Today's Favorites - Saint Crispin's

Saint Crispin's shoes never cease to amaze me! And while their shoes are not off-the-wall or anything, they have this feel and look about them that just sets them completely apart from the rest. Also the little details, like the saddle type of leather piece on the monk strap right above and the lacing on the loafer (in the background) of picture 3 of 6, from the top. Like I have said before, in a saturated world, it's hard to really create something completely new that has not already been done before so what you find is the little minute details that will start to set you apart but also really bring out your creativity and look. Probably my favorite thing though that Saint Crispin's does is add quite a thick, yet sleek sole to their dress shoes. It's funny because I hate clunky things, but because they cut the sides of the sole very close to the shape of the last, it takes away that heavy feeling and gives you a pretty sturdy dress shoe. I just wish that they were more easily accessible!!

Photos Courtesy Of: Style Forum

Today's Favorites - Saint Crispins Saddle Shoe

So, I am back in Seattle feeling a bit strange, almost as if I am a stranger in my own city and am therefore a little bit discombobulated, which has left me unable to conjure something up for my long post on Mondays. Because of this I am leaving you with a tidbit on the ever so amazing Saint Crispins shoe brand, of whom I never seem to tire. Every time I see of new pair of shoes made by them, shown on Rugged Old Salt (as these were), I am always left astounded, particularly when they highlight the details that set them apart, such as the way that they finish their soles. While I am not usually so crazy about the soles' look, especially since it gets destroyed on the first wear, I must say that the way they look in the picture below is absolutely stunning. The manner in which they finished it with that glossy shine looks delicious to say the least. I would almost feel bad wearing these if they were my shoes, I might just want to leave them sole up, face down, as to show off the beauty of the work. Key word though, 'almost'...I would rock until that shine disappeared!

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....

Unique Shoe Designs

Shoe Above: J.FitzPatrick

When talking about designing shoes, I commonly hear the expression, "Everything under the sun has been done." And while I generally tend to agree with it (on a grand scale), I still believe that there are little tweaks that can be done to a shoe, here and there, that will minutely (and yet immensely) separate it from all of the rest. For instance, the shoe above which is another one of my prototypes, has a penny strap that extends all the way back to the heel. This was something that I had never seen before, yet had always wondered what it might look like, being that I like to use multiple materials in my shoes. I wanted to be able to mix it up somehow, having the strap be a different material than the rest of the shoe. At first, I wanted to hold this close to my chest, as it was a unique design and did not want anyone ripping me off before I could release my line, but as I have been blabbing for 2 years now about getting this line off of the ground, and doing so has been slower than I had anticipated, I couldn't help but show this to all of you to let you know that things are truly still in the motions.....slowly but surely!

Clearly I am not the only one that has done a unique design. Almost every maker does one in some way or another whether it is with a row of stitching and how it is positioned, the colors and/or materials that they may use, or how one might change the aesthetics of one of the pieces of the pattern (cap/quarter/vamp etc.). You will find it in the subtle details that will define that makers style. Sometimes these things can be hard to spot, sometimes they are quite obvious. Nevertheless, they are always nice for me (so long as it's not overbearingly ostentatious) as it then represents a new way to do a shoe.... I remember back in 2006, the first time that I ever saw a Gaziano & Girling shoe, in Robb Report magazine. I can't say for sure, but I think it was either the Gable or the Regent, and it was the first time that I had ever seen that pointed (^-shaped) toe cap. Back then, I wasn't so knowledgeable about shoes, as it was really the beginning point for me in the fine footwear industry, so you can imagine how blown away I was to see something so unique when all I had previously known was the Allen Edmonds Park Avenue, as it was the end-all-be-all shoe in America. And even though I can't pinpoint the exact model that it was, the moment was still so vivid for me, as it represented the day that I truly chose to go after my dreams, telling myself that I wanted to emulate G&G by making good quality shoes that stood out from the rest (in terms of design).

Corthay - Unique stitch design on facing & bottom hole punch

Jan Kielman - Unique stitching leading to back of heel

Imai Hiroki - oxford like slip-on

Marc Guyot - stitching and strap unique

Along with dress boots being something that I predict will be big in the next year or two, I also predict that you will see more and more makers trying their hardest to come out with designs that separate themselves from the rest. Clearly this is obvious, because you could not just come out with a line doing shoes that simply look like everyone else's (and be successful) but more in the way that designers/makers, I feel, will more and more try and give little twists to existing classics. Classics are classics for a reason but that does not mean that they are already perfected....little minute details could make a classic better than it already is...of course, this will always be in the humble opinion of the eye of the beholder. But nevertheless, for me, it is always extremely fascinating to see how a designer interprets a shoe with his unique design. That my friends is (to me) the most interesting thing about the shoe industry....seeing how interpretations differ. Hence the reason why each country has their own individual look when it comes to their shoes!

Saint Crispins - All around design is unique

Saion - design on facing/coloring the sole

J.M. Weston - all around design, many things mixed together

Altan Bottier - Point on tongue of shoe

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

Shoes Of The Week - Saint Crispins

When I first saw this pair in one single color (posted here) I fell in love with them. But when I saw this pair, by Saint Crispins, in a multiple leather type two-tone, I was absolutely blown away. Time and time again, they make the exact thing that I feel needs to be more present in the shoe industry and it makes me smile to know that other makers/designers appear to be thinking the same thing. So, it comes as no surprise that this company continues to grow, having their shoes being carried at more and more stores around the world, all while they carry a price tag of around $2000. This particular shoe just might be one of my favorite models in circulation at the moment. Not only does it remind of what they used to wear back in the early 20th century, but represents shoes as a piece of art, because looking at this, I would not know whether to wear it or place it on my mantelpiece. Just joking...I would definitely rock them!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul