Goodyear construction fashion shoes - Page 3

Originally Posted by DWFII 

This!
Plus I was irritated by the ignorant reprise regarding gemmed shoes. There are those here who, in all probability never heard of gemming 2100+ posts some posts ago (nevermind 80), but who nevertheless feel qualified to distort the issues for the express purpose of self-congratulation if not aggrandizement.
Let me go on the record (how many times now?) one more time--no one, including myself, has ever said that gemming will certainly fall part or implode in normal, easy, limited, occasional use. I have pointed out the flaws in Goodyear construction versus traditional hand welting.
And more importantly, I have made the point...uncomfortable as it may be...that Goodyear construction itself is a poseur. It is posing as something it is not--pretending to be an equivalent quality to centuries old, Traditional, techniques for making a shoe. And the techniques and the "look and feel" of footwear that not only made the reputation of much bally-hoo'd firms (that have since abandoned any real dedication to quality) but techniques that have literally set the standard for quality for generations of people who wear fine shoes and clothes. And in the process, Goodyear forfeits all the strengths of the Traditional techniques.
On a scale of quality...no glue dependent construction technique can hold a candle to a solid direct hand welted technique. There's no other way you can characterize it.
As for thread hijack--that came with the initial spurious and non-contributory remark about gemming....which was not of my making.

Originally Posted by Gdot 


To imply that one has not been able to understand that Goodyear construction is not up to par with hand welting is to imply that one is not capable of the most basic of understanding. Anybody with more a few brain cells and a wee bit of time to do some reading can sort this much out.
Have you no advice for those who wish to spend less than $1000 for a pair of shoes?

Originally Posted by sully 

Oh dear, sense of humour failure from a very angry man it seems.I felt I did contribute something with an opinion about Jeffrey West shoes.Apologies for the mistake in my spelling, probably not the first on this forum however I did go to that distillery, been to quite a few over the years but I must carry on living in my pathetic state of ignorance and hope I can one day be a better person.
Anyway back to the shoes.........

Originally Posted by DWFII 

Well I could say Vass.
Or I could just suggest that you look around for some shoemaker that is not well known. Of course, Delos will cost more than $1000.00; of course Lobbs St James will cost more than $1000.00. But so will many manufactured, GY constructed shoes.
There are probably hundreds if not thousands of shoemakers out there that would gladly make you a bespoke, hand welted shoe for at, or under, a thousand dollars. You just have to be willing to forego those many looks of unbridled admiration and envy when you say "Richard Castellar made these." That said, I suspect that those looks and that envy is precisely what people are paying for. And depending on the class of people they hang around with a $200.00 shoe might well be the ticket.
The better question is why are you (any of us) here? If you're looking to borrow some sort of cachet from highly touted brand names or to assume the mantle of "well dressed" by association, well, I suspect you're fooling yourself if you think you can pull it off, esp. in the absence of a commitment that goes well beyond buying shoes that resemble or are pretending to be better quality.
If you're here because you have a drive for fine things and want to pursue excellence at some level or the other, the least that you need to do is accept your limitations, not dismiss them. Suggesting that real distinctions in quality are inconsequential or worthy of caricature, is self defeating if nothing else.
All of us have our priorities but I doubt very seriously that the words "quality" and "under n dollars" can coexist in the same sentence and still have meaning.
And if one is capable of the most basic understanding then one expects to see it...somewhere, sometime, if not always.

Originally Posted by sully 

I have seen Jeffrery West shoes up close and I didn't feel them to be high quality,