Today's Shoes

Day

Edward Green bespoke adelaide diamond-tip bals with pie crust-style throat, counter, and toe cap stitching in dark brown aniline-dyed calf with single leather soles with steel plates in the toe. These shoes are one of the original Gaziano-Girling shoes -- Tony Gaziano was the lastmaker and clicker, and Dean Girling was the maker -- but they were made when Tony was still with Edward Green. I have been wanting to have Tony make another pair for me (I'm thinking a wholecut monkstrap with reversed seams), but, alas, he hasn't come close to this part of the country since these shoes were completed. I'd like him to see these on the foot so that he can determine if any last adjustments are needed. In addition, I think that the next pair will be on a round-toe last, and I'd like to discuss the last and the design of the shoe with him in person. So maybe next spring...

Evening

JM Weston demi-chasse bluchers in dark tan calf with double leather soles (598 model).

Today's Shoes

Day

Gaziano & Girling modified adelaide half-brogue bal in fox suede (kind of an orange-y, tobacco-y color) with single leather soles (Hughes model, DG70 last). The shoes pictured above are the same model and last as my shoes, only different leather (obviously). Tony and Dean are scheduled to introduce some boot models in January, and I can hardly wait -- a chelsea boot or a true balmoral boot on this same DG70 last would be perfect.

Evening

Martegani six-eyelet plain toe bluchers with a floating medallion in antique tan calf with thick leather soles (Lucca model, 3B 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

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

Day

Gaziano & Girling half-brogue adelaide (Hayes model, DG70 last) in fox suede. Notice the shape of the cutout at the throat of the shoe. On the typical adelaide, this cutout will be U-shaped, but Tony Gaziano borrowed the contours of a traditional half-brogue for this design. Very unique, but not flashy enough to call attention to itself (at least when it isn't in the presence of other shoe geeks).

Evening

John Lobb Paris unlined Venetian loafer (Chester model, 6000 last) in dark oak calf. I has misplaced one of the shoes from this pair until this afternoon, which had prevented me from wearing these for a number of months. That's a shame because I really like these. Because they're unlined, they're perfect for summer (and let's face it: it may still be May, but it is summer in Houston); and Venetian loafers have a great deal of minimalist elegance.