Today's Favorites - Barker Black

Here are just a few of the bad-ass Barker Black shoes that grace shoe shelves around the world. While I have known about Barker Black for quite some time, I have yet to really put their shoes up on my blog and I can't realize why, especially since I think that they make some very cool shoes. I guess, like many things, it just slipped my mind. But better late than never, right? Right! Anyway, if you don't know about Barker Black, best you study up. To give a quick bio, the company is an offset of Barker (from England) created by two American brothers (although Derrick is the founding brother) in the successful attempt to take an old and relatively fading company and revamp it's image, which they sure did! And ever since then, they have taken the shoe industry by storm, creating some very new and unique designs that truly set them apart as industry leaders! Enjoy the pics and look out for more!

Shoe Photography - Capturing The Right Light

Picture Courtesy of The Style Buff

There is no light like natural light when it comes to shoe photography. But then again, even with that you will need the right camera. Time and time again, pictures will misrepresent the true beauty of a shoe. I know this better than anyone as I take pictures with my cell phone all of the time and due to that, nice shoes end up looking like junk. But this also can work the other way, where the photographer was so brilliant that they were able to make a crap shoe look good. This shoe, by Bocache e Salvucci, managed to get that brilliant photography treatment. It would appear that this shoe was given a mirror like glass shine, but I think that instead, it was just given a really good overall shine, but managed to capitalize on the amazing light that was out that day. Nevertheless, it was already a good looking shoe, just made to look even better. Time again, I give a mirror like glass shine to a shoe, snap a picture of it, and it looks dull. Go figure....but then again, photography has NEVER been my strong suit....unfortunate as that is considering that I write a blog that requires some use of it.....

Shoes Of The Week - Ivan Crivellaro Loafers

While the quality of the photo (and high flash) might make it difficult to appreciate this loafer, by Ivan Crivellaro, in its entirety, I must say that it has probably fallen within the ranks of my all-time 3 favorite shoes. Everything about it is spot on to me. It literally possesses everything that I would want to see if were shopping for a passion shoe: blue leather, herringbone tweed fabric, tassels with the leather wrapping around the side and brogueing extending to the heel. Simply amazing....not practical for most, but amazing nonetheless. I feel that I must salute Mr. Crivellaro because it would appear that he is constantly making things that he would wear, as opposed to what the majority would like. It's very dangerous to do this, as it is hard to appeal to the masses this way, and stay afloat, but nevertheless it's very admirable. I am just happy to see that he continues to do this and makes shoes that others may not, but that to me, stand out above all of the rest! This shoe, I would wear proudly, and daily!

What I Am Wearing

The thing about me, is that I love blue, as you might know from previous posts, or as you might be able to tell by looking at this outfit. I mean, with the exception of the shoes, there is some form of blue in every other piece of my outfit. Some might find this excessive, but as I love it, it doesn't matter. Now what I am getting at, is that I think that a dark brown suede loafer, is just about one of the nicest pairings that you can conjure up with blue attire (just outside of burgundy shoes!). And while I don't wear these loafers as often as I should (maybe due to not wanting to ruin them), I do find myself always drawn to suede loafers when looking into shoe stores. We actually have a pair at G&H, in the Cleverley butterly loafer design, that I absolutely love, but thankfully (as I don't need more shoes or to spend any money) they don't stock my size. Nevertheless, if you are like me and love the color blue in your wardrobe, then a dark brown suede loafer is something that you should also look to own, because it will take you a long way.

Shoes: Ferragamo Tremezza line
Jacket: Burberry
Scarf: Vintage
Waistcoat: Vintage
Shirt: Some Neapolitan brand
Tie: Robert Talbott Best of Class line

Today's Favorites - Ivan Crivellaro Tassel Loafers

This is a fun pair of shoes. And even though I can't say that I am the biggest fan of the pattern and colors of that fabric used (if it was on its own), I think that it is great on this pair of shoes, especially with those green tassels. I absolutely love the idea of this whole shoe and am very pleased that Mr. Ivan Crivellaro, not only designed them, but made them too! It takes courage to offer shoes like this, because they are not for everyone...in reality they are not for many, mainly just the shoe freaks like me! But what's great about it, is that it represents the depth of which design can be taken, yet still be fun and relatively practical. Not that you would wear these to the office, but with a pair of chinos or jeans, they would go just perfectly! This is exactly the type of thing that I would love to design and make but know that if I did just this, it would be hard to stay afloat. But do expect to see this type of flair every now and then released in my collection, because hey, what would a shoe line be without a little fun?!

