Today's Shoes

Day

Vass three-eyelet plain-toe side-lace shoes in dark burgundy calfskin with single leather soles (Hunter's Goyser model, P2 last). One of Alan Flusser's arguments regarding shoes is that colors other than black and brown look painted-on, cheap, and artificial. He singles out burgundy (at least in calfskin), among other colors like blue and gray, for disdain. I have a great deal of respect for Flusser's aesthetic sensibilities, but I think that he's wrong about burgundy calfskin. It's true that burgundy looks awful when it's used on cheap, corrected-grain shoes; but cheap, corrected-grain shoes look awful regardless of the color of the leather. Burgundy is just another shade in the brown leather family, and if it's done properly by a high-quality tannery, the result can be very attractive. In case you're wondering, Vass uses excellent tanneries for all their leathers, including their dark burgundy calf.

Evening

Sutor Mantellassi three-eyelet chukka boots in navy blue suede with Norwegian construction and rubber soles.

Today's Shoes

Day

Vass plain-toe bals with a floating medallion on the toe in cognac (really burnt orange) calfskin with beveled single leather soles (U last). Vass calls this model the Oxford Medallion. My shoes are identical to the ones in the picture except for the color of the calfskin. I don't wear these shoes very often for two reasons. First, the color is a bit extreme -- there aren't a whole lot of occasions that call for burnt orange shoes. Second, they're too big. I had never tried shoes on the U last on before I bought these, and on the advice of others who had, I ordered them half a size larger than my regular size because the U last was supposed to be narrow. Well, maybe it is narrow compared to other Vass lasts, but it isn't narrow in an absolute sense. These shoes are, predictably enough, about a half a size too large, meaning that they break in the wrong place on my foot and aren't that comfortable. Oh, well. If I had it to do over again, I would order these in a darker color (maybe antic cognac or Color #8 shell cordovan) and would order them in my regular size.

Evening

Sutor Mantellassi three-eyelet plain-toe blucher boots in navy blue suede with Norwegian construction and a rubber sole. These are more shoes that have an extended toe that makes them just a bit too long. They would benefit from being half a size smaller. Other than that, they're great. The suede is nice and floppy, even with a full lining.

Today's Shoes

Mantellassi Norwegian-welted wholecut bluchers with "ghosted" reverse twin-needle-stitched apron and toe seams in a light tan antiqued calf with a double leather sole. These shoes are too loose in the heel, which is a very common feature of European shoes made on European lasts. For some reasons, European men tend to have wider heels than their American counterparts. European makers who have a large US business tend to have US lasts, but not Mantellassi. The result is that their shoes tend not to fit me well. Oh, well. They're beautiful shoes.

Today's Shoes

Mantellassi three-eyelet chukka boots in blue suede with a heavy rubber sole. These shoes have Norvegese construction, and I wish that the stitching had been done with brown or black thread instead of off-white. Leave it to the Italians to call attention to something like that, though.

Today's Shoes

Mantellassi split-toe Norvegese-constructed bluchers with reversed apron and toe seams in a light tan calf. This is a take-off on the split-toe model pictured in yesterday's post. The apron and toe seams on that shoe are not actually seams. The vamp of the shoe is actually one piece of leather. The shoemaker simulates the seams by pinching the leather of the upper together and using two needles to create a molehill-like faux seam. When this is done on the top side of the leather, the result is the shoe shown yesterday. When this is done on the under side of the leather, the result is the pair of shoes I wore today. The "seams" are still visible, but they are ghosted and indistinct.

Today's Shoes

Mantellassi Norwegian-constructed chukka boots in navy suede and a rubber sole. These shoes are a special order, and I waited more than 9 months for them. They look better than they fit, but such is life with Sutor Mantellassi shoes.