Today's Shoes

Day

John Lobb Paris three-eyelet plain-toe V-front bluchers in tobacco suede with single leather soles (Perrier model, 8896 last). The first really expensive shoes that I ever lusted after were from John Lobb Paris -- three-eyelet plain-toe ankle boots in tobacco suede with low-profile rubber soles. I saw them at Neiman Marcus in 1997 or 1998, and I thought that they were about as perfect as a pair of shoes could be. The model name was Giono, and it turned out that it had been developed as an ankle boot variant of Perrier. Well, I saw pictures of Perrier, and I thought that it was pretty perfect, too, although Lobb had this inexplicable habit of making it up in black. These shoes were a special order inspired by those Giono boots. It's a pity that the 8896 last doesn't fit me better (like most Lobb Paris lasts, it's too wide in the heel for me), but Perrier is one beautiful shoe. The picture above doesn't really do it justice, both because it's crappy and the color of leather selected doesn't really do much for the pattern; but I have to work with what I can find on the interweb.

Evening

Gravati ghillie tie split-toe bluchers with twin-needle stitching on the apron and toe (13555, 500 last).

Today's Shoes

John Lobb Paris plain-toe chelsea boots in dark brown calf with single leather soles (Chesland model, 8695 last). Hallelujah, back home now, so I can get a little more variety in my shoes.

Today's Shoes

John Lobb Paris plain-toe chelsea boots in dark brown calf with single leather soles (Chesland model, 8695 last). Two things that would make these boots better are cloth pull tabs on the front of the throat as well as the back (since one puts them on by putting one hand on the back pull tab and one hand on the front throat) and making them wholecuts, so that there weren't seams running from the bottom of the elastic gores to the soles on either side.

Today's Shoes

John Lobb Paris plain-toe chelsea boot in dark brown calf with single leather soles. Yes, a repeat of what I wore the day before yesterday. I'm traveling for the holidays, and I can't take many shoes with me. Chelsea boots are just about the ideal travel shoes because they can be worn in many different situations and because they're easy to get out of and into when going through airport security.

Today's Shoes

John Lobb Paris plain-toe chelsea boots in dark brown calfskin with single leather soles (Chesland model, 8695 last). I usually have trouble with JL Paris's 8695 last because it's too wide in the heel for me, but it doesn't bother me on these boots. I'm not sure why, although I suspect that it has something to do with the fact that they are boots rather than shoes. The picture above is of these boots in black calf, but mine are almost identical in every respect.

Today's Shoes

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GJ Cleverley bespoke split-toe bluchers with a handsewn apron and toe seam in Russian reindeer calf with double leather soles.

See those shoe trees? They're made from the last that these shoes were made on (to provide an exact fit for the shoe) out of light-weight unvarnished wood. I don't know who actually made the trees (Cleverley almost certainly did not), but there's a reasonably good chance that it was Spring Line. Spring Line is a Northampton company that is an integral but little-known part of the British shoe industy, providing products for both the ready-to-wear and bespoke trade. In addition to lasted shoe trees, they also provide finished lasts and rough-turn lasts (the latter being the basic last shape that a lastmaker then works down to produce the finished lasts) to bespoke makers (none of the big-name West End bespoke makers use the finished lasts). For the ready-to-wear makers, they will grade lasts (ie, duplicate a particular "master" last in all of the different sizes and widths that the maker needs) and duplicate lasts (because ready-to-wear manufacturers need lots and lots of lasts) in either wood or plastic.

Evening

John Lobb Paris split-toe penny loafer in dark brown pebble-grain calf with a single leather sole (Campus model, 3198 last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green chasse bluchers with pie-crust-style handsewing on the apron and a ghosted toe seam in antiqued tan calf (EG calls it Edwardian Antique) with a double leather sole (Dover model, 808 last). The shoes to the left are Dovers on the 808 last, but they're in a leather that EG calls Brandy Willow, not Edwardian Antique. The pictures that I could find online of shoes in Edwardian were significantly lighter in color than mine, which points out an important fact about Edward Green: there is a tremendous of variation in their different colors (except for black) because most of that color is hand-applied during the finishing stage. My Edwardian Dovers are about the same color as my Chestnut Antique shoes, but that's not typical. 808 last was Edward Green's first attempt to update the classic 88 last, and I believe that it started being made in the late '90s. It apparently did not fit most feet very well because they quickly replaced it with the Tony Gaziano-designed 888 last. I like it, though. It fits me well, and it offers a more shapely square toe than the 606 without being as severe as the 888.

