Today's Favorites - Barker Black

Here are just a few of the bad-ass Barker Black shoes that grace shoe shelves around the world. While I have known about Barker Black for quite some time, I have yet to really put their shoes up on my blog and I can't realize why, especially since I think that they make some very cool shoes. I guess, like many things, it just slipped my mind. But better late than never, right? Right! Anyway, if you don't know about Barker Black, best you study up. To give a quick bio, the company is an offset of Barker (from England) created by two American brothers (although Derrick is the founding brother) in the successful attempt to take an old and relatively fading company and revamp it's image, which they sure did! And ever since then, they have taken the shoe industry by storm, creating some very new and unique designs that truly set them apart as industry leaders! Enjoy the pics and look out for more!

The Green Machine

The thing about green is that when you are able to create the perfect shade of it (think a mix between emerald and forest), it can become one of the most stunning colors there is. While I won't say that the color that I created on these bespoke brogues is perfect, I will say that it is lovely shade that I happen to find extremely versatile. Not only does it pair well with this light gray POW, but I also enjoy mixing it with my navy three piece. And the best thing is that while this green might have been a bit bright for some people, I feel that because of all the brogueing, it tones it down a bit and separates all of that green. Then again, it does so because I blacked out each hole with a permanent marker....Anyway, back to the subject: green brogues = cool, but what's even better is the idea of creating an entire range of brogues in every color that would be appropriate for smart, casual wear. In particular, a full blue brogue...now that sounds appealing!

Shoes: Bespoke, made by me (with Gaziano & Girling "Rothschild" upper)
Suit: Readjusted bespoke by Chittleborough & Morgan
Shirt: Primark
Tie: Tie Rack

Shoes Of The Week - Saddle Monks by Saint Crispins

These are hands-down among the nicest shoes that I have truly ever seen in my entire life, and I mean it! Even though Saint Crispins shoes are incredibly expensive for RTW/MTO standards (please read comment below to understand why), I have to say, that from the looks of things, they are worth every last penny. Not only do the leathers look superb, but the pattern-making and minute detailing are without a doubt, top-notch! I really can't help it but there is not one bad thing that I can say about this shoe, except that I am truly and utterly envious of the person who owns them! The apron stitch is perfect and this is one thing that really ruins a shoe for me. If the apron stitch is not spot-on, then the shoe is ruined, which is reason why I don't particularly like apron toed shoes. The fact that they added a saddle on a double monk just makes them go up 100 points in my book as many of you know that I am a saddle freak! And to top it off, the coloring of the leather is phenomenal. It may not be to everyone's liking, but you can't deny that the patina applied was nothing short of amazing, as getting an olive green like this, is very hard to do....Anyway, enough of my praising, I think that the shoes speak for themselves. My hat is tipped to the owner of these lovely beauties!

Picture Courtesy Of: Rugged Old Salt

Bespoke Making On A Whole Other Level

Most of the time, people buy bespoke shoes because they have feet that are hard to fit and therefore need a last to be made up to accommodate such feet. But every now and then, you get a gentleman who goes for bespoke simply for the fact that he wants something that no one else is ever going to have. This shoe presented here, represents just that, and even more. I found this on Saion's site and because it is in Japanese I unfortunately cannot understand one single thing, but looking at the pictures, I am almost positive that the stitching of the upper was done by hand, which is simply frickin' amazing!! Imagine how long that would take? AGES!

I look at this and even though I would probably not wear it simply for the fact of the decoration on the strap, I can't help but like and appreciate it. I only wish that there was a side view to look at, in order to get more of an appreciation for the entire shoe, as the top view only gives you so much. But I must say, that this is shoemaking purely at it's finest. The upper is unique, the stitching is hand-done (and contrasted), the design is out of the ordinary (the counter's are quite different) and the color combination is mind-blowing!! Overall, I give this a 10, not for the fact that it's the coolest shoe ever, but simply for the fact that it breaks all of the norms and enters the realm of art for the sake of making something that is beautiful and not necessarily practical....

What I Am Wearing

This is an older picture, when I was using my sub-par camera, but I wanted to show you a little bit more of how I sport the green shoes, as well as give off my Gordon Gekko, Wall Street look. On that note, there is yet another thing that I have become enamored with since arriving on Savile Row: the braces (suspenders), particularly these cotton one's that we sell at Gieves & Hawkes. Since working here, I have purchased all four of the colors that they come in: black, navy, light blue and red. While I tend to get the most use out of the navy, I still enjoy having my options and am looking to get them in green, purple and gray, when I can.

