Today's Favorites - Alfred Sargent

It's always mind-boggling to know how many cool shoes are sold each day, around the world, yet how few people I see actually wearing something that is worthy of being considered 'cool.' Take these MTO Alfred Sargent's, for example. They are wonderful! And what's even better is that the customer, had these made with his own design requests, almost a little bit like going bespoke. But even though I know that this is not the only guy in the world with a pair of gray suede dress shoes, I have NEVER seen one gracing a well-dressed man's feet. And as sick as I am for shoes, I am the guy looking at everyone's shoes as they walk passed me. So, as I write this blog, and see all of these cool shoes on the internet and on the shoe shelves, it makes me think about where they go when they get purchased? Maybe they just get put on a pedestal and become an object of admiration for the customer? Who knows? But if you are reading this and wear unique shoes and don't mind sharing a picture, please feel free to send me one, so that I can have some proof and even put you up on the blog, if you so desire....

Guest Post From Style Sage

So this week my friend Christian and I decided to do some blog post swapping to give each other's readers some different content. Our theme of choice was of course shoes and we wanted to share what our essentials were, our go-to shoes. Being that I am American and Christian is British, it is interesting to see the differences in our tastes and essential shoes styles, yet also intriguing to see how two similar people can have different necessities based on culture and upbringing. So here, you will see Christians choices and to view mine you will have to go to Christian's STYLE SAGE blog 

Christian's Words:

As a fellow shoe obsessive, Justin and I seem to have a lot in common, spending lunches talking about different styles, colored soles and various factories. Shoes are important; I don't need to tell you if you are reading this site. Our discussion led to what shoes I feel I could not live without, a pair that every man needs. Perhaps a desert island disc for shoes. So in no particular order, here is what one should start with.

A Pair of Boots


Living in London I often find the need for boots, as the possibility of instant rain is always upon us. What you might realise is this pair are suede, so not ideal for harsh conditions. My other boots are in a bit of terrible state following the winter snow and have been up in the “polish me” section of my wardrobe. I therefore decided to let this Johphur pair represent the boots. Perfect to be worn with a jean or chino, or even a tailored trouser, I would advise grey flannel.


The Tassel Loafer

The Tassel loafer is the perfect shoe to translate from casual to business wear. I’ve spent a long time looking for the ideal tassel loafer. People look at your shoes every time they meet you, don't let anyone tell you loafers are for loafing, you can wear them with a suit, specific rules are meant to be broken. A shoe for a warmer climate.



A Pair of lace-ups

My third choice would be a decent pair of lace-ups. Be it a cap toe, whole cut, oxford, every gentleman needs a beautifully crafted variation of this in his wardrobe. Ideally it should versatile enough to wear with tailoring and on the other hand with jeans on those casual weekend pursuits.

Style Sage

My words:

There you go! While my shoes are indeed a little different, they are quite similar as well. I can say that I give my absolute thumbs-up to all of Christians shoes and am even quite jealous about those boots!

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

Shoes Of The Week

One of the coolest things about this shoe, which might seem insignificant to many, is the fact that it is a derby but has the appearance of an oxford (at least to me). This is important for me because I am not the biggest fan of derby's. Not that I don't like them, but 9 times out of 10, I would choose to own an oxford if given the choice. What's also great about these Zukie shoes is the fact that Mr. Hare has created something so simple but at the same time unique and different, which is always refreshing in the shoe industry due to the bombardment of crap that one see's on a daily basis. What's a shame is that I could not get the coolest colorway of these shoes from his site because for some reason it would not save properly on my computer. But if you click on the link I have provided (on Mr. Hare above) you will see this shoe in a dark teal suede which just might take-the-cake for coolest shoe of February.

What I really admire about Mr. Hare (because we have the same vision) is the fact that he was one day tired of the crap that he saw on the shoe shelves, not being able to find something unique and decided to do something about it. And what did he do? He started his own line where he could create things he liked. How cool is that! What's even better, is that luckily there were a bunch of other people who also liked his designs, allowing him to prosper in the shoe industry.

