My Shoes Part 3 - Paul Smith

There is nothing like a great, green pair of shoes!! I have two pairs and I love both of them. They are just so versatile. This pair by, Paul Smith, is my suede option. While this really can be worn all year long, I especially love wearing them in the Autumn. I just feel like the dark green color paired with the suede texture really corresponds to the feel of the fall and the types of shades of clothes that you tend to wear when it starts getting cold. They look especially good with a nice pair of dark denim and even look great with some casual khaki's, like shown here. The contrast stitch on them adds a little bit of flair, allowing them to not be so monotone. While the dark green is a nice alternative to the normal shoe colors, a darker shade of any color, without any additive to it (like the contrast stitch) can make it just as plain as any old black or brown shoe. Like always, I love to see shoes in colors that differ from the norm and my Paul Smith's give me a great alternative to the dark brown's and black that I tend to wear once that rain and snow start coming!!

Shoe Of The Day

I finally found a company that did exactly what I think every company should do: make a great model and offer it in 6 different colors, because really, who just wants black or brown? Thank you Oliver Sweeney!! This model called, "Orate," is a great example of a classic style touched by a modern twist. A beautiful whole-cut, decorated with perforations and a good amount of burnishing. Simple yet sweet! Why don't more companies think like this?? In reality, I know why!! They don't want to take the risk of not selling the other colors. How lame.....get some better salesman!! That's one thing I love about British companies, they have the balls to produce some crazy, bold and unique stuff. And if only the money tree in my backyard had not had all of it's bills blown off by these strong Brighton winds, I would buy all six of these color options!! Guess, I will just have to save up. On another note, for those curious, I heard that these were available at select Saks Fifth Ave around the States but if not you can find them online or all around England, for whenever you get a chance to pop over!

Comfort Vs. Support - How They Differ From Each Other!

I used to hate it when customers would come into the place that I worked and say, "I am looking for comfortable shoes!" Great! And that means what?? You want Ferragamos? Mephistos? Or comfort under $100 like Kenneth Coles?? The thing is, comfort is so subjective!!! What's comfortable to me is most likely not going to be what is comfortable for you. So unless the customer gave me the 'show me what you have' line, I would try and just sit them down so that I could bring them out a selection and sell them what my definition of comfort is, SUPPORT!! Comfort is great, if you want to walk around your carpeted house. But for every other physical activity (this includes walking), you need support, NOT JUST SOMETHING CUSHY AND COMFORTABLE!! And while this may seem obvious, you would be surprised of how many people don't realize this and why brands like Ecco -- built for comfort, not support -- are the #1 selling shoe brand for the companies that carry them.

So how do they differ, you might ask?? Well let's take the shoe directly above and examine it. Now, it may be hard to tell but considering that I have held this shoe at least a million times, you can take my word for it; this shoe was made using a pretty flat last. "What is a last?" It is the mold that represents the foot that a shoe is made around. "What do you mean by flat?" From the ball of the foot to the heel, there is almost no height difference. That translates into not having any arch. Without the arch, there is not any support. You are just left with the great marketing scheme telling you that this rubber soled shoe with it's Nike Air technology is super comfortable and supportive and will have you feeling great all day long. Bullshit! Sure you have some cushion, but the lack of support in the long run is going to allow your feet to pronate more and more which causes you to overwork them increasing your chance of injury and fatigue. Naturally the feet will pronate and that's why arch support, stiff mid-soles and a good heel counter are the things that you want in your shoes to help you reduce the chances of over-pronation.

If you take a look at the shoe at the top of this post, you will notice the difference in height from where the heel sits to where the ball of the foot begins. It is quite evident how the last must have looked. The problem whether knowing a shoe was made with this type of last or a flat one, is not always easily noticeable. Like the Ecco above and all shoes for that matter, there needs to be some sort of heel put on the shoe. The mere fact that there is a heel will give you the illusion that the heel and ball of foot sit in different places, which they do looking at the outside of the shoe. But that still does not mean that the last had an arch. To tell, you will need to look inside of the shoe and see if you notice some sort of slope downwards from the heel to the toe area. If you do notice this, then chances are, the last was made with arch support. From my experience, any shoe that has a removable liner was made with a flat last and may be a "comfortable" shoe but sure enough won't be a supportive one. For me, Ferragamos are one of the most comfortable and supportive shoes off of the rack because they fit my long arch and narrow foot and to me this is better than any amount of cushion. So the next time you go into a store to get shoes, ask yourself first whether you want cushion or support and then ask the salesman accordingly. The sad truth, however, is that almost all supportive shoes are also the one's with the higher price tickets.

Shoes Of The Day

Men's Shoes: 

I don't know why, but I have never been the biggest fan of the apron toe style. Maybe it's because so many company's make them in such an unpleasant manner where the top stitch just really doesn't compliment the shape of the last and for me it just ruins the whole look. But every once in a while, you get a smart designer who does it right! These shoes by StefanoBi for Domenico Vacca, display the perfect example of the top stitch following the shape of the last in an eye catching manner. And of top of that, they added what looks like canvas, to the vamp, giving the shoe even more character!! But what really caught my attention to these shoes, was actually the sole, and how they managed to display such a wonderful and unique assortment of the nails. Even though they really serve no purpose, it sets the shoe apart in the fact that a lover of art (which beautiful shoes are) will notice the extra steps the artist took to differentiate his work.

For those that don't know, StefanoBi is the factory in Italy that also produces shoes for Berluti and Stefano Bemer's RTW line.

