Shoes Of The Week - Dimitri Gomez French Derby

I just realized that I don't own any derby shoes, not dress ones at least, just those blue suede/white sole Churchs. Funny that, even funnier that I never really realized it, nor have even thought to purchase one with a leather sole. I have always known that I am not the biggest fan of them, but it never occurred to me that due to that, they were left overlooked in the wardrobe department. I have really just always been drawn to either loafers, oxfords or boots. Could be that American derbys are just big and clunky looking, and that always deterred me from them. Who knows? But it wasn't really until I saw a French style derby, as pictured here by Dimitri Bottier (aka Gomez), that I began to start actually liking and desiring them. The way in which they design them is so much more appealing. The two (or three) eyelet interpretation with the straight line (where the two pieces of leather are attached) coming down to the arch makes it look so much more clean and dressy looking, taking away that sharp point that most other derbys have. And as you can see here, it creates such a beautiful and elegant outcome, leaving a shoe that is elegant and desirable....

Shoes Of The Week - Dimitri Bottier Seamless Whole Cut

It's amazing that the hardest shoe to make, is the shoe that has the least amount of detail to it. And while I can't really back that statement up with in-depth description of how it is done (since I am not entirely sure), I can say that the seamless wholecut is something that few people can create. This model here, by legendary bespoke maker Dimitri Gomez, is a perfect example of just how beautiful this design can be. To me, the wholecut (and especially seamless version) tells you a lot about the shoemaker. The reason being, is that when you take away all of the fluff (e.g. stitching, brogueing, detailing), all that you are left with is the shape of the last and how the leather sits on that shape. That little thing, will tell you just how well the pattern/last maker understands shape and proportion. A last can be designed a trillion ways, but only a few of them will make you say, "WOW!" And there is no better shoe than the seamless wholecut to make you see that. Needless to say, this model shown is simply flawless and I can tell you, while I have a nice burgundy wholecut already, I will commission one of these sometime in the future!!

Today's Favorites - Black Shoes

Two Above: Gaziano & Girling

Two Above: Corthay (Pictures Courtesy Of: Leffot)

Boot Above: Carreducker

Shoe Above: Dimitri Bottier

Today, one of my readers told me that he was under the impression that I was anti black shoes and disagreed with me on that regard. While I assured him that it was not the case, I understood why he may have been under that impression due to my recent writing as well as some in the past. So for the rest of you who may have believed the same, let me set the record straight.

I believe that a black dress shoe in an essential piece in every man's wardrobe. What I do not agree with is the heavy emphasis that many people (and societal thought) put on owning black shoes and their necessity for business attire. A black shoe is not the end-all-be-all shoe. It's not the most versatile shoe and it's not the most important in a man's wardrobe. These opinions (which some people claim as fact) are what I have trouble with. I love a black shoe, if it can set itself apart from the rest. But your average black cap or apron toe that every business man in the States, England and quite possibly any other metropolitan area in the world, is just plain boring and inconsequential.

So to back up my point of liking black shoes, I have displayed some here that I find quite appealing. I hope this helps clear up any confusion.