Today's Favorites - Alden Blue Suede Tassel Loafers

Sometimes I almost wish that I did not have a favorite color, because that way I would be a little less aggressive in gravitating towards the same things, and therefore have a wardrobe that is a little bit more varied. But I do have a favorite color and as you can probably gather from the statement prior and the picture above, it is blue. And because I love blue so much and wished that it was used on the feet of more men on the planet, you can understand why I am always talking about blue shoes and putting them on the blog, such as these lovely beauties by Alden. And while I love a blue calf leather, I think that I almost prefer shoes in a blue suede. Something about the suede just seems to give the color a bit more depth, a bit more of a rich feel to it, which is why I feel that the blue goes better with jeans and blue calf leather doesn't.... Whatever the case, the fact remains, I love blue and blue shoes and for all of you that share the same sentiment....be ready for a few new executions in the idea of blue shoes....

Picture Courtesy Of: Tassels

Shoes Of The Week - Mannina

There is something about wholecut loafers that I just absolutely love. The fact that they seem to derive from a Prince Albert shoe but usually will have a normal sole on them and are intended for actual wear as opposed to prancing around your big mansion, is quite appealing to me. And then, there are so many things that you can do to them to give them a little bit of character, like add a medallion, some tassels or some thick and contrasting piping around the edges etc. These ones here, by Mannina, seem to have added all of those little extras that I just listed and what came out, to me, is beautiful loafer that (if not for the color) could get an amazing amount of wear. Shame that light suede is such a delicate material, something that can only be worn confidently in few countries (like Italy) without fear of ridicule or the chance of ruining them. But imagine these in a nice snuff suede or something a bit darker, that would be a shoe to have, cherish and rock your socks in....

Patinas - Even You Can Do Them

(Just a little under half of my collection, 45 to be exact (some you cannot see), mainly my casuals)

I just recently moved into a new flat in London and finally learned what it's like to truly be European. What I mean is, now that I finally have all of my stuff in one place, I can ultimately see that I have way too much and it does not all fit. It's a sad realization, but I think deep down in my subconscious, I knew all along that this was bound to happen. Simply because, I do have a lot of crap!! Now, back in the States, I could fit it all. Don't get me wrong, it barely fit even there but at least I could manage. However, here in London I am bursting through the closet doors (as you can see), being subjected to the mistreatment of my shoes and am therefore having to find strange places to put things that I would have never even considered in a American-sized flat. (On a side note: To my fellow Americans, be blessed of the spaces that you have, because here in England, it would cost you 10 times more to have that space!) At this point, you might be wondering what the heck this has to do with patinas, so allow me to explain. Looking at all of my 100 pairs of shoes (circa), I had to come to terms with knowing that I needed to either give some away, sell some and/or change some to be more practical. I decided to do a bit of each and in doing so, changed the color of another pair of my shoes.

A long time ago when I was a bit younger and a bit dumber (and making a good amount of money working as a salesman at Nordstrom), I decided to buy these cream colored Gucci loafers (pictured). Looking back at it, I know what drove me to buy them, but thinking about it now, I would have been much better off just saving the money. But, such is life and at least I now I am able to turn a mistake into an opportunity. And so I did.

I realized that I would never wear these anymore, not in a practical way at least, and therefore did not want to have another shoe that just sat around for special occasions. I decided that I was going to change the color, since ultimately, I like the style of the shoe and wanted to keep it. After much debate, I came to the conclusion that I was going to make it two colors; ones that complimented each other and that I could get a lot of use out of. Those two colors were brown and blue.

When doing a patina, you tend to be working with dyes and things that stain, so I apologize that I do not have pictures of the process. But I can tell you, that if you have common sense (as I hope that you do), you can do exactly what I did, because it really is not that hard. Now, don't let me fool you though, this is an amateur job, at best, but to get results such as these, which are definitely satisfactory in my opinion, it really is not that hard. The simple rule to remember is that you can never dye a dark shoe light and that the lighter the base, the easier the patina will be. Also, the more contrast that you have in colors (from base to dye) the easier that it will be for the end result. For example, taking a tan shoe, stripping it, and then trying to dye it light gray, will be a lot more difficult than dying it navy. But the real trick is to get good dyes. Now this will be the hard part, and in reality I cannot give you much advice here, as I am no expert. If you can get the people at Berluti to tell you what they use, then you will be in business, but for now, you can use Fiebings.

If any of you have been thinking about doing this let me tell you a couple of things that you might want. Buy yourself a paint brush (for small areas), a sponge to use in circular motions (for big areas), and some surgical (latex) gloves (because it will stain your hands). And make sure that if you are going to be using multiple colors, have multiple applicators, because if you use the same one, you will start creating a third color and it might mess it up. Once you have these things, you can go to town. If any of you end of going for it, send me a pic, as I would love to see the results!

