The Beauty Of Made To Order Shoes

Gaziano & Girling St. James II, Courtesy of Zimmermann & Kim

Have you ever seen the coolest shoe ever, only that it came in just black or just brown or just some other color that you really didn't fancy, or just thought was plain boring. I have....about a million times. And what did you do when this happened? Probably nothing, because what could you do, especially if this brand did not have any custom offerings program, more simply known as MTO. Well, for me that is a shame, because the person gets all worked up, only to be left disappointed in the long run. Now, that doesn't mean that every brand in the whole world should have MTO, because it really depends on the factory that produces their shoes, how low they want to make their minimum order and for how much of a mark-up in price (for each shoe) they want to do this at. Some brands don't have a choice, some do. But the ones that do, for me, have a great advantage because the more that time goes on the more that I feel that there are higher numbers of people like me who simply are not satisfied with the common offering available. They want something unique, something that no one else has, something that other people go 'WOW' at.... And if they are creative enough, the executioin of MTO can do this just for them...

Many Pictures Courtesy Of: Leffot and L'atelier du Chausseur

I put every picture that I have of the Corthay Wilfred above here....how many do you think came as a stock color offering? Probably about 2 or 3, maximum. But how many of them blow you away? Many none, maybe all of them? Maybe you are the guy that just wants a black or brown shoe? Who knows. But nevertheless, the beauty of MTO is that it allows for the designers/shoemaker to offer a much broader selection of his work. And because of this, the designer may actually be happier. I say this because a concoction that is created by the customer might resonate closer to what the designer would ideally like to make, as opposed to what he actually does, which will most likely be what the 'average consumer' wants. I will be honest with you, when I first thought about starting my shoe line, I just wanted to make extremely unique shoes, much like the bespoke ones that I have made, but as the time gets closer to launching, the more that I realize that I cannot just make what I like, but have to appeal to majority. But fret not, because I am bold enough to take the risk of doing a happy medium by creating things that mix between what I want to see in the market, but also what I believe could appeal to the masses.

G & G, Courtesy of Zimmermann & Kim

Saint Crispins, Courtesy of The Armoury

Edward Green, Courtesy of Leather Soul (I believe)

The only real downfalls of Made To Order shoes, is the amount of time that it usually takes to receive them (which requires a lot of patience) and the possibility of creating something ugly that you will then be stuck with. The second fright will really just be up to you and your idea of pairing colors and/or leathers. But the time constraint, albeit frustrating, is really out of many makers hands. If you think about it in a logical business sense (which every company has to), the factory will always want to put the order of 1000 pairs of shoes, before the order of 1 or 2 MTOs. It would be ideal if each factory just had a section that was strictly for MTO shoes, but that would most likely not be practical without a guarantee of about 100 orders/month, if not more. Therefore, as this will most likely never be the case, the only real downfall to getting a shoe that you customized, is the time that you have to wait for it. But like most good things in life, they are usually worth waiting for....

First it was colors....Now it will be boots!

For those of you that have been long time readers of the blog, you will know that I have been a big advocate of seeing more abnormal coloring in footwear. Back when I started this blog (in Feb. 2010), I made some predictions indicating that within a year or two, colored shoes (outside of brown and black) were going to be a lot more prevalent in the industry. 2011 marked a big push for that actually coming true. More and more brands were coming out with shoes that did not really fit their overall historical image (at least not in my opinion), such as the shoes made by Edward Green for Hardy Amies (shown above & below). Two quintessential English brands, rooted in the idea of what it means to be a British gentleman, came out with a collaboration that not only blew my mind aesthetically, but also in the sense that for me, it was almost like stepping a bit outside of their boundary to create something a bit more fun and eclectic. And that was the beauty about it....brands that were evolving with the times, creating something that might be a bit out of their norm but beautiful and timeless nonetheless!

Picture Below: Edward Green for Hardy Amies (courtesy of The Shoe Buff)

And while that trend (colors) has come, and will hopefully be here to stay, the next big thing that I think will populate the shelves throughout the year (and next) will be dress boots. There used to be a time --think Victorian/Edwardian eras-- where boots, such as a nice balmoral boot, were the norm and no one wore low cut shoes, as we do now. Granted, I know that this happened to be the case for more of a practical purpose rather than personal choice (due to the streets being solely dirt and therefore lacking pavement). But even though that was the case, I found this look to be quite a bit more intriguing....and elegant. Who is to say that a dress boot can't be just as elegant as a low cut shoe when paired with a suit? I quite enjoy wearing my Gaziano & Girling 'Wigmore' with either a flannel suit or my three-piece, and would even pair other one's (if I had any) so long as the boot was an elegant shape that compliments dress attire. And I could be wrong, but I think more and more people are starting to think like this...

Boots by Corthay

Boots by George Cleverley, Picture Courtesy of: Leather Soul

Everything in the footwear and clothing industry seems to always reinvent itself in some form or another, whether it be toe shapes, colors used, type of style like brogues, boots etc and in my time I have not seen as much enthusiasm for dress boots as I do now. But I don't feel that we are quite at the peak of it all. Soon, if not F/W 2012 or 2013, you will see far more boots offered in collections, more color combinations presented, and if everything goes according to my plan, more materials other than leather being used. And the hope, for me, is that more of you will jump on board and desire these boots. Because, it's time for a nice change, a time to see more elegant boots presented and people wearing them proudly! And even if you go from a boring black cap-toe oxford shoe, to a boring black cap-toe oxford boot, it will be a step in the right direction!

Boots by: Riccardo Bestetti

Wholecut Mid-Top boots by: Imai Hiroki

Today's Favorites - John Lobb Boots

The jodhpur boot is one of the most intriguing boots around. Not as plain as the chelsea boot, but by far more elegant. I love a shoe/boot that is clean looking i.e. has a large blank canvas of leather, free of stitching. How elegant is it that the leather starts at the toe and extends all the way up to the top, without any stitching? Lovely! The only thing that is throwing me off about these jodhpur boots, by John Lobb, is how the straps end in a way that leaves them almost lying on top of the vamp, as opposed to fastening the other way with the ends sticking out towards the heel. Other than that, this boot is exquisite! And the museum calf, specialized by John Lobb, is one of my favorite leathers of all time. It is so characteristic. It's a patina in itself. There is no fuss necessary. I would love to see how it would age over 20 years, to see if it does so more beautifully than a lovely burgundy shoe....Anyway, as these shoes cost more most people's mortgage payments, $1500, I can safely say, that it will at least be a couple of more years until I can afford to get one.....

Pictures Courtesy Of (and boots found at): Leather Soul