Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

Just compare the two shoes:




The suede shoe is so incredibly deep in the heel area, that I suspect it is one of those “Elevator Shoes”, where a big built-in insole wedge will add an additional inch or more to the owner’s height.



bengal-stripe said:

Just compare the two shoes:

The suede shoe is so incredibly deep in the heel area, that I suspect it is one of those “Elevator Shoes”, where a big built-in insole wedge will add an additional inch or more to the owner’s height.

Click to expand...

I'm not 100% sure that it was inteded to be an 'elavator' type, but yes, the heel is quite deep on that one, would be quite an clever and good looking solution to inconspicuously raise height.

Here is another one of Endou's sample shoes (not my picture)

A seemless wholecut with a pinched nose (reminds me of a similar Corthay with a center crease)



nutcracker said:

A seemless wholecut with a pinched nose (reminds me of a similar Corthay with a center crease)

Click to expand...

Now that's a pair of shoes.
Hey NT, Can you let me know his optional charges on his bespoke line? My poor Japanese fails to understand the slangs



nutcracker said:

gentille & 79, Tokyo

Shoe repair and order salon gentille opened just last year, tucked in the small neighborhood of Fudomae. Already known as one of the few repair shops in Tokyo that can do full blown hand stitched recrafting, owner Koji Endou is also an accomplished shoemaker. With over 10 years of experience in shoemaking and repairing, he also apprenticed briefly under Anthony Delos at the Loire atelier.

Endou's bespoke line, '79 soixante-dix-neuf', is available for order at the atelier. Price starts at a generous ¥190,000 yen for full handmade bespoke shoes.

More norwegian welts.

Click to expand...

I like the norwegian welt stopping in the middle like that



add911_11 said:

Now that's a pair of shoes.
Hey NT, Can you let me know his optional charges on his bespoke line? My poor Japanese fails to understand the slangs

Click to expand...

Haha sure, I think this is how it goes

・Double Welt＋￥5,000
・Bevelled Waist＋￥10,000
・Norwegian Welted Single＋￥20,000
・Norwegian Welted Double＋￥30,000
・Norwegian Welted & Bevelled Waist＋￥30,000
・Norwegian ＋￥20,000
・Fiddle Back＋￥5,000
・Half Mid Sole＋￥4,000
・Full Mid Sole＋￥6,000



nutcracker said:

Now that's interesting....looks like real lacestays and tongues, but are those laces real (functional)? or fake

Click to expand...

unrelated question, any idea why doesn't Artioli doesn't use those elastic thing on the side like this guy



nutcracker said:

I'm not 100% sure that it was inteded to be an 'elavator' type, but yes, the heel is quite deep on that one, would be quite an clever and good looking solution to inconspicuously raise height.

Here is another one of Endou's sample shoes (not my picture)

A seemless wholecut with a pinched nose (reminds me of a similar Corthay with a center crease)

Click to expand...

Those last ones have some similarities to Bestteti shoes with teh eagle claw toes.



rikod said:

I like the norwegian welt stopping in the middle like that

Click to expand...

WOW, I am sure they never made thes in UK12.5 as MTO, perhaps I should try them. Very nice.



bengal-stripe said:

Just compare the two shoes:

The suede shoe is so incredibly deep in the heel area, that I suspect it is one of those “Elevator Shoes”, where a big built-in insole wedge will add an additional inch or more to the owner’s height.

Click to expand...

Same sole, top with full, bottom is half sole.



Saratorial_Splender said:

Those last ones have some similarities to Bestteti shoes with teh eagle claw toes.

Click to expand...

Those are called eagle claw toes?

Saratorial_Splender said:

WOW, I am sure they never made thes in UK12.5 as MTO, perhaps I should try them. Very nice.

Click to expand...

That particular sample shoe is size 27.5 (UK 9), and that's already considered extra large here in Japan

bengal-stripe, have you any info on when and where that pinched toe was born? I've only ever seen examples of this eccentric shape on Corthay's pairs and now this Japanese chap's offerings.



VRaivio said:

bengal-stripe, have you any info on when and where that pinched toe was born?

Click to expand...

I have no idea if anyone (earlier than Corthay) has used that (or a similar) toe shape previously. Maybe Cothay "invented" it, maybe he was inspired by something historical. There have been all kind of weird shoes over the last few hundred years.

I cannot say, I find that toe shape desirable. But then........"One man's meat is another man's poison!"

Corthay "Satan", for reference...

Rome's very own Marini is having a bespoke show right now at Tie Your Tie, Tokyo....ends tomorrow..maybe I'll take a peek

Shoe Shopping in Aoyama, Tokyo

Had a chance to stroll around the Aoyama district in Tokyo (a walkable distance from my place). Mainly a quiet residential neighbourhood, the place is nevertheless littered with museums, eateries, antique shops, and fashion boutiques that seem to occupy every other building. And yes, lots of stores carrying fine footwear. So for those thinking about visiting Tokyo, here is a little guide to the shoe brands available in the Aoyama area.

Here is a fine map of the Aoyama area created by the folks at BRIFT H. Stores are concentrated around and between the Miyuki Street (above) and the Kotto Street (below). Fashion boutiques tend to center around the former, while more artsy establishments (galleries, antique shops, and for my purpose, shoe stores) seem to surround the latter.



So let's start from Brift H, where you can get your own A3 size copy of this map....


Brift H, shoe polish extraordinaire. Bring in your shoes and watch Mr. Hasegawa and his boys do some magic.


Right below Brift H, is Tailor & Cutter (Bespoke suits).
Mr. Arita was trained as a cutter in Gieves & Hawkes London, and as a tailor in Ichibankan, Tokyo.


Some Aoyama landmarks.....Prada, but sorry not interested


Nezu Museum, the other landmark, nice shades


Happy Strollers...surprisingly, the whole area is relatively car-free


Garden creatures...Okamoto Taro Museum

So lets go looking for shoes....


The Lakota House. Everything Alden. They also carry their house brand Pegman


Paraboot


Maison Corthay

The General Store carries Anthony Cleverley

Lloyd Footwear for fine English shoes

Look what I found, a Ring Jacket boutique. They stock Gaziano & Girling

Tie Your Tie. You can order bespoke shoes by Il Micio: Hidetaka Fukaya, and Rome's very own Marini.Oh yeah they sell ties too

British Made for Church's and Cheaney

JM Weston

Classic menswear powerhouse, Strasburgo. They are the distributor of Edward Green in Japan

Vulcanize London. A fortress of British luxury stuffs. You can get Crockett & Jones here

Trading Post for pretty much every other brand: St.Crispin, Trickers, Carmina, C&J, Bestetti, Allen Edmonds, C&J, and also Japanese brand Soffice & Solid. They also take orders for the MTO brand Hall & Marks.

Across Trading Post....The Art of Shoemaking. Peek in the glass door and you'll see Yohei Fukuda hard at work

So there you go. Right next to the Aoyama area, there are the Harajuku area and Omotesando area for more shopping. That's a good 1/2 day in Tokyo for you.

Thanks to BRIFT H for helping me out (and for the map)
www.brift-h.com