Introducing D.C. Lewis Footwear - Affiliate Thread - Page 3

Here is a review from long-time forum member A Harris: "Well I have to say that I was surprised in a good way when I opened the box David sent me. He had asked me to take a look at a sample pair from his new shoe line, but didn't say anything else so I didn't have any idea what to expect. Out of the shoe bag came a beautiful side-monk, extremely reminiscent of the John Lobb Vale! David doesn't have a pair in my own size (13) yet, so I can only offer my opinions as to styling, finishing, construction, and to some extent materials: Styling - The last is quite elegant to my eye, more sophisticated than the 8000 that the Vale's were made on. It has a round toe, tapered and elongated somewhat. There just a bit of height in the toebox which I feel is important - a toebox that is too low has always looked wrong to my eye. I like the overall lines very much, though I am interested in how they will translate in a larger size. The overall appearance of this shoe strikes me as very English. Construction - This appears to be genuine goodyear welt construction, with a fair degree of hand finish work. The sole bed has the imperfect look of the better English and Italian makes rather than the cookie-cutter appearance of cheaper Goodyear welted shoes. The upper is two-piece, with a covered seam at the back of the heel. Upper stitching is neat and well executed. The single-sole is channeled in the English fashion, with an anti-slip rubber heel tip and brass nails. Finishing - Very good! The upper is a rich dark brown with subtle antiquing that looks a bit more like Lobb's "Museum" finish than it does Edward Green's burnished finish (more subtle and not so splotchy as "Museum" though.) Welt stitching and the finishing of the sole and heel edges are very English in appearance, though there is slightly more welt extension than you will find on the more conservative English makes. Sole finishing is nicely executed, though in this area the work does not look English. Sole finishing is usually a dead giveaway as to a shoe's maker and country of origin. As I told David, the sole on these has me guessing - I suspect the maker is going to be something of a surprise. The interior is finished in soft vegetable-tanned leather, with a tasteful "D.C. Lewis" logo and (legible!) hand lettering indicating the model and size. Materials - It is hard to gauge materials completely without wearing a shoe and seeing how they hold up. However, to my eye the upper, lining and sole leather all appear to be of a high grade. My overall impression of the D.C. Lewis Clayton is a completely positive one. The design is elegant, the construction solid and the finishing excellent. I would not hesitate to work these into my shoe rotation alongside my Vass, Edward Green, Santoni etc. And the best news of all is the price. I expected David to quote a retail price in the $590 - $750 range, and would have considered them a value at those prices. After I had some time to evaluate the sample he quoted me retail price point of $400-$450! I was shocked to say the least, as there is no shoe I am aware of that offers this much for your money. I look forward to seeing the new fiddle-back sole finishing, as that will really take them over the top." Please note that we had absolutely no influence on the review. We posted it as received, and A Harris will confirm this later today. A Harris was offered a one-time discount on a pair of shoes in exchange for his time to complete a review, whether positive or negative. He has no financial interest in the success of our shoe line. We will be posting all of the reviews that we received (3 total), and we do not have any reviews that will not be posted. Also, there are no parties that were asked to review the shoes that did not do so. In other words, we are not screening the reviews in any manner. The Styleforum mods asked us to handle reviews in this manner.

Hi guys - First off, thanks for letting me be your guinea pig on this project. I have to say, that while both of you shoe nerds profess exponentially more experience than most on the boards, I was reluctant to try a "homegrown" project, compared to my CJ/JL/EG/GG experience. I (to no detriment to either of you) had low expectations coming into this, hoping to be surprised, based on my rotation culled from master brands. My expectations are wildly exceeded. I am a pretty universally standard US 9.5 - 8.5 in JL 8000, CJ 360, 348, 325, and EG 89 and 202's all work well for me. The pair, marked 43, fits me like a dream - just some very minor heel slippage, but not overly big that it would warrant a smaller size. It also does not promote excessive creasing at the toe "knuckles". The vamp is perfectly placed, low enough to be sexy, yet high enough for ample coverage with a pant The insole was extremely comfortable as well. The sound is incredible when you knock the bottom - a small detail that I unconsciously always do - but that semi-hollow sound is only found on top tier shoes, not on lower end ones - and yours had it. The leather is some of the best I have handled in RTW shoes - I have a pair of Brioni wingers that have a similar angelskin feel to it - but yours is just amazing. Buckle placement looks perfect and symetrical, color of hardware is appropriate for the calf. Lastly, I did a 10 minute walk on my carpet, at varying speeds and intensities, and they felt great all around. Really, really love them. Very, very well done gentlemen. Thanks again for thinking of me to help you with this, I am honored.