities? :-)

Shoes Of The Week - Aubercy Penny Loafers

The last shape of these loafers, by Aubercy, is absolutely stunning!! It's literally at that level, where it's perfect. Not too pointy, yet not too round either. Just right. And that's hard to do, truly. But I think that I have to say, that this just might have taken the lead in the race for my favorite black loafer. Everything about this shoe screams elegance and beauty. And it would seem that Aubercy is always hitting the nail on the head, but it's so hard to find them selling anywhere outside of France (with the exception of Leffot in NYC). As I have been noticing with my Miro loafer (in black) by Septieme Largeur, a beautiful model such as this, can take you a long way in the outfit department. There are not many things (literally) that you can't wear a pair like this with. They are elegant enough to pair with suits, yet loafer(y) enough to throw on with some nice jeans or casual trousers.....And the more that I wear my Miro's, the more that I think that I need a second pair, so that they don't wear out so quick....hmmmm....

Picture Courtesy Of: Depiedencap

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"

Aged Burgundy Berluti's

I don't think that any color of shoe ages more beautifully than that of burgundy/oxblood/cordovan. The natural patina that a burgundy shoe creates over the years, due to wear & tear, the sunlight, dirt, practically everything really, brings out the most unique coloring effects on the leather. So when a customer brought me these lovely Berluti wholecuts, that looked about 10-15 years old, I knew that I was going to have to share them with all of you, just to show you what the industry is missing: More Burgundy Wholecuts!! Even with all of the creases in the leather, this might have been one of the most beautiful shoes that I have ever seen. Granted, they were Berlutis, so there must have been a patina applied when they were first made, but I could tell that what had remained after all these years, was built out of natural aging. With the pictures, I have put how they looked in the beginning (which was not bad to begin with) and then added the pics of how they looked after I shined them. As always, you will see that in some they look way lighter and in others they were quite reddish/burgundy, when in fact, the most accurate of them all is the very top picture.

Paris Part 1: Septieme Largeur Store Visit

On a relatively quiet street (Rue Saint-Lazare), just 10 minutes walking distance from the famous Galleries Lafayette and a spitting's distance from Saint Trinite' square, lies the wonderfully simplistic shop of Septieme Largeur. As I have become such a huge fan of the brand, since their introduction on my blog, it was definitely a place that I needed to visit, get some product from, and do a nice write up for all of you. That being, please enjoy what is about to come....

There are several things that set apart Septieme Largeur from the rest of the shoe brands of the world. One is that they offer a patina service for the shoes that they sell. So if you see a model that you would like but would rather have it in a non-conventional color, or maybe just one that they do not offer, it is not a problem, as they will do it for you for just an extra 50 Euros. Below, you can see an example of how a customer purchased a shoe in natural and gave it an aubergine patina. The other aspect that sets them apart would be their Allen Edmonds type pricing, in which they offer good quality leather and goodyear welted construction from a price range that starts at 245 Euros and ends at 295 Euros. It's not the lowest of the price scale but for what you get, leather and construction wise, it's a great deal for sure!

I was not able to be there for the beginning process of the patina which involves the application of the dyes to the shoe, but you can see that once it's on, they use this special brush machine to add the burnishing (dark areas) to the shoe. You will notice that in the top right picture (in this set of 6 above) has a before (left) and after (right), from the use of the machine and the special waxes that they use. And while you may think that a patina must be done by hand, surely it does not as you can see. The wax used on the brush burns onto the leather from it's friction, thus making it stick into the pores of the leather, remaining there as if it was the dye itself.

From this point on, as you will see above, they will add the shine to the shoe, in order to enhance the patina. I learned something new by going there, as they told me that using whiskey is actually better for the shine, due to the fact that the alcohol content will keep the liquid from becoming too humid (as water apparently seems to), which in turn makes it so the leather will dry quicker and absorb the polish better. I better go get a bottle of whiskey to keep at my shine stand!





































As you can clearly see, there were many beautiful shoes there, and I was literally like at kid in a candy shop, wanting to have everything there. I also really liked the simplicity of the store, not having any real fluff going on, just the shoes, some seats and the accessories. It was just how a shop should be: clean, simple and straight to the point. Now that I think about it, the only form of fluff, was actually something that corresponded to the shop and it's products and that was a bespoke shoe model, as well as some lasts, that were dated back to the early 1900's, and the model (shown below) had never had it's last taken out. This model, may I say, was absolutely exquisite! It was literally perfect, without any blemishes and the straightest lines I have ever seen.

But the real treat was this prototype that they had, which was the 'Miro' loafer with a forest green patina, pictured below. The only problem is that my camera could simply not capture the color in the way that my eyes were seeing it, due to my flash (or maybe because it only cost 90 GBP, which might be considered on the cheap quality side!). I must say that it was one of the nicest patinas that I have ever seen as it was simple yet extremely bold in coloring. Not that it was bright or ostentatious, but the green was magnificent and there was no mistaking what it was. It was lovely, and I will aspire to have it.....

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed the post. Going to Septieme Largeur and meeting the lovely people there was a pleasure and I will definitely recommend that if you are ever in Paris, and have some spare time, make a point of dropping by, as I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed, and may even leave a few euros lighter. Stay tuned for my future posts on Corthay and Paulus Bolten, the patina artist, who made a fine makeover of my shoes!