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like those
meccariello just finished work on one of my gator shoes
toe to throat
side elastic
I have a pair from Riccardo Borella and some friends have too. He's really a good guy and he works well, the price is also very very good.like those
Belt and wallet are often out when going through security, and an ID, credit card, or belt tip are helpful for slipping on shoes.I'm re-thinking my travel wardrobes. The ideal is to have a collection of shoes all from the same last, so I can save space by omitting at least one pair of trees. Wear one, pack one (or two). For a longer trip, pack three but use only two sets of trees, and stuff boxers and socks in the third pair.
The trick is finding the right combination for the road. Two-day business trips = 2 black oxfords (unless it's in California). Wear one on the train to NY, pack one for evening or the next day. Holiday travel will need at least one sturdy brown pair to handle walking on cobblestones, plus one black pair for nights out if I'm in a city. A soft pair of suede or grained derbies is a nice addition for comfort after a long day. Something that can stand up to lousy weather is a plus, since I won't have a full rotation to ride out the rainstorms.
Air travel is tricky-- the obvious solution is loafers, but my best-fitting options there are either too flimsy for serious walking (Wildsmith/Edward Green) or lasted to induce a hint of back pain if I spend too much time standing in them (Alden). Not to mention the steel shank in the Aldens that require removal even when I get into the TSA-blessed security queue. In some ways, the safest way to handle the longest air trips is a pair of soft derbies, which won't require a shoe-horn to put on after x-ray, and which will comfortably accommodate even slightly-swollen feet at the end of the flight.
Elastic slip-ons get good press, but if you can't find your shoe-horn after the x-ray or recreate one on the spot, you're screwed.
After several months of neglect due to experimenting with Vass lasts and revisiting Edward Greens from a while back, I've come back to wearing some Cleverley shoes in the last few weeks. Even the ones I'd become less fond of are unexpectedly comfortable, so I think it may be time to renew one or more black oxfords. The very first (and maybe best) pair they made for me in 1997 is hopelessly cracked. I can wear them, but I have no desire to look like Prince Charles in that respect. The next pair (2000) is starting to show hints of cracking. Central heat, and lack of worry on my part are to blame on both of those. And there is some nasty salt damage on some 2005 black quarter-brogues that I'm still having trouble getting out. Anyway, now that they're admitting to using "crup," perhaps a pair of black shell cap-toes for use in the winter. Or sharkskin plain-toed oxfords, for mating with tweed or flannel, and/or slushy, salty streets. Those would handle nearly any trip to London or New York with no trouble, and I have enough browns to cover the rest.
Collected today in Naples. I was worried as they looked slimmer then my RTW ... But the volume is in the right place, over the instep. I never had an Oxford fitting so comfortably from the very first wear, and I know now what the "hugging the heel" with comfort means
Collected today in Naples. I was worried as they looked slimmer then my RTW ... But the volume is in the right place, over the instep. I never had an Oxford fitting so comfortably from the very first wear, and I know now what the "hugging the heel" with comfort means