St. Crispin's Appreciation Thread

For those of you who have pairs from Vass and Crispin, how do they compare? I've read rave reviews from Crispin fans, but I'm still pondering whether to try C. instead of V. in the future.



VRaivio said:

For those of you who have pairs from Vass and Crispin, how do they compare? I've read rave reviews from Crispin fans, but I'm still pondering whether to try C. instead of V. in the future.

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I have both Vass and SC, one of each, the Vass MTO and the SC RTW. The SC fits better, and feels to provide more support, likely due to the narrower waist. The sole looks to be done better, and for the pairs that I specifically own, the overall quality and finish seem to be better. Of course, this is reflected in the price point.

It really depends on what you are willing to pay and, maybe more importantly, what you want.

My 2c.

The price does reflect the differences. I have (had) two vass and I can say that while vass is quite a good value at its price point, StC is on a completely different level. The best rtw fit shoes plus the fact that you can 'tailor' the last to your needs with StC



stupendous said:

I have both Vass and SC, one of each, the Vass MTO and the SC RTW. The SC fits better, and feels to provide more support, likely due to the narrower waist. The sole looks to be done better, and for the pairs that I specifically own, the overall quality and finish seem to be better. Of course, this is reflected in the price point.

It really depends on what you are willing to pay and, maybe more importantly, what you want.

My 2c.

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cgo said:

The price does reflect the differences. I have (had) two vass and I can say that while vass is quite a good value at its price point, StC is on a completely different level. The best rtw fit shoes plus the fact that you can 'tailor' the last to your needs with StC

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I can't compare because I've never seen SC in person, I would appreciate if you can elaborate on what differences price reflects and what means that the sole looks to be done better. For example I had 6 pairs of G&G (2 now) that cost 3 times what Vass cost and I like Vass much more., lasts, leather, soles, fit. GG have a more "elegant" soles with that fiddle waist or whatever is called (that I don't like) but I don't know if that means it's better and also the finish is more elaborate with the burnishing and antiqued (that I like sometimes but are not crazy about) but also don't know if that means it's better. Thank you

Those St C shoe trees are a damn tight fit, or is it just me?



chobochobo said:

Those St C shoe trees are a damn tight fit, or is it just me?

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For my SCa, they actually fit perfectly! . Especially compared to my G&G which are really, REALLY tight!

rikod said:

I can't compare because I've never seen SC in person, I would appreciate if you can elaborate on what differences price reflects and what means that the sole looks to be done better. For example I had 6 pairs of G&G (2 now) that cost 3 times what Vass cost and I like Vass much more., lasts, leather, soles, fit. GG have a more "elegant" soles with that fiddle waist or whatever is called (that I don't like) but I don't know if that means it's better and also the finish is more elaborate with the burnishing and antiqued (that I like sometimes but are not crazy about) but also don't know if that means it's better. Thank you

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I'll try...firstly, the leather seems to be of higher quality. There are a lot of finishes and burnishing effects available. Mine are 105s made of crust leather, and they are beautiful!

For the broguing, SC use unique patterns.

Design-wise, they both have great designs, so that's even between the two of them.

For the sole? Vass uses JR soles as standard I believe, whereas SC use their own material, and it is a beautiful, solid-feeling sole (not sure about the actual material).

The waist of the SC is narrower, and provides more arch support compared to the Vass.

For me, SC just feels more solid and better made, and the fit seems better. Remember, though, my experience is limited to one pair each.

Hope this helps.

It does, thank you for your reply



chobochobo said:

Those St C shoe trees are a damn tight fit, or is it just me?

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They are meant to be tight. My new pair that just came actually fits very tight compared to my other pair that I bought used on eBay. You will notice that each pair of shoe tree is actually made specifically to each order, you will see the order # under the hollow part of the instep. I believe StC is currently running around 10,000-11,000 order numbers. My pair that was order in October 2012 was order # 10678, and my older pair is #8,xxx.

If you find the shoe trees hard to put back into the shoes, you just gotta put it in slanted 45 degrees, tilted down towards the right for the right shoes, and left for the left shoes.



VRaivio said:

For those of you who have pairs from Vass and Crispin, how do they compare? I've read rave reviews from Crispin fans, but I'm still pondering whether to try C. instead of V. in the future.

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The difference for me is the fit. I have had three pair of Vass on three different last none of them fitted me particularly well at the end I sold them all. I was a sceptical like you at the beginning about SC when a friend recommend it to me. SC have a very flexible mto program in which you can add fitting pieces to problem areas in my case I have wide feet and narrow ankles. When I received my first pair of SC I couldn't believe how well it fitted me it was almost like bespoke. The constructions and quality are much better than my other shoes in my current stable Edward Greens, John Lobb.

It really depends how Vass fits you it's still hard to beat for the price and it's really not fair to put Vass and Saint Crispins in the boat. If it's with in your budget I would suggest you try a pair and see for your self what the fuss it's all about but be forewarn you'll be going back for more.



chobochobo said:

Those St C shoe trees are a damn tight fit, or is it just me?

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+1. Once almost tore off a finger nail trying to remove.

st. crispin uses shoe trees for boots. i think thats the problem

Are SC hand welted like Vass?

justsayno said:

Are SC hand welted like Vass?

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May be this helps

Thanks



VRaivio said:

For those of you who have pairs from Vass and Crispin, how do they compare? I've read rave reviews from Crispin fans, but I'm still pondering whether to try C. instead of V. in the future.

Click to expand...

I have both... you would be hard pressed to be disappointed with either, as long as the fit is right.