I have yet to venture off pairing my green brogues with anything other than navy, but there are an array of trouser colors that would suit a pair of green shoes. As I move into my new flat in London (as we speak) and finally have ALL of my stuff in one place, I will be able to pick my outfits a lot better, putting together concoctions that I have to imagine up!

Shoes: Bespoke, made by me, using Rothschild upper from G&G, and hand dyed by myself.
Trousers: H&M
Shirt: Primark
Tie: Hardy Amies
Braces: Gieves & Hawkes

What I Am Wearing

Today, I felt like wearing my new green brogues. They are somewhat hard to match with so I decided to just wear a predominantly blue outfit, as I feel that the green brogues blend well with these colors. As always I apologize for my pictures, as they are not of the caliber that a proper blogger should have. I am pretty rubbish when it comes to getting good at using cameras, but promise that soon, I will have not only a more clean look to my blog but also better quality photos. Just bear with me. On the note of plugging ahead, I am actually going to be heading on a short business trip. A trip that will have my shoes designs coming to life as tangible products. I am going to bring my computer with me, just in case I have enough time to let you all know what I am up to, but if you do not hear from me until Friday night, this is why.....Big things are happening and all of my talk about starting my own shoe line, will soon materialize!

Shoes: Bespoke made by me, with G&G 'Rothschild' upper
Jacket: H&M
Trousers: H&M
Knit Tie: Gieves & Hawkes
Shirt: Primark
Watch: Nixon

My 7th Self-Made Bespoke Pair

As many of you may know, I have been away for the last 3 days, making a pair of shoes for myself, hence the long time without posting nor replying to emails (for those that have mailed me, I promise that I will reply). Sorry for that delay in writing, but I had forgotten that the B&B that I stay at does not have wireless internet access, go figure... Anyway, not even sure I would have had time to post as I was slaving away trying to crank these bad boys out in that 3 day time period. But alas, they are done and looking better than ever!!

So evidently shown by the pictures, you can see that my new green shoes did not start as they look now. In fact they were a rejected upper from G&G (the Rothschild) that was cream colored, which had a couple of blemishes here and there and a few stains. Not really wanting that as my upper, I had been struggling with what I wanted to do with them. At first I was thinking the purple route, but quickly botched that idea as I decided that I wanted something that I would probably wear a little bit more often. As I have literally captured the entire color spectrum in my shoe collection (with the exception of pink and orange, real orange that is), I have now come to the point where I am doubling up on colors. I have been keen on the idea of green shoes for awhile since I have been without my Sassetti's for quite some time now, as they are sitting in a storage box just screaming to get out. Therefore, I decided to give it a go as I saw that the local cobbler was selling green leather dye and the rest is history...

Being that this was my first real patina that I was going to create (with dye and all), I wanted it to be fun and unique. I decided that as I had made the sole black, I was going to use black as the background color, to give it somewhat of an antiqued look. I started this by blacking-out the perforations in the upper with a sharpie (permanent marker). This ended up being great and looked so good that I was almost tempted to just shine it, leave it cream-colored and call it a day. But my urge for green got the best of me, and I decided to push on.

So, I took out my dyes (green and black), mixed them and began applying it with a sponge, rubbing it in circular motions to not get any blotching going on. I emphasized the toes and heels by actually applying too much, which left it black looking from the effect of the leather getting too wet. After spreading it around, I began to use the little applicators that they provided with the dyes that I purchased. There were actually two different ones, which ended up being perfect as one was good for spreading around and the other good for getting in small places, like underneath the gimping (piranha tooth like design on the brogue detailing) and in the welt area. After I had applied the dye and it was done, I let it sit awhile before I started to add my navy shoe polish to it, to really bring up the colors and darken it a bit. And boy, did it work. For being my first time ever doing a real patina, I was quite pleased with the way it turned up. Those 3 days work and 30-something hours, now paid off....

Shoes Of The Week - Septieme Larguer's Colored Shoes

In any industry, you can only do so many different things until you have to start repeating yourself. Yet, to this day, the shoe industry has not truly gone all out, when it comes to using unique coloring for their shoe styles. Maybe, this will always be that way, as business professionals will always need dark shoes to wear to work? Or maybe, one day, with the help of brands like Septieme Largeur, the world can become a little bit more colorful at the feet? Who knows in reality, but it's good to see that certain brands are stepping away from traditional conservatism and opting for more unique offerings, bringing more color into their collections. This is also what I hope to do with my line. While I obviously need to sell shoes that can encompass the needs of the general public, there will definitely be capsule collections and other models that will appeal to the shoe freaks of the world, for those who thrive on things that stand apart from the rest. This is why I have come to love Septieme Largeur so much, for their balance in traditional styles, but with detailed differences in colorways and patinas.

