My Shoes #23 - Carreducker Winkers

I just recently acquired a pair of the 'Winkers resort shoe' by Carreducker, and man do I like them. They are just so different from your normal kick-around loafer. As you can see, they are not made from your ordinary materials. They are made by Harris Tweed. And being such a sucker for shoes made with fabrics, as opposed to leather, I have been eye-balling them for awhile now. Being that the sun is such a rare commodity here in London, I went for a color that could be easily worn in all seasons.Plus, gray is a win-win anyway, it's just so versatile.

You see me here wearing them in a kind of dress-casual way, but I have to say, that they did not go that great with my outfit. For me, they fit much more the jean look or something a little bit more casual in the upper area. Not to say that my outfit was not good, but there could have been a better representation of how to wear these. I just don't always have time to ask people to snap photos of me when I am wearing my best outfits, so sometimes I have to just settle with what I decided to throw together during my morning rush. When I start my shoe line (which looks like it could be very soon), I can get a PA and have them do it!

Anyway, if you have been looking for something different to put on your feet, the winkers are a great direction, as they are fun, comfortable and unique!

Enjoy your weekend,

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Shoes Of The Week - G & G Factory Finds

 

One of my favorite things about going to Gaziano & Girling's factory is seeing all of the bespoke models lying around, being able to capture the ideas that some individuals have in their minds and appreciate them. On top of that, I am also able to see RTW shoes being produced for other markets, like Asia, which will almost always be different from the shoes that you will see produced for the Western world, i.e. the States and Europe. If one never knew, they might think that the shoes one would will see in a shop in London or New York just might be the same that would be sold in Tokyo, but on the contrary, with completely different tastes in style and aesthetics, they differ tremendously. 

I, to be quite honest, almost always prefer the shoes that I see heading the the Japanese market, as they are usually more unique and different than your average apron or cap toe, two common styles that are certainly going to be a popular purchase in England or the States. That being, as it is hard to see what is sold in other countries (unless you travel there), going to the factory and seeing them allows me to understand what the other markets might think like, and being able to capture that to share with all of you. 

My trip to the factory, however, was not solely for that, and in reality, I was there to finish up (or rather watch as it was finished up) my first pattern. I am quite excited to see what it will look like when it is all made up into a shoe. That will be an exciting day! Pattern making, as I have come to learn, is quite difficult but extremely intriguing. It takes being able to figure things out, things that might not necessarily be obvious, but definitely will be detrimental to the finished product and how it turns up. Because when you look at the pattern pieces all cut out, it might look simple, but in reality, they are tremendously difficult to get precise! Enjoy the pictures and the rest of your weekend...

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

Driving Loafers - Europe's Summer Shoe

Depending on where you live in this world, there is always a shoe that acts as one's 'go-to' model once the hot days of spring and summer start to show their face. In tropical places you have the flip-flop, in the States you have the boat shoe, and in Europe you have espadrilles and even better yet, the driving loafer. But the greatest thing about driving loafers, is that if you have the right model and you wear it properly, it can go a long way in the wardrobe and be worn with more outfits (from casual to dress) than any other summer shoe out there. The question is: why is it so popular in Europe, particularly Italy and France, yet so uncommon in the rest of the world?

The evolution of the driving loafer is quite interesting, depending on how you look at it. I may be wrong here, so feel free to let me know, but common sense would say that the driving loafer was originally created so that rich people could have a nice shoe that they could use while driving their car in order to prevent two things: dirtying the floor (from dirt, mud, wetness etc.) and wearing out the back's of their shoes. With that in mind, it would have appeared to be a luxury that only few could afford, because how many people could actually justify owning a pair of leather shoes, just to use while driving? Not me (unless it's a pair of cheap slippers). But then someone intelligent (perhaps Diego Della Valle, owner of Tod's) saw a niche in the market -- the idea of a soft, flexible and comfortable casual shoe -- with these 'driving loafers' and introduced them into the public where they have been a huge success ever since!

So you might be wondering by now, 'what frickin' brand is it that makes these loafers?' Well, let me tell you. You see, the beauty of writing a blog is that you have small, up-and-coming brands that write to you that want to get their name out, and it's great because many of them actually make a cool product that deserves to be shown to the world, and the problem with other fashion publications these days is that if you don't pay them, you are not getting any space on the pages. But as a humble blogger who loves shoes and spreading the knowledge of them, I get to enjoy being introduced to brands, like Bobbies (who makes these loafers), and then being able to share them all with you! And to give you a little bit of background info, Bobbies is a Parisian company (France) who -- as you can see -- makes unique and colorful loafers. So when they sent me their website to check out and I saw those bow-tie loafers, I immediately fell in love with them, because I just thought that it was the most clever and unique idea, and it looks cool too! So if you are dying for a pair, then look no further, because here you have a brand that makes every single color that you can think of and pretty much sells them all for under 100 Euros!! Happy shopping!