What I Am Wearing

Sorry for all of the mean looking faces, but like a reader commented before, it's quite challenging to make a smile when you are taking a photo of yourself. I don't really why, but I find myself unable to smile when I am taking these photos. Even when I try, it just comes out like a forced smirk, but never a genuine smile. Anyway, I am wrapping up the rest of my waistcoat outfits, as the weather is quickly turning quite cold and windy. Now you will start to notice that my v-neck sweaters (jumpers) will be my staple piece, as I love layering. The tie that I am wearing in this picture is definitely one of my favorites, as it is just so bold and intricate. It's not one for everyone so I understand if some of you may not agree, but it is definitely one of those ties that commands attention. And while the paisley era is over, I still like to bring it out every now and then!

Shoes: Salvatore Ferragamo -- Tramezza line
Tie: Robert Talbott -- Best of Class series
Trousers: H&M
Waistcoat: J.Crew
Shirt: Primark

Seriously.....? What is high fashion?

The words style and fashion sure do not mix, nor do they have even close to the same meaning, as we shall learn here today. Now, one might bravely call these Christian Louboutin shoes 'high fashion objects,' but one would hopefully not venture to wear these and say that they have 'style.' Obviously, those who would buy and wear them, will undoubtedly think that they have style, but oh how wrong they will be. I am beginning to think that the high fashion artists of the world have ran out of clever ideas to create so they just create the most ostentatious things that they can think of and call it fashionable. I really believe that as the days go on, these two words grow further apart from each other, when in reality I believe that in their truest forms, they should go hand-in-hand. The definition of fashion is: a prevailing custom or style of dress, etiquette, socializing. It's like when Tommy Nutter, one of the most famous designers from Savile Row, came about. He revolutionized the lapel, making it bold and beautiful. Wearing his stuff was not only fashionable, but took someone with style to pull off. Where do you think Tom Ford got his inspiration (and designs)? Tommy Nutter! So...when I look at shoes like this, I shake my head in disappointment, thinking about how someone who would design this could be so famous???? 

Shoes -- Part 2: Style & Terminology -- Loafers/Slip On's

Among the more casual forms of dress shoes within the shoe industry are the lovely non-laced loafer shoes (or slip-on's). Although the origin of loafers most likely trace back to way before the internet might tell me, the popularity of them came about around the 1930's, when Norwegian shoemakers were exporting these moccasin like shoes to the rest of Europe. Apparently American tourists took a liking to them and Esquire magazine did a feature on them, enticing G.H. Bass to come out with their own version, called 'Weejun' (hence the name sounding like Norwegian). From that point on, they seemed to skyrocket in popularity with slit-strapped loafers being made and heavily worn by East Coast school prep's who put pennies into the slit. From this trend, the term Penny Loafer (a version pictured above, by Septieme Largeur) came about, and seems to remain strong to this day. Now days we have all types of loafers and here I will begin to show all of you which ones are which. If I forget any, please feel free to add to the commentary.

Butterfly Loafers

I had never known (or maybe had never thought about) the butterfly loafer before moving to England. Then again, this place has made me more conservative (not in thinking) in the year that I have been here and because of that I might have not even taken a second look at them prior to 2010, even if I had known about them. But nevertheless, I am glad that my views have changed, as I find them to be one of the nicer loafers in circulation. This pair here, a bespoke model by Gaziano & Girling, is slightly different than the way it is usually portrayed, in it's classic sense, and that is without the brogueing on the straps. The butterfly loafer is said to have been created by Mr. George Cleverley himself and I must say that my hat is tipped to him, for I look at this and still see a loafer that is not only unique but elegantly timeless. This is one model of shoe that is surely on my to-get list!

Tassel Loafers

I tell you, there was nothing that I hated more than tassel loafers when I was young, and that is partly because I come from the States. Probably everyone can picture the guy who is wearing a baggy suit with those Cole Haan pinch tassel loafers (as we speak I am desperately trying to find a picture on Google of this, with no luck!), the ones that are super ugly with crappy leather and no shape at all. Anyway, this idea of wearing tassel loafers was ruined for me until I moved to Italy and saw how a man who knew how to dress well could pair his tassel loafers with his outfit and make them look quite nice, so long as they were not those shitty ones loved by American businessman. Surely you know what I am talking about? Anyway, I love them now, so long as they are done well, as the pair above are, by Saint Crispins.

