Gaziano & Girling Appreciation & Shoe Appreciation Thread (including reviews, purchases, pictures)



in stitches said:

one needs to make a certain amount of coin to get away with that.

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It ain't got nothing to do with the coin if she's in it for the long haul. At least when it comes to demanding your respect.

jhcam8 said:

WOW - a fine, retro attitude - keeps 'em in thar place.

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It's perhaps not as old fashioned and retro as you might think. For one thing my spending is well within my means and both of us know it.

Basically my other half simply never went back to work after moving to Atlanta 8 years ago (we were the long distance couple for a few years previous). What was temporary has become permanent in this regard and I have become the classic pampered husband. I do absolutely nothing around the house, never cook a meal, run an errand, pick up my dry cleaning, help around the house etc. etc. I even go home for lunch! We've found that we are perfectly happy with this arrangement all in all. Although I do admit I feel a certain pressure to bring home the moola that I've never felt before.

You might be surprised how much less you can live on when you don't pay for daily dinners and lunches out, housekeeping, laundry, etc. etc. We also drive 10 year old Fords and live in a smallish but very nice condo that is only 3 miles from my office. I would rather have money in the bank, great vacations, good clothes, etc. etc. than be drug down by the burdens that I previously had of a big house, vacation house at the beach, etc. etc.

I've come to value my time and freedom more than most 'things'.

I resonate with the above post.



jhcam8 said:

The user's experience is a perfectly valid way to make his judgements on what he likes and how well his suede has held up, nicht wahr?

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Indeed...who can gainsay what someone else likes? I don't know anyone who is trying.

But "likes" are often based on irrational sensibilities and affinities. And sometimes...more often than not if we believe modern psychologists...those affinities, once embraced, cannot be easily altered. Even in the face of facts or a logical exposition of the mechanics of making or materials.

And once a shoe is lasted and made, if it comes anywhere near to fitting the foot, it probably doesn't accrue much strain or stress barring trauma such as kicking the sharp corner of a automobile door. Under those kinds of circumstances even a paper shoe might give good service.

None of that changes the fact that if the "suede" is indeed a split, it is a fiber mat divorced from the very layer (the grain) that provides a great deal of the tensile strength and cohesion to a piece of leather.

The mechanics and logic are indisputable--if you strip off the strongest, tightest, and densest layer of a hide, what remains will be relatively weak...esp. when compared to a hide that has not been split.

That doesn't mean that it needs to be avoided necessarily. I would be interested in a good reliable source of suede. But when viewed in the light of the OP it may not be the best choice for that one and only G&G.

And technically speaking...and in comparison to full grain leathers...it dern sure isn't the "least delicate."



isshinryu101 said:

It ain't got nothing to do with the coin if she's in it for the long haul. At least when it comes to demanding your respect.

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hoo boy. here is some marriage (and life) advise worth heeding.

if you want to be truly respected by others you do not demand respect, you command it naturally by your actions as a person.

i am not saying this regarding Gdot, its clear from his above post he is doing fine. im saying in in regards to how it seems you view the concept of garnering respect from people.



isshinryu101 said:

What you say is true to an extent. HOWEVER, DWF always brings a unique perspective to the table. To have held the leather in your hands, long before it becomes a pair of shoes is invaluable to help properly understand what is what.
He's like a mechanic who tells you which car is "best" based on the inner workings, etc. When it comes to finish & style, obviously the end user/ consumer's opinion is what REALLY matters. The suede info is very useful, I think. He makes the point that "most" suede (in the modern shoe world) may well prove to be less long-lasting than, say, calf. Fritzl had a good experience. I have had some good ones as well. BUT, for aomeone who's looking to buy a pair with no experience, DWF's info is fabulous.

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patrickBOOTH said:

I resonate with the above post.

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You each need some kids to TOTALLY F*CK UP that vision of life. It's better, actually, but certainly shatters pre-conceived notions about responsibility, companionship, comraudery & fun



in stitches said:

hoo boy. here is some marriage (and life) advise worth heeding.
if you want to be truly respected by others you do not demand respect, you command it naturally by your actions as a person.
i am not saying this regarding Gdot, its clear from his above post he is doing fine. im saying in in regards to how it seems you view the concept of garnering respect from people.

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Stitches - you said it!

The only 'respect' worth having is that which is naturally earned. And it's nearly impossible to gain someone's respect if you don't also respect them.

Nor could I 'command' anything over my other half in real life. All 'room' or 'command' that I have is only that which is given - not taken.

I wouldn't have it any other way. That which is 'purchased' from another can always be taken back and that I have no interest in.

-OK - back to shoes!?!?!?!??!?!?

What's your plan for your new G&Gs today Mr. Stitches? Have you checked out the Hayes in Rojo calf at Edwards of Manchester? They are a sweet price!

Ishhy - kids are long gone for me. They do indeed change everything.

I did however, buy my mother a condo recently - and that's a whole 'nother can of worms - parents!