Women's Shoes:

Photo Above Courtesy Of: Sea of Shoes

Like I said, in the post below, women's shoes just have so many more possibilities when it comes to design! These shoes, by Jil Sander, are apparently part of their new collection and just offer so many things that you would never think would look great on a pair of shoes. For example, the hook-like-heel made out of run-of-the-mill metal, the etched out design on the platform and the intricate hole design on the upper leather. Yet, they added it all together and created a very hot shoe! And while I sometimes knock fashion companies for going too extreme, I guess that on occasion, that is what is needed to actually create 'fashion' and something that is unique, never seen before and edgy! I applaud the designers at Jil Sander for their boldness and creativity. Also, if you are interested in a good women's shoe blog, check out Sea of Shoes!

Shoes Of The Day

An impressive gray shoe is not to be trifled with!! When done properly, it's altitude on the scale of versatility is darn hard to beat. This pair, by Gaziano & Girling, called the Rothschild just might be the most magnificent one that I have seen yet! It's patina is amazing, it's color variation is perfect and the fact that it is a full-brogue just puts the cherry on top!! I tip my hat to Mr. Gaziano & Mr. Girling for creating such a fine model. What's great about this particular shade is that there is not one suit color that it cannot compliment!! Talk about versatility, that's further than black or brown could ever go. Yet why don't we see more gray? It's not a loud color, therefore the business world need not be afraid of it. It's quite conservative when it boils down to it so why don't we see it on the shelves??? If you agree, then let's do something about it!! Ask more for gray shoes and if the salesmen tells you that they never buy it, then suggest that the buyer should look into it. The more people that do this, the more awareness will be created and the more likely we will see more gray shoe options! The power of one is greater than you think!

The tough thing about women's shoes for me is knowing whether or not I will still like it on the woman as opposed to just being there legless in the picture. Again, you can see that I pick a shoe with a bow tie on it, I guess that I am truly just a sucker for them. What I also like about these Manolo Blahniks is the fact that they have a cap toe, giving them the air of a style influenced by men's shoes. So in reality, I must like these because they remind me of a man's shoe. I think that Freud would agree! But anyway, I find this shoe incredibly sexy, whatever the reason!! I feel jealous of women's shoes though, simply for the fact that their design spectrum is almost limitless where as men's shoes have only a few very basic styles (when it comes to dress) and the only thing that we can really play around with are the color and the materials.Yet there are so many variations in the women's world. Lucky YOU!!!!!

My Shoes Part 2 - To Boot New York

Style: Caldwell

I started a post called 'Critique The Shoe Snob' a week or two ago and I saw that no one would critique me so instead of labeling it as such, I figured that now I would label it 'My Shoes' and just try to display every shoe that I own to show you what I wear, how I wear it and if you feel like applauding, critiquing, or anything else along those lines, so be it! However, I do encourage commenting, whether it good or bad. That being said, these are my recently acquired Caldwell shoes by To Boot New York. What I absolutely love about these shoes is the beautiful blue contrast stitch. To me, this is the epitome of the type product that I want to create; shoes that have a classic look with an added flair of modernity. Because shoes like this are timeless in their style yet unique in their detailing which allows them to stay relevant with the times and maintain themselves as a staple piece in the wardrobe. Now that Autumn is here, it's also a great piece to add to my weekly rotation. The fact that it is black suede means that it won't be so affected by the rain and goes well with the darker shades of clothing that people tend to wear during the colder seasons. Overall, it's a great shoe with a lot of wear-ability and you can never go wrong with that!!

This also comes in brown suede with an orange stitching and you can find the two either at Zappos or Nordstrom.

My 6th Pair - A Work In Progress

Sorry for my long absence without writing but over the weekend I was away in Kettering, England (near Northampton) working day and night on my 6th pair of shoes. As some of you may remember, I made my last pair (the red & white wingtips) while I was in Florence, Italy last March. There, my good friend and fellow shoemaker, Matteo gave me an upper -- this beautiful beige monk strap -- that was a piece created by J.M Weston. (For those that don't know, J.M. Weston is a French shoe company that produces many beautiful ready-to-wear and made-to-order shoes) This last weekend presented itself as my opportunity to start putting together this daring and dashing monk strap, so of course I took full advantage and jumped into the thick of things. My friend Daniel, who works for a very prestigious firm here in England, agreed to host me for the weekend as well as show and teach me the British way of making shoes.

It's amazing to think that there are so many unique ways of creating a shoe, even in the smallest details. Yet in the end, you really get the same final product, in the sense that shoemaking has it's rules of how a shoe needs to come out. Obviously, I don't mean that everybody's shoemaking capabilities are the same, that would be ridiculous. There are some makers who are far better than others. But when it boils down to it, whether you go to England, Italy, France, Japan or wherever and you have your shoe made, it will be created using very different approaches to shoemaking with respect from one country to the next. That being, I learned the Italian way of making shoes and I needed to become savvy to the British way of making them, which is what I was learning over the weekend.

In my opinion the hardest thing about making shoes, is keeping them clean and unscratched!! In the beginning of the shoemaking process, you are working with the upper leather exposed. That means it is exposed to your dirty hands, your dirty apron, knives, pastes, dust etc. And when working with a light suede like the one that I am currently making, it becomes next to impossible to keep it free of blemishes. As you may be able to tell, the extra long tongue of my shoe, which is partly exposed, is a completely differently color from the rest of the shoe, almost now a tobacco color suede. Hopefully I will be able to clean this when the shoe is finalized. Keep your fingers crossed!! Unfortunately I did not get a chance to finish. I still need to add the heels and apply all of the finishing touches, such as smoothing out the soles, adding the heel liner and cleaning the suede. But as soon as it is done, I will display my final product for all of you to review!