Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati three-eyelet wholecut bal in burgundy grained calfskin (Lama) with single leather soles (14391, 683 last).

Evening

Gravati cap-toe bals in navy blue grained calfskin (Lama) with double leather soles (15537, 640 last).

Today's Shoes

Gravati cap-toe bluchers in navy blue grained calfskin (Lama) with thick single leather soles (15537, 640 last). I say that the soles are thick, single leather ones, but that's a bit incomplete. They're normal single thickness around the waist but thicker around the balls of the feet. The waist is also beveled and close-cut, so the thinning of the sole from ball to waist has the effect of making the waist look even trimmer. It's a nice effect.

Today's Shoes

Day

Alden split-toe blucher in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (model 2210, Aberdeen last). Alden also makes this same model on Barrie last; and for the life of me, I can't understand why. Aberdeen is so much more shapely and attractive, and it fits better, too.

Evening

Gravati cap-toe blucher in navy blue Lama calf with single leather soles (15537, 640 last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green austerity brogue bals in antique burgundy calf with single leather soles (Beaulieu model, 888 last -- the picture is of the same shoes only on the round-toe 82 last). Don't you think that these shoes would be fantastic in Color #8 shell cordovan. I do. If only Edward Green would work in shell cordovan...

Evening

Gravati wholecut cap-toe bluchers in navy blue Lama calf with leather soles (15537, 640 last). An interesting feature of these shoes is the sole configuration: in the forefoot, the sole is double thickness, but it narrows to single thickness at the waist, allowing it to be close-cut and beveled on the inside of the foot. It's very attractive, and it's something that Gravati did on their own without any prompting from me (these were special order shoes, which means that I specified all of the details). Amazingly enough, they have developed quite an aesthetic sense after nearly 100 years of making shoes.

Today's Shoes

Gravati wholecut cap-toe bluchers in navy blue Lama calf with a double leather sole (15537, 640 last). This is one of the great patterns that Gravati makes. It's deceptively simple but entirely perfect. The toe cap and the eyelet facings have matching calfskin piping along the edges, which is an outstanding touch. The shoes have double leather soles, but they're thinned out to single-width at the waist. I could do this shoe in every color of Lama.

Today's Shoes

Gravati cap-toe whole-cut bluchers in blue Lama calf (15537, 640 last). Every time I wear blue shoes, I halfway expect someone to say something, but nobody ever does.

Today's Shoes

Gravati cap-toe whole-cut bluchers in navy Lama calf (15537, last 640). No, not llama. The tannery calls this particular leather Lama for reasons known only to themselves. I've heard it called "shrunken" calf, too. It's a soft, grained calfskin that takes a great shine. It looks very good in navy, too. I saw Jim Pierce, who owns the shoe concession at Harold's in the Heights, wearing a pair of these, and I decided that I needed a pair, too.