Corthay Visit Part 2: London

Back in late July of 2011, I went to Paris for a quick business trip and happened to have enough time to pop into the Corthay shop in hopes to meet the legend himself, Mr. Pierre Corthay. Unfortunately, at the time, he was away and therefore was unable to meet him but did meet his brother, who is also very much involved in the company. While it was still a lovely visit, I knew that there would always be a 'next time' for the opportunity to meet the man himself! That being, on Tuesday of last week, I was scrolling through Facebook or something of that nature (maybe a blog) and happened to notice that Mr. Pierre Corthay was coming to London for a trunk show on the Friday of that week. I knew that this was my chance, not only to meet him but to finally check out their new shop in London that had just opened last December, of which I had been meaning to go in order to give you all some info! Therein lied my opportunity to kill two birds with one stone!

When I arrived there the shop was actually closed (it was about 9:50am). I was a bit worried (as they don't list the opening hours on the website) that maybe they wouldn't open until 11am or somewhere along that time (they are in Knightsbridge after all...). Luckily, I had my smartphone on me and utilized it to find the phone number to the shop. I quickly called and happen to get ahold of the store manager, Francois, who kindly ran upstairs to let me in. He took my to the bottom level of the store, where low-and-behold, was Mr. Pierre Corthay himself! It was a bit surreal finally meeting him and I was taken back a bit by the error in my preconceived notion of how he may have been, in the sense that most (shoe) artists (in my opinion) are a bit reserved (which can be seen as cold) when you first meet them. Yet, Pierre was extremely friendly and nice, and happened to actually know who I was (quite possibly due to my visit to the Paris shop), which was quite a surprise and a comforting feeling all at the same time. We began to chat a bit, mainly about his shoes, my goals in starting my own line and how business has been for him. While the chatting was brief (as time was of the essence, for us both), it was nice to finally be able to meet the man behind some of the most lovely shoes in the world.

After the quick chat with Pierre, a client came to visit him, so I began to talk to Francois and the young patina/shine artist (Thomas) that creates much of the magical coloring that you see on Corthay shoes. They told me that in order to give the coloring that you see on the two crocodile shoes within this post, the patina artist spends a total of 8 hours coloring in each scale one-by-one. Talk about a meticulous job. But in order to create art (as these beauties are), one must do so with precision and patience. That being, you can imagine (especially since the young gentleman was only 23) that I was insanely impressed! But when passion is involved, age no longer becomes an issue, only drive and ambition to be the best that you can.

After the quick chat with the two gentleman, I had to be off in order to not become too late for work. But I have to say that I was duly impressed with the visit and how immensely kind and generous everyone there was. That being, if you are ever in the area I highly recommend a visit, if nothing more than to admire the beautiful shoes and possibly see an artist at work....

miniature model (as long as my hand)

Shoes Of The Week - Alexandre Portejoie

As much as you don't see burgundy shoes as often as I would like to, I can tell you that burgundy boots are even far less common, yet to me are ever so more appealing than what you do actually see on the shelves. This model here is by a French shoe designer/maker, named Alexandre Portejoie, who is quite known for his out-of-this-world creations. This boot, while being still a bit on the 'forward' side with its pointy toe and decoration, is one of his tamest creations, believe it or not. And what drives me to it, aside from the lovely color created from the patina, is the big, heavy duty sole that it has been made with. You see, while I don't like bulky shoes (or bulky soles for that matter), I much less like the idea of it being snowy or real rainy out and having to wear some Red Wing boot to save my shoes from being destroyed. That being, a beautiful boot like this with a nice, heavy sole on it (still cut to look dressy) allows one to not only face that awful weather but be able to do so in smart clothing without having to look like a hiker in his rugged boots....

