Today's Shoes

Day

GJ Cleverley bespoke three-eyelet plain-toe bluchers in chestnut Russian reindeer with single leather soles. Cleverley's Russian reindeer is certainly something of a gimmick. I don't think that it's the most durable skin available, and I don't think that it is the most appropriate for shoemaking. In the 18th Century, when these skins were originally tanned, Russian reindeer leather was mostly used for bookbinding. The two centuries that it has spent on the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Plymouth probably didn't do wonders for it, either. I have heard reports that it splits fairly easily. Despite it all, though, I do love the skin and the shoes it can make. I have two pairs made from it, and I love them both. A friend of mine has recently been ruminating about whether he should bespeak a pair from Cleverley made from Russian reindeer and if so in what pattern. I think he's leaning toward a double buckle monkstrap cap-toe, something that I had never considered but that would be excellent. If he doesn't do it, I might. Heck, even if he does do it, I might.

Evening

Alden long wing bluchers in Color #8 shell cordovan with reverse welts and double leather soles (model 975, Barrie last).

Today's Shoes

Alden half-brogue bluchers in dark brown long-nap suede with combination leather/rubber soles -- Alden calls them Commando soles, and they're actually full leather soles and heels with mini-lug rubber soles glued and stitched over them (Barrie last). These shoes were a special order that I placed years ago with Alden of Carmel. Alas, Alden actively discourages special orders now, and most retailers won't do them because of Alden's hostility.

Today's Shoes

Alden long wing bluchers in dark tan alpine grain calfskin with a reverse welt and double leather soles (Barrie last) -- a LeatherSoul special makeup and a recreation of a classic American shoe.

Today's Shoes

Day

Alden high-lace wingtip blucher boots in dark brown (cigar) shell cordovan with double leather soles (Plaza last). These boots were special make-ups LeatherSoul in Hawaii. Cigar shell cordovan apparently has gotten very difficult to find, and Alden merchants are reporting wait times of many, many months or longer for their cigar make-ups. The good news is that LeatherSoul has been reordering these in Color #8.

Evening

Gravati four-eyelet plain-toe bluchers in dark brown grained (Lama) calf with combination leather/rubber soles (16532, 640 last)

Today's Shoes

Alden wingtip bal in dark brown suede with single leather soles (model 904, Hampton last). Alden has two different kinds of suede: one with a long nap, and one with a short nap. The long nap version is more attractive, and it feels better, too. These shoes are made from the one with a short nap. Tom Park at LeatherSoul in Hawaii has a version on Plaza last made from the long nap version, and these are a constant source of temptation for me.

Today's Shoes

Alden long-wing bluchers in dark tan alpine grain calfskin with reverse welting and double leather soles (Barrie last).

Today's Shoes

Alden high-lace wingtip blucher boots in Cigar shell cordovan with double leather soles (Plaza last). Reportedly, Cigar shell cordovan is becoming more and more difficult to come by. It's not quite like lighter colors like Whiskey and Ravello, which can have back orders of years, but the price for shoes and boots in Cigar is rising, even relative to more standard colors like Color #8 and black.

These boots were specified by Tom Park at LeatherSoul Hawaii.

Today's Shoes

Alden long wing bluchers with reverse welting in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (model 975, Barrie last). One of the not-so-wonderful aspects of shell cordovan shoes is that they will develop a milky white film on the surface of the leather if they haven't been worn for a week or two. It's composed of fat used in the tanning process that seeps to the surface of the leather, and it can just be wiped off with a soft cloth. The problem, though, is when this film develops along the stitching around the throat and eyelet facings of the shoe -- it's hard to get rid of when it develops there.

Today's Shoes

Now that the complete shoe inventory is once again available, I was able to wear my Alden long wing bluchers in English tan pebble grain calf with a reverse welt and double leather soles (Barrie last) -- one of Alden's special makeups for LeatherSoul in Hawaii.

Today's Shoes

Alden five-eyelet demi-chasses with twin-needle stitching forming the faux apron and toe seams in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (2210, Aberdeen last).