Anyway, here is one of the styles that he has coming out for Spring/Summer 2011. To see more, check out the site!

Today's Favorites - George Cleverley

Cleverley's favorite pastime: hidden side-gore slip on's! And why not? They look good and not many other makers actually make them. I quite like the top model and even though it is listed as being espresso in color, with the camera trickery going on, I prefer to see it as some shade of gray.

Being that the shoes at hand are both suede models, let's switch the subject onto that. With my conquest of shoe purchasing, I feel that I have neglected suede as 'something to buy.' Not saying that I don't have suede shoes, because now that I think about it I have plenty of them but not nearly as many as my calfskin alternatives. I think that I have acquired a calfskin shoe for every color there is with the exception of pink and orange, which I am afraid I will most likely never get. But now I feel the need to do the same in the suede market. I have always appreciated them but have always lived in super rainy places and even though I still live in a very rainy place, I can no longer let that be an excuse. Here's to suede, Cheers!!!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

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

Suede Shoes - The Big Misconception

Why is it that so many men are afraid to buy suede shoes for fear of ruining them? Suede is just like any other leather. If you treat it well, it will last a long time, if you don't maintain it, it will get ruined!! But it's not guaranteed that if you live in a rainy place you are automatically going to ruin your suede shoes, as one might think. You would just as easily ruin a pair of regular leather shoes as you would a pair of suede shoes. Obviously it also helps to know what kind of suede you are buying, the better the grade, the easier to maintain. You always want to protect any shoes you purchase by getting the corresponding products to maintain them. There are a number of different types of spray and cream protectors that are essential, obviously the spray one's for the suede and cream one's for your regular leather. There are also brushes that help clean and maintain the integrity of the suede that are useful for when you do happen to spill, or get a rain spot, on your suede shoes.












Left Shoes: Gaziano & Girling, photo courtesy of: Leffot
Right Shoes: Koji Suzuki
Below (light suede derby's): Stefano Bemer

It's funny that there is such a big fear of suede when in fact, a dark brown or black suede shoe is one of the easiest types of shoe to maintain. You could easily spill something on them and it be hidden. In fact I have spilled red wine on my suede boots several times and it never left a mark after it dried. I also know a gentlemen who lives in Seattle and only wears suede shoes. Considering he wears a suit to work everyday, he is thus wearing suede shoes everyday and if you know anything about Seattle, you know that it rains a lot there. His shoes, however, seem to keep their integrity, apparently because he knows how to treat them. So for all of you that have wanted to purchase a pair of suede shoes but didn't for fear of easily ruining them, get the fear out of your head and go get yourself a pair along with the spray's and brushes to maintain them. Now I do have to say that a light colored suede is something a little more sensitive to dust, dirt and water but all in all if you watch where you step and avoid wearing them on days with heavy rain then the leather's integrity will still last quite awhile.











Left Shoe: Saion
Right Shoe: Unknown

It's a shame that there is this misconception of suede because it is such a nice substitute in regards to always wearing calf skin shoes. Something about suede gives it an appeal that really adds to the intelligence of an outfit. It's casual elegance can create a balance in an outfit that would have otherwise been too dressy or too casual or simply too much. It is hard to explain but the allure of suede shoes is profound and the fact that suede is also so versatile only adds to it's appeal and the intelligence of pairing it with a smart outfit. Below are some examples of how to wear suede shoes with a suit or in a 'dressier way.'













Photos Above: Courtesy of The Sartorialist

Suede also is a great alternative (and is far more common) in the casual shoe world. What I also like about suede in casual shoes is the fact that when making a shoe in a bright or unique color, using suede as the leather type can take it a notch down, thus giving the appearance of it being slightly less in-your-face as opposed to a regular leather that would be more shiny and only enhance the bright color. Examples below.





















Left Shoes (Top, Bottom): Both by Opening Ceremony
Right Shoes (Top, Bottom): Generic Surplus, Dsquared