Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati cap-toe bals in medium brown grained calfskin (Lama, color Larice) with single leather soles (16592, 500 last).

Evening

Gravati wingtip bals in walnut brown waterproof suede with thick combination leather/rubber soles (15902, 640 last).

Today's Shoes

Gravati wingtip bals in waterproof walnut suede with a combination leather/rubber sole (15902, 640 last). I wore these to E&B's soccer games this morning. There was dew on the grass, and I kicked the ball around with Big E before his game. The shoes got wet and a little grassy, and they now look as good as new. Yet another tribute to the usefulness of waterproof suede. It may not be as powerful as my Hot and Sour Soup anecdote about these very same shoes, but it still is a tribute.

Today's Shoes

Gravati wingtip bals in walnut waterproof suede with combination leather/rubber soles (15902, 640 last). I thought the shoes were appropriate today because the waterproof suede works well with the forecast thundershowers and because they're the only shoes I own in Astro burnt orange. My company may be planning to lay a bunch of us off, but they sent us all to an afternoon baseball game. Yay, company!

Today's Shoes

Gravati wingtip bals in walnut waterproof suede (15902, 640 last). These are another Gravati special order, one of the first ones that I did. The idea for these shoes came from a pair of fawn suede Ferragamo Tramezzas that came out a few years ago. I liked the shoes but wanted something with my own stamp. The color of suede that I selected was a bit darker and a heck of a lot oranger, and I made it more of a casual shoe than the Ferragamo shoe that was its model. It has natural-colored Rapid stitching along the sole edges and matching natural laces, and it has a relatively extended double sole (along with extended heels). The sole and heel treatments are identical to the tan Gravati 16407s that I have. Had I to do over again, I would have selected a last a little less clunky than the 640. Oh, well. Them's the breaks.

Shortly after I got these shoes, I was wearing them while working on a Saturday afternoon. I had a carton of greasy hot and sour soup on my desk, which I promptly knocked off and spilled all over my new shoes. I was scared to death that I had just ruined my brand new shoes, but they cleaned up just fine with some white vinegar and water. You can't tell today that any greasy pseudo-Chinese soup ever spilled all over them, a testament to just how resilient the waterproof suede Gravati uses is.