The Ultimate Vass (Footwear) Thread (Pictures, reviews, sizing, etc...)

[Slickman]

Best way to describe vass oxblood is the color of eggplant skin:

Spoiler

 

[Louis XIV]

Gentlemen, now I have plenty of lovely styles and colors of leathers to think about and pick my first pair of Vass from.
I thank you all very much for your advise, it has been a great help!
Still I need to get some things clarified:

Can one compare the F last to the C&J 337 in width and length?
The lacing of the 337 was only slightly opened on my feet, I would expect it to close perfectly with some stretching of the leather.
Would the F last have too great of an instep for my low/medium feet?
I am a UK6.5E in C&J 337 and US7.5D on the Brannock device, what would I be in Vass 39.5, 40, 40.5?

 

[yywwyy]



Best way to describe vass oxblood is the color of eggplant skin:

Spoiler

That is beautiful in both color and shape!

 

[Eteo]

How much are Vass shoes if bought in Budapest?

 

[Fiddler]

Actually I am longing more for an oxford austerity brogue than for a derby.

Have a look at the St Crispin ABs....theyre wonderful. Worth the difference just for the sheer voluptuousness of that model. If you run into Warren at the stock exchange he will ask about them....if you are consoling a widow at a funeral she will too.

 

[VRaivio]

I had a look at Vass's prices and the Hungarian GDP per person (around $12000). Turns out one pair from Vass costs a half month's average Hungarian pay. I wonder how great a percentage of their sales are exported or sold to tourists...

 

[bboysdontcryy]

No wonder the prices are reasonably low.

 

[Fiddler]

Boy, the way people keep going on about how cheap they are, it is a miracle Vass has not doubled their prices...maybe they are too busy to come and read this forum.

 

[Louis XIV]

I just received a reply of Mr. Kuti only a few hours after sending him an email, great reponse time!

"Dear Mr. Louis XIV,

First of all we would like to thank you for your interesting about Vass Shoes!
We can make and send shoes to Germany. The size will be fine, the 6.5 UK. In case when you have received your shoes, you can try them on. If they don’t fit as you thought, then we can exchange them for another size. Half size up or down.
If the C&J last 337 was one of the bests, then the F last from our collection might be the best choice. We need 6 weeks this time to make a shoe ready for you. You can pay by wire transfer, we are shipping by FedEx only. The shoes are for 420.- Euro, the matching shoe trees are for 30.- Euro, the shipping is 20.- Euro to Germany. All together 470.- Euro. If I can help, or you have questions left, then please contact me!

Sincerely yours,

Rezső Kuti
Sales Manager"

Now I only need to make up my mind which style to go for

 

[Fiddler]

You write to him as Louis XIV...and he addresses you the same....am I the only one who finds this hilarious

 

[Louis XIV]

I have thought about it but can't put myself off buying a black shoe next.
I want to explain myself as I have received so much and sound advise from your side and don't want to leave the impression I don't appreciate it.

Black shoes, especially plain captoes, are not the most beautiful shoes in the world, the color has no depth and shoes with little details can appear dull.
Yet they are the most accepted shoes for both important social events as well as business for exact the same reasons.
No matter if in NY, London, Beijing or Tokyo, they will never be terribly inapproriate and given you chose a pair of great quality and on a beautiful last, they will still make you the best soled man in the place more often than not.

Last week I went to a fair.
Because of lack of choice I wore my mid brown fullbrogues and while I got several compliments on them and adore them myself, I felt poorly because I thought they were out of place.
What I want in my next pair of shoes is to feel confident, I want to avoid the need to spend a second thought on my choice of shoes in the morning and I want shoes that do not distract people from what I have to say and offer over the course of the day.
Know the rules, then brake them.

I agree on the depth and appeal of dark brown and oxblood and I will definitely buy one or even several pairs of those, just not at this very moment.
I am a young guy in his mid-twenties, I think I have plenty of years of shoe damage in front of me

While I have settled for black and the F last, I am not yet sure which style to go for and would once again appreciate your opinion:
Chelsea

Old English without brogueing (picture shows U last)

Old English II without brogueing (picture shows U last)

 

[Fiddler]

Hey ho Louis, while most sane individuals will be ruefully shaking their heads by now, I am determined to assist in your quest for foot excellence.

How about these:

 

[Zarium]

If I were you, I'd get an OE II like the one in the last picture. I was torn between an Austerity brogue and the OE II, but I eventually ended up going for the former. I will eventually get a pair of OE IIs (and a split-toe derby, and a loafer in whiskey shell cordovan (my goodness, it's beautiful)...).

I think it's one of the most beautiful captoe oxfords around.


But really, it should be entirely up to you. Pick whichever you fancy best. Asking for the forum's opinion on this is quite pointless, seeing as how you simply cannot go wrong with any one of the above listed styles. They're all equally elegant and will work with any ensemble. You've made up your mind about the colour and last, so all that's left is a very minor stylistic detail, which doesn't really warrant public opinion.

 

[bboysdontcryy]

Louis,

Whilst there is a general disregard for black shoes on this forum, I disagree that a pair of well-shined black shoes on a beautiful last is any less elegant than brown shoes.

In any case, the dark brown, and Oxblood are conservative colours, and will look nice on the Old English models, Budapest, and the Wholecuts.

 

[Louis XIV]

The reason I am asking is quite simple.
Most of you own one or several pairs of Vass and even more so have handled some in the past.
I have not done so and won't have a chance to do so before ordering.
Shoes look differently in pictures than what they do in the flesh.

When I thought about buying a pair of C&J gdl203 was kind and honest enough to tell me he thought the Hallam on 348 last was too pointy for a conservative shoe and also more of a complicated fit for a lot of feet.
When I finally got my hands on a pair of Hallams I had to agree he was not only right about the pointyness but they were indeed to narrow for my feet, which are small, yet not that unusally shaped.
All this happened to me eventhough I had seen hundreds of pictures of the Hallam before and I would like to avoid it with my purchase from Vass.