Gdot said:

Stitches - you said it!
The only 'respect' worth having is that which is naturally earned. And it's nearly impossible to gain someone's respect if you don't also respect them.
Nor could I 'command' anything over my other half in real life. All 'room' or 'command' that I have is only that which is given - not taken.
I wouldn't have it any other way. That which is 'purchased' from another can always be taken back and that I have no interest in.
-OK - back to shoes!?!?!?!??!?!?
What's your plan for your new G&Gs today Mr. Stitches? Have you checked out the Hayes in Rojo calf at Edwards of Manchester? They are a sweet price!

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just to clarify. i didnt mean command as in i command you to do something. i meant it as in the way when you treat others with respect and carry yourself with dignity and honor you create a personality that naturally, lovingly, welcomingly and non-verbally commands respect. basically i think we agree on this one 100%.

as to shoes, my plan is to grow a set and email nick @ bespoke that i want the westmister in vintage oak and ask him to send me a 10.5 and 11 to try on and have one be a MH71 and one be a TG73 and then pick my last based on what i see irl. i even have the $$ set aside i dont know what im waiting on.



in stitches said:

just to clarify. i didnt mean command as in i command you to do something. i meant it as in the way when you treat others with respect and carry yourself with dignity and honor you create a personality that naturally, lovingly, welcomingly and non-verbally commands respect. basically i think we agree on this one 100%.
as to shoes, my plan is to grow a set and email nick @ bespoke that i want the westmister in vintage oak and ask him to send me a 10.5 and 11 to try on and have one be a MH71 and one be a TG73 and then pick my last based on what i see irl. i even have the $$ set aside i dont know what im waiting on.

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do it dude! do it!



bengal-stripe said:

By the same token, shouldn’t you have the courage of your conviction, be consequent and reject all the applied decoration on cowboy boots. They too, obscure the natural beauty of a piece of leather and the honest craft of the shoemaker. I presume, people who commission cowboy boots are equally focused on superficialities (all too often to the point of obsession).
What's good for the goose, is good for the gander!

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Sorry I missed this one...

Without question...but they also come to me for something a bit better...and part of my job is to educate them--tell them why my work is a "step above."

And what I tell them has little or nothing to do with superficialities. It is much the same as I speak about here on SF.

But you are missing a significant factor...perhaps just due to inexperience or a lack of intimate knowledge of the way that bespoke...anything...works. Or perhaps you're just quibbling...or haven't really thought it through.

My personal preferences aside, I am a bespoke maker...to a greater or lesser degree, I have to respond to the customer's wishes. If they want brightly coloured inlays, I will give them brightly coloured inlays...up to a point.

That said, an inlay is pure in the sense that it is the colour of the leather as it came from the finder...without make-up of the sort I was describing above.

And having said that if you compare my body of work over the course of 40+ years you will see that while I am competent...maybe even a bit more than competent...doing inlay work, the vast majority of my boots tend to be subdued and as much in line with the philosophy that "more is less" as my customers will allow and certainly more subdued than most of my peers.

I often opine about harmony; colours of stitching emerging from the leather colour; negative space; fair curves and all sorts of esoteric (in some quarters) notions that are eminently consistent with my stated philosophies.



bengal-stripe said:

By the same token, shouldn’t you have the courage of your conviction, be consequent and reject all the applied decoration on cowboy boots. They too, obscure the natural beauty of a piece of leather and the honest craft of the shoemaker. I presume, people who commission cowboy boots are equally focused on superficialities (all too often to the point of obsession).
What's good for the goose, is good for the gander!

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After speaking with quite a few Cowboy Boot Lovers (as they share my obsession with insane exotic leathers), the ornamentation & decoration applied to them is an art form in itself. It's quite a different animal than traditional "non-western" footwear.



DWFII said:

Sorry I missed this one...
Without question...but they also come to me for something a bit better...and part of my job is to educate them--tell them why my work is a "step above."
And what I tell them has little or nothing to do with superficialities. It is much the same as I speak about here on SF.
But you are missing a significant factor...perhaps just due to inexperience or a lack of intimate knowledge of the way that bespoke...anything...works. Or perhaps you're just quibbling...or haven't really thought it through.
My personal preferences aside, I am a bespoke maker...to a greater or lesser degree, I have to respond to the customer's wishes. If they want brightly coloured inlays, I will give them brightly coloured inlays...up to a point.
That said, an inlay is pure in the sense that it is the colour of the leather as it came from the finder...without make-up of the sort I was describing above.
And having said that if you compare my body of work over the course of 40+ years you will see that while I am competent...maybe even a bit more than competent...doing inlay work, the vast majority of my boots tend to be subdued and as much in line with the philosophy that "more is less" as my customers will allow and certainly more subdued than most of my peers.
I often opine about harmony; colours of stitching emerging from the leather colour; negative space; fair curves and all sorts of esoteric (in some quarters) notions that are eminently consistent with my stated philosophies.

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wallet after buying G&G's



Pliny said:

wallet after buying G&G's

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Not really...a conscientious and deliberate use of negative space creates its own aesthetic--its own beauty. I don't know about you but I think an empty wallet is pretty ugly.