Today's Favorites - Carreducker

I just realized that a plain toed shoe, whether it be a wholecut, a saddle shoe, or a model like this with just a facing, is by far my favorite type of shoe, so long that it has a nice shape. Something about the plain canvas of the vamp and toe area, just draws me in and screams elegance. So when I first saw this new bespoke model, a collaboration between Gieves & Hawkes and Carreducker, I was absolutely stunned! Being made of my favorite color, blue, and having the lizard skin facing (a skin that I am normally not fond of), it was pairing that went well together and gave me a new appreciation of the mixture of blue and black. Normally I stay away from pairing these two colors too much, as I believe that a dark blue can be too close to black and therefore offers no contrast, but the blue in this shoe was just light enough, to allow that facing to truly stand out. And because of that, I am in absolute envy of these shoes, and am trying to figure out how I am going to get a pair without having to spend thousands of pounds.....what a dilemma! 

Customer's Shoes - Corthay

I have never had the pleasure of actually dealing with a pair of Corthay shoes in the flesh before but just two days ago I was able to actually hold, admire and put a wicked shine on a pair of his classic two eyelet derby's called 'Arca.' Let me tell you, they are absolutely stunning and are the real deal. You could easily tell the quality was superb and that the shoes had all of the components to actually justify the price tag. It may be hard to tell because of the pictures but the color seemed to be of his classic 'aubergine.' The customer was asking me what color I think that I should have added in order to bring out the shoes' patina and ideally I would have loved to have some sort of purple, close to the shoes's color, but I didn't and just thought to add neutral, even though I am not a huge fan of neutral, as I believe that it does not bring up the shine as well. I am not sure if the customer actually dealt with Corthay himself, but he said that the guy who sold him (that he believed to be Corthay) the shoes recommended adding blue. As my blue wax polish does not have a super strong pigment, I figured 'what's the worst that could happen?' As it would be, the shoes did change color, slightly, into a more grayish tone. Nonetheless, they turned up beautifully and it was pleasure being able to finally meet and shine some Corthay shoes in the flesh!

Today's Favorites - Braided Shoes By Sutor Mantellassi

When it comes to braided shoes, I have always been really hit or miss with them, which is how I perceive most people to also be. It seems that I either really like them or really hate them. So, as you can imagine, these one's here by Sutor Mantellassi are one of the few that I actually appreciate. The fact that the braid is relatively small and that they are a plain toe allows me to appreciate the actual braid without being distracted by anything else. I am not sure if that made sense, but I feel like most shoes with braided upper's are so distracting but this one seems to be more discreet, in a way. Since, I have been in England, however, I have yet to see one gentleman wearing a braided shoe. Maybe they are not so liked here, as they are in the States? You would think that they would be though as there are rules to what a English gentleman should and should not wear. And being that I can't imagine the flip-flop being a big hit with the old conservatives, I would think that a nice casual dress shoe such as this would be the perfect answer to summer wear. Maybe I am wrong?

On another note, I have collected the rest of my shoes that were left behind in Italy (mostly trainers) and am going to be getting the rest of my shoes that were left behind in the States (mostly dress shoes and Sperry's) so in one month's time, I will have ALL of my shoes in one place!! This will allow me to get back onto to taking more pictures of my stuff for all of you to see and judge me on!! And one of those shoes, just so happens to be a nice pair of Allen Edmonds, which are braided. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!!

Shoes Of The Week - Saion

Summer is officially here in England; it is always sunny, hardly rains and the light colored shoes are beginning to come out, at least by me that is. So with that in mind I figured that I would display a couple of good options for the summer season, by one of my favorite Japanese makers, Saion. Now you will find that in England there are many 'gentleman' who wouldn't dare wear tan (or any shade like it) with blue/navy trousers, jeans or any other pant for that matter. And to me this is a mistake. Maybe I am not a 'gentleman,' in the traditional British meaning of the word, but when the sun comes out those two colors go together like white on rice.

As a matter of fact, I have an antiqued tan pair on today, as it is looking like it is going to be a marvelous day. And because the sun is becoming a common thing these days, I dare you, my dear readers, to fight your urge to wear black and grab your lighter colored shoes, and if you don't have a pair, go and buy one. It will truly open up the possibilities that you can manage to muster up in your wardrobe and give you a nice summer glow about you!! Enjoy the pics!

 7 Eyelets - That's Amazing!!

Easter Vacation & Today's Favorites - Alfred Sargent

To all of my readers,


I just wanted to let you know that I will be away on a short holiday trip to Italy from Friday to Monday and will not be around computer access. So I am sorry that until Tuesday the 26th there will not be any new posts, but this is a good time to read through my archives to see if there is any valuable information or some great shoe porn that you have yet read/seen. Until then, I will leave you with a couple of pics of cool shoes from Alfred Sargent. Have a great Easter weekend to all those who celebrate it and to the rest, have a wonderful weekend.


Sincerely,

Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

P.S. To all those who have written me or commented on posts, I have not forgotten about you and I will respond as soon as I get a chance. Sorry for the delay....

Today's Favorites - Markowski

Can I just say: DAMN!!! I love these shoes by Markowski, all of them! But I especially love the top pair and I will have to have it! I know, I know, I have been bombarding you with French shoemakers for quite awhile now but I just can't get enough of them. I mean, when it comes to color, they are not afraid to use it and that speaks to my heart! Especially when it is my favorite color: blue. So when I saw these, I just had to show them, immediately! Can you blame me?? I know that all of you are not fans of crazy colored shoes but bare with me a little, I can't help myself. I will put up some brown shoes soon, I promise. But anyway, in case anyone was wondering, these shoes sum me up to a "T" and I am happy to see that someone is out there making exactly what I would want to see on the shelves of shoe stores. It's just too bad that it is hard to find these outside of France. But with as cool as they are, I feel that soon they will grow and will have more stockists around the world, cross your fingers!