Today's Shoes

Alden five-eyelet bluchers with twin-needle stitching on the apron and toe in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (model 2210, Aberdeen last).

Today's Shoes

Alden five-eyelet blucher with twin-needle apron and toe stitching in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (model 2210, Aberdeen last).

Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green austerity brogue bals in burgundy antique calfskin with single leather soles (Beaulieu model, 888 last).

Evening

Alden half brogue bluchers in long-nap dark brown suede with a commando sole (Barrie last). These shoes were special orders from Alden of Carmel many moons ago.

Today's Shoes

Day

Vass high-lace wingtip blucher boots in dark brown calfskin with a single leather sole (F last). The boot pictured above is actually one of mine, although I didn't take the picture. A friend of mine recently got the same pattern on the same last in Color #8 shell cordovan with double soles for wear as winter boots, and he absolutely loved them. I can see why, although I think that a single sole is the way to go with these -- a single sole fits with the sleekness of the last and the narrowness of the toe.

Evening

Alden saddle bals in Color #8 shell cordovan with a single leather sole (model 994, Barrie last). This is one of the few regular-production shell cordovan models that Alden makes with a single sole. I wish that they would make more -- there's no reason why shell cordovan shoes all have to be double-soled gunboats.

Today's Shoes

Alden two-eyelet chukka boots in dark brown calfskin with a reverse welt, sole extension, and a commando sole (Barrie last). This is a special make-up for Alden of Carmel (AF32) that I purchased a number of years ago. The picture above shows a good detail of Alden's commando sole. The boot has a full double leather sole, then a low profile rubber lug sole stitched on top of it. It provides good traction without calling attention to itself. Adam Knott, the proprietor of Alden of Carmel, is primarily a make-up specialist, and he really likes the commando sole. I can't say that I disagree with him -- it makes for a very versatile shoe.

Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati split-toe monkstrap in caramel-colored Radica 03 calfskin with a combination leather/rubber sole (17194, 697 last). There are two different types of buckles used on monkstrap shoes. The first is like the buckle on a standard rubber belt, where the strap goes through the buckle once and then through a leather keeper. With the second, the strap comes up through the buckle, around a center bar, and back through the buckle -- in effect, the buckle is its own keeper. I like the second style better than the first because they are easier to buckle: getting the strap through that little leather keeper can be a pain in the butt sometimes.

Evening

Alden long wing bluchers in dark tan grained calfskin with a reverse welt and double leather soles (Barrie last). A special make-up for Tom Park of LeatherSoul in Hawaii.

Today's Shoes

Day

Gravati five-eyelet plain-toe blucher boots with a floating medallion in dark brown sponged calfskin (Radica 01) with thick single leather soles (15950, 655 last).

Evening

Alden wingtip bals in dark brown suede with single leather soles (model 904, Hampton last).

Today's Shoes

Morning

Moreschi penny driving mocs in dark brown suede with brown leather penny strap and trim. These shoes were a special order. I would have preferred them to be all suede, but Moreschi doesn't offer that option. They do, however, make an excellent driving moc -- better than Tod's, and cheaper, too.

Day

Alden long wing bluchers in Color #8 shell cordovan with reverse welting and double leather soles (model 975, Barrie last).

Today's Shoes

Alden Norwegian split-toe bluchers in Color #8 shell cordovan with double leather soles (model 2210, Aberdeen last). Alden also makes this shoe on the Barrie last, and for the life of me, I can't understand it. Barrie is flat on the top, with relatively high walls. That means that the apron stitching is bunched to the edge of the top, and the toe stitching pretty much just goes straight down. In other words, making this model on Barrie makes the hand stitching less prominent, which makes no sense to me when the hand stitching is one of the principal features of the shoe.

Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green half-brogue bals in chestnut antique calf with single leather soles (Cadogan model, 202 last).

Evening

Alden punch cap bals in black calfskin with single leather soles (model 901, Hampton last). These really are the only shoes that will do when going to a funeral. RIP, Jim Carlstead.