What I Am Wearing

This Prince Albert loafer was the very first pair of shoes that I ever made by hand. It was just a rejected upper that was lying around and happened to be somewhat near my size (although I believe that it must have been for a 8-8.5UK). Stefano (Bemer) told me that I could use it to make a pair of shoes, but at the time I did not have a last of my own. I therefore had scoured through his random last models in hope to find something that was near my foot size. And not all of the lasts had sizes written on them, so I pretty much just had to eyeball it. Luckily I found one that actually looked quite good with this upper and happened to fit me in the length, but being just a tad bit wide (as I have a narrow foot). Because of that I break it out every now and then but don't wear it as much as I would like to. However, since having made this, I fell in love with the idea of having a Prince Albert loafer that was a bit more casual (i.e. not for formal wear and having a proper sole), that one could wear with smart trousers and even jeans and be able to show off a little bit of sock. But you really don't see that made anywhere and that's why I decided to introduce one into my collection, probably one of the models that I am most excited about.....

P.S. Don't judge me on the knot of my bow tie, it's so thick that it's hard to make nice....I know that it's sloppy looking!

Shoes: Bespoke, made by me
Trousers: Zara
Sweater (Jumper): Primark
Shirt: Primark
Bow Tie: Gieves & Hawkes
Socks: Gieves & Hawkes

Cool Shoes, Cool Clothes, Cool Ties....Cool Blog

These days, I unfortunately don't have a lot of time to peruse through blogs as much as I would like to, let alone read them, which is a shame really, as I believe that blogs these days are among the leaders in providing useful information, particularly within the men's style industry. But, every now and then (while searching for photos of shoes), I stumble across a diamond in the rough. It's not actually how I found the blog, Monsiuer Bespoke, of which you can credit all of the photos shown in this post, but am glad that I found it nonetheless. While the blog appears to be new (having only one page of 'older posts') and is in Italian, I can assure you that I don't think I have ever seen such an array of amazing outfits and shoes all in one spot. Granted, it would appear the writer is an acquaintance of Mr. Bestetti and therefore favors his footwear at the current moment (hence all of the photos) but also seemed to have the inside scoop on all of the coolest outfits at the most recent Pitti Uomo.

Shoes by: Riccardo Bestetti

Aside from writing a nice blog with cool pictures, Mr. Cerruti (the author) is apparently also the proprietor of bespoke tie firm in Milan, called Passagio Cravatte. Most of you don't know this about me, but apart from shoes, ties are another one of my sicknesses (back up to around 60 now, before I gave away 40 prior to coming to Europe). That being, when I looked at the site and the ties that have been made, I was incredibly impressed! What's cool about the company is that each tie is unique to the individual, where you go to the shop, pick a cloth that you fancy (as well as a bunch of other important things) and then have the tie made to your liking. I can tell you when I make my first bit of real money, I am going to visit this shop and have a heyday! Well, I thought that you all might enjoy something new to look at, something that provides a bit more ideas in the suit department and something can help you learn a little bit of the Italian language!

http://monsieurbespoke.blogspot.com/


http://www.passaggiocravatte.com/

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

What I Am Wearing

I have never really been a big fan of pairing sport coats with trousers, but since I have a few jackets, I try and force myself as much as I can. The reason that I am not such a big fan of it, is the fact that I feel that the outfit always seems to look a bit jumbled, considering the fact that you don't tend to match the color of your trousers to your jacket, which leaves you pairing many colors together. I do have to say though, that this is something that the Italian population has down to a "T," and something that I truly envy them for. But I guess that with money (and time), I will only get better, as I will purposefully coordinate the outfit at the store and then buy it, as opposed to buying separate pieces (like I do) and trying to work them out at home during my morning rush. Nevertheless, utilizing outfits like this (on the more dress-casual side) allows me to wear my loafers more, which I am currently in a phase with....

Shoes: Gieves & Hawkes (by Edward Green and dyed by Paulus Bolten)
Jacket: Pete Werth
Trousers: H&M
Shirt: Ted Baker
Tie: Gieves & Hawkes