 

Picture Above Courtesy Of: The Sartorialist 

Shoes Of The Week - Mark Guyot

I must admit, before coming to England, I had never even heard of the butterfly loafer. I am not familiar with any American makers that produce one (unless Allen Edmonds has recently caught on) nor did I have a run-in during my short but sweet time in Italy. But now that I am here, in the heart of Mayfair, where there are all of the arcade's that host space to the likes of New & Lingwood and George Cleverley, I cannot seem to get away from the butterfly loafer. But I like it, it's unique, it's produces a nice medium between plain, boring loafer and over the top. Said to be originally designed by the likes of Mr. George Cleverley himself, it has since evolved as seen here, by French maker Marc Guyot.

One thing that I particularly like about this version of the butterfly loafer, is the fact that French makers tend to design the vamp so that it extends much higher up the foot, towards the ankle. For me, it is much more elegant looking although it does have the downfall of not showing as much sock, which can be a shame when you are trying to pull of out fancy, dandy outfit! We are rumored to be getting a burgundy pair of the classic, George Cleverley designed butterfly loafer sometime in May, here at Gieves & Hawkes. So, since I do not have one nor a burgundy loafer (something that I have been longing for) I am holding out for those! If only the French makers were more readily available here in England, things would be different. But I cannot afford to fly to Paris just to get a pair of shoes, not yet at least!

My Shoes #20 - To Boot New York

During my time at Nordstrom, I acquired a lot of To Boot New York shoes and this was one of the first models that I got, and definitely my favorite. It is just such a great summer shoe and it looks good with jeans but can also be dressed up in a casual sort of way. The toe, while it was already darkened from the get-go, was probably the first burnish that I ever actually did and it took me awhile to actually do it, as I had no idea what I was doing but was just so eager to give the shoe some contrast. Thankfully it actually turned up nicely and they have been going strong for quite some time, even with that razor thin sole. Like I said in an earlier post, I have been obsessed with loafers lately and it has definitely been expressed in my outfits as I have set my oxfords aside. While it is such a boring option, I have been longing for a simple black, elegant loafer but have yet to find the right one. Anyway, sorry that it has been awhile since my last personal shoe post, but it is not always easy finding someone to flash pics of me, at least not flattering ones that don't involve the background of my flat!

Today's Favorites - Del Toro Slippers

As the sun comes out, so do all of the interesting shoes that involve going sock-less, and one of those happens to be the Prince Albert slipper. While you tend to find that most traditional/historical British shoes companies will offer their own take on the Prince Albert slipper, which will run you a pretty penny right out of your pocket, least expected is the maker of these models, Del Toro.

For those that did not read my post about these way back when, Del Toro is a relatively young company who is set to make it big. Started by a couple of university students a few years back, who loved the idea of the Prince Albert slipper but hated the idea of spending $600-$800 for a pair, they decided to do something about it and came out with their own affordable version. And as you can see above, they have taken the PA slipper to a whole new level offering them in customizable colors/fabrics/materials/logos etc., all at a relatively affordable cost ($210-$345). This is what I love about them: they give you options! Because, who really just wants the same one that everyone else has in black velvet? Not me! I want all of the color options in the linen models and thanks to Del Toro, I can now get them!

My Shoes #17 - My 1st Bespoke (Handmade) Pair

Considering, that it's now been over a year since I have been blogging, I figured it was about time that I buy myself a camera and stop stealing my wife's to take photos of myself. It actually works out great now, because I can just take pictures of my outfits for when I go to work and not have to lug around this great big camera that my wife enjoys taking 'professional' like pictures with. Now I have my slim, small, quick and easy camera to do all of my dirty work for the blog. That being, here is my first picture (below) taken with my new camera and my first pair of shoes that I made for myself. 

You will noticed that in the title, I parenthesized the word 'handmade' because, in reality, these shoes were not bespoke, as the last that I used was not to my exact sizing. For my first pair, Stefano just gave me a 'rejected' upper and allowed me to use some last that looked as if it was around my foot size. Luckily it was, especially since I was making this lovely Prince Albert style slipper, which is hard to fit if you don't get the size just right. The only issue is that it is just slightly wide, as I have a narrow foot, and I have to work to keep it from slipping. But since I don't wear it often, it doesn't bother me so much.The best thing about these Prince Albert style slipper shoes, is the fact that you get to be bold with your socks to add a little bit of fun to your outfit!