Evening

John Lobb Paris split-toe penny loafer in dark brown pebble-grain calf with a single leather sole (Campus model, 3198 last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Gaziano & Girling modified adelaide half-brogue bal in fox suede with a single leather sole (Hughes model, DG70 last). I continue to be impressed by the quality of these shoes and the attractiveness of the last. The only thing that I can complain about it that it's not quite full enough around the instep, which means that the laces are more open than I would prefer.

Evening

John Lobb Paris split-toe penny loafer in dark brown pebble-grain calf (Campus model, 3198 last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Cleverley side-elastic shoe with hand-stitched apron seam in burgundy calf. These shoes have inlaid steel tips on the toes. I tend to wear the toes of my soles down very quickly, and resoling bespoke shoes costs more than every single pair of shoes that Ben Brumfield has ever owned put together. The steel tips are a good way to extend the lives of the soles. The problem is that it sounds like I'm tap-dancing whenever I walk on hard floors in them.

Evening

John Lobb Paris Venetian loafer in dark brown calf (Chester model, 6000 last).

Today's Shoes

John Lobb unlined Venetian loafers in dark oak calf (Chester model, 6000 last). The shoes pictured above are the same model, but they're in a lighter color than my shoes.

Today's Shoes

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Gravati punch cap high-lace balmoral ankle boots in dark brown calf (10278, 683 last). A person can't have too many high-lace boots, I say. I was considering today whether it would be a good idea to have this pattern made up with a wing cap instead of a straight cap, and I concluded that it was not. A plain toe would work, however.

Evening

John Lobb Paris split-toe penny loafer in dark brown pebble grain calf (Campus model, 3198 last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green bespoke bals in dark brown calf. The dominant feature of these shoes is that the U-throat, the diamond-cap, and the counter are all done with the pie crust-style hand-sewing that typifies the Edward Green Dover. Edward Green's bespoke program is now defunct since their lastmaker, Tony Gaziano, left to found Gaziano & Girling with Dean Girling, who is one of the best bespoke makers around. Tony designed these shoes based on an idea of mine, Tony made the last for them, and Dean made them. After they want out on their own, Tony asked permission to photograph them with G&G trees for display on the G&G website; and I readily agreed. He liked the design well enough that a rendition of it called the Gable is included in his RTW line.

I'm really proud of this design. It all started with a Sutor Mantellassi shoe that I saw a picture of. The shoe was a wholecut with twin-needle stitching forming a standard cap-toe design. I thought that it would look good with a wing-cap and a U throat, and I asked if Gravati could do it. They said that they could not. I asked Ron Rider if Martegani could do it. He said yes, and a few months later I got my hot little hands on the finished shoes. I liked the result so much that I decided to get a bespoke rendition of it. One of Tony's design signatures is the diamond tip, so I decided to replace the wing-cap with a diamond-cap. I also thought that the Dover-style pie crust-style would be more elegant. I think the results are spectacular. But I'm hardly objective.

Evening

John Lobb Paris Venetian loafers in dark brown calf (Chester model, 6000 last).

Today's Shoes

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John Lobb Paris austerity brogues in tan calf (Widner model, 8695 last). This is the fourth of my four pairs of austerity brogues. 8695 doesn't fit me particularly well in the heel, unfortunately, which is why these shoes don't get a whole lot of action.

Evening

John Lobb Paris three-eyelet V-front derbies in tobacco suede (Perrier model, 8896 last). This is one of the near-perfect shoe designs. The only thing that could improve this shoe is a more stylish last.

Today's Shoes

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John Lobb Paris two-eyelet plain-toe bluchers with V-shaped quarters in London tan calf (Tamar model, 8000 last). I don't wear these shoes much, and I was reminded why today: the last makes my feet look huge, and it doesn't fit my feet very well. This is a problem with most JL Paris lasts. They're too big in the heel for me, which causes blisters with extended wearing. A shame, really, because the V-front blucher is one of my favorite shoe designs.

Evening

Martegani six eyelet plain-toe blucher with a floating medallion in London tan calf (Lucca model, 3B last). A good looking shoe on another last that doesn't fit me particularly well, again in the heel. Alas!