Whole Cut Loafers

Whole cut loafers are among my favorite type of loafers, being that they have that minimalist look to them, which is strange, as I am by no means a minimalist. I don't know. My tastes change everyday anyway. Tomorrow my favorites will be apron toed loafers......Back onto subject. I like them. They are simple, elegant and let's not forget, cool (like these crazy banana yellow ones by Scarpe di Bianco). I believe that it takes a real shoe freak to like these, which is probably why you don't find them often being offered by shoe brands. When on, they look like a boot, which most people don't like to give that impression, especially when dressing in a suit. But when you have your inseam taken up to the point that the bottom of your trousers sit (with no break) on the top of your shoe with an opening of 14 inches, as I do, then you get to see the whole shoe, with no mistakes about it!

Prince Albert Loafers

Popularized -- at least one would think considering the name -- by Prince Albert, who was a great sartorialist, the Prince Albert loafer is now what we think of when using dress slippers for the house to wear in velour and pair with our smoking jackets while drinking Loius XIII (Cognac). At least that's what you see in the Ralph Lauren ads. But I like to think of them differently, like the one that I made, in brown, directly to your left. I hope to see these one day made with thicker soles and being worn on a daily basis as I think that they give the daring man a chance to be fun at throwing a nice, contrasting color of sock with this outfit, you know....to spice things up. (BTW, these are also a version of the whole cut loafer, but having a much larger opening for your foot)

Shoe By: Del Toro

Pumps

Pumps, you will find, are generally a shoe that you wear for formal occasions and will find them in some sort of patent leather form, as is the one at the top by Dimitri Bottier. But when one wants to be fun, you can find them in all sorts of arrangements, like these ostrich pumps by Barker Black. They are a fun shoe, but can really one be worn in certain environments, at least for most. I wouldn't mind wearing them regularly, but then again, traveling to the SE of London most days, I might find myself in some predicaments...that was a joke, just in case you are traumatized. Moving swiftly on...pumps, I believe, got their name from their construction, which if the shoe is bespoke or high end, should be a pump stitch. Now, I know what this word is, but I have no idea what it means. I am pretty sure that it is some way of stitching the sole directly to the insole -- by hand. But if you read the Carreducker's blog and type in pump-stitch to their search bar, you will find a much better explanation, I am sure. 

Kilty Loafers

It should be easy to see where this name derives, as it is so clearly evident. Kilty loafers are usually something that you will see paired with tassels, but have been recently popularized by the likes of Italian shoemakers to make in other versions, such as this one here, by Riccardo Bestetti. I don't really have much to say on these. Some I like, some I hate. To me they are strictly a shoe that is for fun, as I don't see them as professional. I would rather wear them with jeans...

Side Gusset Shoes (AKA lazy man's oxford - which is a loafer)

Aaawww, the side gusset shoe. Not sure that I could ever like this, as to me, it represents something that is fake, like a pre-made bow-tie. I just have never been the person for illusions in clothing, something trying to pass off as something that it is not. I mean, don't get me wrong, the George Cleverley shoe above is beautiful, no doubt, but the side gusset with laces is just not my style. Now, on the other hand, if it did not have laces, then it would be okay, but you tend to find that the majority do, as this seems to be a new trend right now in the shoe industry, probably because many men are super lazy and can't be fussed to lace their shoes but still want the professional look of an oxford.

Anyway, there are probably variations of many other loafers, but as usual, I am tired and think that the 2+ hours that I have spent on this post is good enough. So if I have missed anything, please feel free to comment. If not, enjoy the new week into September...

-Justin, "The Shoe Snob"

(oh yea, I have a picture of a side gusset shoe without laces, below by Koji Suzuki --- beautiful!!)

Today's Favorites - Random's

I am in a bit of a rush this morning and could not think of a specific maker that I wanted to write about so I thought that I would just filter through my 'random' pictures folder. That being, I am will put up some shoes here, but may not 100% sure about who the maker is. For example, I believe that the stunning spat boot above is made by Aubercy, but also have this feeling that it may be a japanese maker (Correction, a reader told me that it was made by Otsaka M-5)? So, if you know, please feel free to leave a comment so that I can give credit to the maker. Nonetheless, enjoy the shoe porn, have a great Wednesday and I will be back tomorrow for a stronger post. Now that the Paris trip posts are done, I will get back to doing my "Shoes" posts on Mondays, next week explaining everything about the term 'brogue.'

Above: Ivan Crivellaro 

Above: Christian Louboutin

Above: Officina Patina

Above: Mario Rubinacci

Above: Olivier Guyot For Walter Steiger

Above: Tom Ford