Australian Members



Gerry Nelson said:

I just ordered two belts from Bexley last night- hope there are no issues with them. It's been a real challenge finding a belt to match a tobacco suede shoe.

On another note, is Rekaris the best person to apply sole protectors in Melbourne? Any idea how much he charges? This blog post got me thinking there's no reason why I shouldn't get them applied: http://blog.styleforum.net/?p=571

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Hey could you link to the belt pls GN?



blahman said:

Well last winter was frigging cold since the drought broke down in Vic. I had to go buy a knee length overcoat for first time in my life to survive.

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Last August was one of the warmest on record and it completely killed the end of the Victorian ski season. Mt Buller had nothing but man-made from late July onwards.

Met up with Checky few hours ago for a 'business transaction' and 'delivery of goods'.
Good to see another SFer.

Have to say I didn't expect Checky to be how he appeared and was quite taken aback by it. Really expected him to be a hearty hulk of fella about 6' tall and in his mid-late 30s. Really didn't expect to see a lean, clean cut young man. (Curse you fxh!)



blahman said:

Have to say I didn't expect Checky to be how he appeared and was quite taken aback by it. Really expected him to be a hearty hulk of fella about 6' tall and in his mid-late 30s. Really didn't expect to see a lean, clean cut young man. (Curse you fxh!)

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Most peole think that I am a 3 foot tall black guy with a snappy catch phrase...

.... and for the record I am actually a touch bellow 6'1"

Popped into American Tailors at lunch. A mate of mine is considering the Brecon (also at $395, as are a few Rosemoors).

Plently of lovely summer sports jackets from Sartoria Correale for $495. A nice linen suit from Castangia for $1095. The usual rack of 'sale' suits from D'Avenza and Isaia for $995. I recognised some of these from the last sale. These are the 'non-corporate' suits they have trouble moving (i.e. they are P.O.W check, or cream coloured etc). Lovely suits...but I'm saving for my new bike.



CHECKstar said:

Most peole think that I am a 3 foot tall black guy with a snappy catch phrase...
.... and for the record I am actually a touch bellow 6'1"

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I must wither have just had a second growth spurt or you must be deceptively tall then.



Gerry Nelson said:

I just ordered two belts from Bexley last night- hope there are no issues with them. It's been a real challenge finding a belt to match a tobacco suede shoe.

On another note, is Rekaris the best person to apply sole protectors in Melbourne? Any idea how much he charges? This blog post got me thinking there's no reason why I shouldn't get them applied: http://blog.styleforum.net/?p=571

Click to expand...

If you go back on this thread you'll see that there are several rants thoughtful pieces by myself and meister on the advisability / necessity of Topying new shoes and dismantling of old iGentts myths about doing it. *

Keep in mind however that many of our dear american friends who post elsewhere in the wildlands of SF use topy as a generic term to refer to any application of a thick hunk of old tyre rubber to the sole of a shoe done with a blunt axe and super glue. The Topy we talk about is real brand name Topy and is a thin layer applied to 1/2 to 3/4 of the sole and trimmed with a bevel at the edges to look neat. It also comes in two colours - black and leather/ flesh toned.

The cut in metal (or plastic) toe tap always looks good on new shoes but you should be a bit wary. To be done properly it needs to be cut into the leather sole and seated smoothly. Done badly it can look bad and also if done badly can hack into the sole and stitches. However if yo are one of those who wears at toes extremely hard then its worth doing.

Its important in this whole Topy issue that you remember that there is not more than a handful of people in Australia who have the machinery and skill and will to properly resole a stitched shoe. Remember to be done really really properly the repair should use the original last. In the absence of the original last even a good repairer who can stitch properly can run the risk of distorting the shoe. Many ordinary repairers will just glue a sole on and thus defeat the whole purpose. In any event should you be able to track down a proper re-soler you will be up for at least $130 or more to resole. This is opposed to just slicing off a Topy after say two years (or more in my case) and another $40 plus still having the original leather sole and shoe shape.


The other option is sending your shoes back to the factory in UK or USA - where the return postage alone will be at least $100. Plus a wait of a few months.

* both meister and myself^^ are always prepared to spout off again about Topy and myths and any other shoes issues. Just whistle.

^^ both of us actually wear shoes (as opposed to looking at them and fretting about wear) and meister is known, perhaps unfairly and cruelly, as the Oz Imelda Marcos of mens shoes.

edit:: I should add that the most (in)famous shooman in the world resides in Oz and I think he generally says that 2 or a max of possibly 3 resoles is all that is possible without needing some glued gemming on a goodyear welt. meister will correct me if I'm wrong.



blahman said:

I must wither have just had a second growth spurt or you must be deceptively tall then.

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He's just deceptive.

You know he works for me and my shadowy organisation.

I am now reading the 10 page in depth report he has just submitted on you.



__PG__ said:

Popped into American Tailors at lunch. A mate of mine is considering the Brecon (also at $395, as are a few Rosemoors).
Plently of lovely summer sports jackets from Sartoria Correale for $495. A nice linen suit from Castangia for $1095. The usual rack of 'sale' suits from D'Avenza and Isaia for $995. I recognised some of these from the last sale. These are the 'non-corporate' suits they have trouble moving (i.e. they are P.O.W check, or cream coloured etc). Lovely suits...but I'm saving for my new bike.