Saint Crispins Now In US

 

Thanks to stores like Leather Soul and Leffot, the shoe aficionados around the US are able to find the shoes that they have always dreamed of owning without having to fly to the nearest country to get them. They are now in their backyard. A brand that has been getting a lot of attention lately, particularly on my blog, called Saint Crispins, is now going to be available at the much beloved Leather Soul stores around the US. Although the website did not specify, I would imagine that they will be carried at both the Honolulu and Beverly Hills locations. While I could not even afford these shoes, as they are in the range of 1000 Euros (this leaves me curious to their $ cost), I am quite pleased to know that people in the States will now have easier access to the brand, as I believe that they make beautiful shoes, and would love to see people wearing them. 

Always trying to do too many things at once, as I was writing this prior bit I checked to see their other stockists, and it would appear that they are also being sold at the US website Mad About Town, at a whopping $1800 per pair price range. WOW!! That's more than John Lobb!! Well, I can't wait to start seeing this being talked about on Style Forum and am eagerly curious to know how they feel, because at that price, they better be close to bespoke comfort. Nevertheless, it's good to see them around, and I will look forward to their hopeful progression.

Pictures from Leather Soul below:

Pictures from Mad About Town below:

Today's Favorites - Green Monks by Gaziano & Girling

 

While I can't really say that I am the biggest advocate of the toe shape, it's the color paired with the style that is really drawing me to this model by Gaziano & Girling. As mentally sick as this sounds, I am at the point where I own a shoe in every color possible (with the exception that will forever be pink or proper orange) and now I need to start acquiring my second pair of them (we all have our obsessions...). That being, I am currently in the slow process of making this full brogue, that is off white, and am having thoughts of stripping it down and re-dying green, in a similar nature to the color of this shoe pictured here. I really feel like a dark forest green such as this, can look extremely elegant with a nice navy or gray suit and while I am still waiting to get my green pair back from the States, I figured that I would make one in the meantime to start wearing before this sun goes away. 

The reason that I put this shoe, not only because I like it and the color, is because there was a curiosity on Style Forum on how green shoes by G&G come out after they have been finished. This curiosity came about as I put up a picture of one of their green monks in production (where it looked a lot lighter in color) in my 'trip to the G&G factory post.' Many people felt that the green was too light and therefore a little ostentatious but as you all can see here, while this style may be a bit forward for some, the color is pleasantly elegant for everyone!

Today's Favorites - Lodger

 

A cap toe with a high-shined cap is always a pleasant thing to see, but when you then add the color green into the mix, it becomes even cooler!! I was just in at Lodger's today and saw some of the new samples that they want to put into production and I was quite impressed. This model here is looking to come in a gray as well as a burgundy, two beautiful options on the color scale. Another exciting model was a wing-cap laced derby boot, that was black but had contrast white stitching. Come to think of it, I just now realized that I had my camera on me and failed to take a picture. What a slacker I am!! Well, I apologize for my absentmindedness but you will have to take my word in regards to the amazingness (I know that this is not a word, but who cares) of the boot. I can't imagine that it wouldn't make it into production, so you will have to be on the look out for it! 

Back to the shoe at hand. You don't see to many green shoes these days but it is always nice when you do. This model here is a great example of having a shoe that can be a different color but not be ostentatious or overly colorful. I really don't see why any businessman could not wear this with a navy suit? It certainly would not scream out, 'look, I am super flashy,' but would on the other hand, in my opinion, say that the gentlemen was a sharp dresser. But hey, baby steps right?? Let's start to see those navy dress shoes on the feet of lots of men before we can start asking for green to be a normal colored shoe.....

Today's Favorites - Cole Haan

 

While I can't say that I am the biggest fan of the shape of this shoe, having seen them in person, I am truly pleased that in the past two seasons, Cole Haan has made a big effort to re-introduce the saddle shoe into mainstream footwear. Not only did they provide all of the classic colorways, but they also managed to add some other unique combinations such as the lime green suede with faux croc as well as the canvas options, which I am quite keen on, particularly the navy w/ brown saddle.

While I always felt that Cole Haan did not aim to please my age group of customer, I feel that with the introduction to Spring/Summer 2011, they might have taken another direction, now creating shoes that appeal to the younger, stylish man (late 20's to early 40's). I have noticed that the clothing and shoe industries in general have been doing this lately. Only a few years ago, it seemed to me that every company's target audience was the more affluent matured man (late 30's to early 50's), a little bit more conservative and less flashy. While both have their pluses and minuses, I am happy to see a little bit more color being used and throwback shoe styles, such as the saddle!