Today's Favorites - Carreducker

I just realized that a plain toed shoe, whether it be a wholecut, a saddle shoe, or a model like this with just a facing, is by far my favorite type of shoe, so long that it has a nice shape. Something about the plain canvas of the vamp and toe area, just draws me in and screams elegance. So when I first saw this new bespoke model, a collaboration between Gieves & Hawkes and Carreducker, I was absolutely stunned! Being made of my favorite color, blue, and having the lizard skin facing (a skin that I am normally not fond of), it was pairing that went well together and gave me a new appreciation of the mixture of blue and black. Normally I stay away from pairing these two colors too much, as I believe that a dark blue can be too close to black and therefore offers no contrast, but the blue in this shoe was just light enough, to allow that facing to truly stand out. And because of that, I am in absolute envy of these shoes, and am trying to figure out how I am going to get a pair without having to spend thousands of pounds.....what a dilemma! 

Customer's Shoes - Corthay

I have never had the pleasure of actually dealing with a pair of Corthay shoes in the flesh before but just two days ago I was able to actually hold, admire and put a wicked shine on a pair of his classic two eyelet derby's called 'Arca.' Let me tell you, they are absolutely stunning and are the real deal. You could easily tell the quality was superb and that the shoes had all of the components to actually justify the price tag. It may be hard to tell because of the pictures but the color seemed to be of his classic 'aubergine.' The customer was asking me what color I think that I should have added in order to bring out the shoes' patina and ideally I would have loved to have some sort of purple, close to the shoes's color, but I didn't and just thought to add neutral, even though I am not a huge fan of neutral, as I believe that it does not bring up the shine as well. I am not sure if the customer actually dealt with Corthay himself, but he said that the guy who sold him (that he believed to be Corthay) the shoes recommended adding blue. As my blue wax polish does not have a super strong pigment, I figured 'what's the worst that could happen?' As it would be, the shoes did change color, slightly, into a more grayish tone. Nonetheless, they turned up beautifully and it was pleasure being able to finally meet and shine some Corthay shoes in the flesh!

Today's Favorites - Braided Shoes By Sutor Mantellassi

When it comes to braided shoes, I have always been really hit or miss with them, which is how I perceive most people to also be. It seems that I either really like them or really hate them. So, as you can imagine, these one's here by Sutor Mantellassi are one of the few that I actually appreciate. The fact that the braid is relatively small and that they are a plain toe allows me to appreciate the actual braid without being distracted by anything else. I am not sure if that made sense, but I feel like most shoes with braided upper's are so distracting but this one seems to be more discreet, in a way. Since, I have been in England, however, I have yet to see one gentleman wearing a braided shoe. Maybe they are not so liked here, as they are in the States? You would think that they would be though as there are rules to what a English gentleman should and should not wear. And being that I can't imagine the flip-flop being a big hit with the old conservatives, I would think that a nice casual dress shoe such as this would be the perfect answer to summer wear. Maybe I am wrong?

On another note, I have collected the rest of my shoes that were left behind in Italy (mostly trainers) and am going to be getting the rest of my shoes that were left behind in the States (mostly dress shoes and Sperry's) so in one month's time, I will have ALL of my shoes in one place!! This will allow me to get back onto to taking more pictures of my stuff for all of you to see and judge me on!! And one of those shoes, just so happens to be a nice pair of Allen Edmonds, which are braided. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

Shoes Of The Week - Saion

Summer is officially here in England; it is always sunny, hardly rains and the light colored shoes are beginning to come out, at least by me that is. So with that in mind I figured that I would display a couple of good options for the summer season, by one of my favorite Japanese makers, Saion. Now you will find that in England there are many 'gentleman' who wouldn't dare wear tan (or any shade like it) with blue/navy trousers, jeans or any other pant for that matter. And to me this is a mistake. Maybe I am not a 'gentleman,' in the traditional British meaning of the word, but when the sun comes out those two colors go together like white on rice.

As a matter of fact, I have an antiqued tan pair on today, as it is looking like it is going to be a marvelous day. And because the sun is becoming a common thing these days, I dare you, my dear readers, to fight your urge to wear black and grab your lighter colored shoes, and if you don't have a pair, go and buy one. It will truly open up the possibilities that you can manage to muster up in your wardrobe and give you a nice summer glow about you!! Enjoy the pics!

 7 Eyelets - That's Amazing!!

Easter Vacation & Today's Favorites - Alfred Sargent

To all of my readers,


I just wanted to let you know that I will be away on a short holiday trip to Italy from Friday to Monday and will not be around computer access. So I am sorry that until Tuesday the 26th there will not be any new posts, but this is a good time to read through my archives to see if there is any valuable information or some great shoe porn that you have yet read/seen. Until then, I will leave you with a couple of pics of cool shoes from Alfred Sargent. Have a great Easter weekend to all those who celebrate it and to the rest, have a wonderful weekend.


Sincerely,

Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

P.S. To all those who have written me or commented on posts, I have not forgotten about you and I will respond as soon as I get a chance. Sorry for the delay....

Today's Favorites - Markowski

Can I just say: DAMN!!! I love these shoes by Markowski, all of them! But I especially love the top pair and I will have to have it! I know, I know, I have been bombarding you with French shoemakers for quite awhile now but I just can't get enough of them. I mean, when it comes to color, they are not afraid to use it and that speaks to my heart! Especially when it is my favorite color: blue. So when I saw these, I just had to show them, immediately! Can you blame me?? I know that all of you are not fans of crazy colored shoes but bare with me a little, I can't help myself. I will put up some brown shoes soon, I promise. But anyway, in case anyone was wondering, these shoes sum me up to a "T" and I am happy to see that someone is out there making exactly what I would want to see on the shelves of shoe stores. It's just too bad that it is hard to find these outside of France. But with as cool as they are, I feel that soon they will grow and will have more stockists around the world, cross your fingers!

Today's Favorites - Edward Green

Green nubuck is not something that you see often, but is surely appreciated when you do! These two pairs, by Edward Green, are amazing to say the least. And while I am not crazy about the penny loafer I would probably buy and wear it just for the fact that it is green nubuck and you know damn sure that you won't see anyone else on the street with a similar pair. I have to give it to Edward Green, as always, for being innovative yet classic, and forever creating shoes that are fresh and unique. Could you just imagine wearing one of these shoes with a crisp pair of jeans? Picture perfect!!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Tassels of Hong Kong

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 - Plain Toe Derby's

Above: George Cleverley - Photo Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

3 Above: Stefano Bemer

Above: J.A. Ramis by MEERMIN

2Above: Corthay -  Picture Courtesy Of: Leffot

A nice plain toe derby can go a long way: from jeans all the way to being worn with a suit depending on the cut and elegance of the particular model. It's simplicity can be a refreshing treat when one is used to always wearing brogues, heavily stitched or intricately designed shoes. While I tend to go for unique, colorful shoes, I forget that sometimes a simple and plain shoe can be the most elegant option of all!