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i saw you in there tire kicking. no wonder they get frustrated

I just had a new pair of Carmina shoes Topy-ed. I used Master Cobbler in Collins St, between Spencer and King Sts. They charged me $55, although this included toe caps. I have used them once before, for a pair of RM Williams' boots.

Re getting Goodyear welted shoes re-soled, I have previously used McClouds, which is one of the few stores left in Australia to still offer this service. I think they charged me around $120 from memory - this was about 1 year ago now. No complaints about the outcome.



bhall41 said:

I just had a new pair of Carmina shoes Topy-ed. I used Master Cobbler in Collins St, between Spencer and King Sts. They charged me $55, although this included toe caps. I have used them once before, for a pair of RM Williams' boots.
Re getting Goodyear welted shoes re-soled, I have previously used McClouds, which is one of the few stores left in Australia to still offer this service. I think they charged me around $120 from memory - this was about 1 year ago now. No complaints about the outcome.

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Yeah McClouds is good - they have their own factory plus a secret bloke or two they use. I only know of one of their secret blokes.

Plus they sell Loakes and Churches and possibly have decent lasts to repair on.

Of course getting RMs properly done is OK in Australia - just go through one of their stores



fxh said:

Yeah McClouds is good - they have their own factory plus a secret bloke or two they use. I only know of one of their secret blokes.
Plus they sell Loakes and Churches and possibly have decent lasts to repair on.
Of course getting RMs properly done is OK in Australia - just go through one of their stores

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Agreed fxh. Intrigued by the "secret blokes" they use.



__PG__ said:

Rekaris on Londsale St, near Russell St.

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Perfect, thanks buddy !



fox81 said:

i saw you in there tire kicking. no wonder they get frustrated

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No I'm very honest with him. I said nothing for me today, as I
a) I'm saving for a new bike
b) the chief financial office (a.k.a wife) has tightened the financial purse strings this financial year.

Anyway, he knows I'm a public servant with two young kids so I'm not exactly flush with excess cash. But we did spent 15 minutes discussing parenting and raising young kids.

thebrownman said:

Gerry, I've done this to a number of my blake-stitched leather soled shoes, and one pair of goodyear welted shoes. I've noticed no degradation in quality of the goodyear welted shoes as a result of applying a rubber half sole. As for breathability, people tend to have very fixed views, but I haven't noticed an adverse impact. That said, there is a certain romance to walking on leather soles - every stride an affirmation of the shoe's inherent craftsmanship - but it comes at a price. One, which, as a graduate, I cannot always afford. Nevertheless, if you do opt for rubber, get them to put the Topy Elysee on the shoe, which is a 1.8mm rubber covering. It's the thinnest I've seen offered in Australia for men's shoes. As for the pictures in the blog you posted, it appears they have used Vibram for the Carmina boots with an inlaid metal toe tap. I don't know anywhere in Melbourne who offers inlaid metal toe taps, though I haven't done an exhaustive search as yet. If anyone does know where to go for this, please us all know.
B Nelson Shoe Repair in the US offer it and have a postage service so that may be an option. Any relation to you, Gerry?

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Thanks for the information and recommendation. I'm just thinking of the time and expense to get them resoled and do not want to spend that kind of money.

tobiasj said:

Hey could you link to the belt pls GN?

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http://www.bexley.com/Bexley/index.aspx?site=BEXLEY&lang=EN&section=ACCPN&pageReferrer= under Leather Belts - Silver Buckle.

CHECKstar said:

Most peole think that I am a 3 foot tall black guy with a snappy catch phrase...
.... and for the record I am actually a touch bellow 6'1"

Click to expand...

Whachootalkinabout?

fxh said:

If you go back on this thread you'll see that there are several rants thoughtful pieces by myself and meister on the advisability / necessity of Topying new shoes and dismantling of old iGentts myths about doing it. *
Keep in mind however that many of our dear american friends who post elsewhere in the wildlands of SF use topy as a generic term to refer to any application of a thick hunk of old tyre rubber to the sole of a shoe done with a blunt axe and super glue. The Topy we talk about is real brand name Topy and is a thin layer applied to 1/2 to 3/4 of the sole and trimmed with a bevel at the edges to look neat. It also comes in two colours - black and leather/ flesh toned.
The cut in metal (or plastic) toe tap always looks good on new shoes but you should be a bit wary. To be done properly it needs to be cut into the leather sole and seated smoothly. Done badly it can look bad and also if done badly can hack into the sole and stitches. However if yo are one of those who wears at toes extremely hard then its worth doing.
Its important in this whole Topy issue that you remember that there is not more than a handful of people in Australia who have the machinery and skill and will to properly resole a stitched shoe. Remember to be done really really properly the repair should use the original last. In the absence of the original last even a good repairer who can stitch properly can run the risk of distorting the shoe. Many ordinary repairers will just glue a sole on and thus defeat the whole purpose. In any event should you be able to track down a proper re-soler you will be up for at least $130 or more to resole. This is opposed to just slicing off a Topy after say two years (or more in my case) and another $40 plus still having the original leather sole and shoe shape.
The other option is sending your shoes back to the factory in UK or USA - where the return postage alone will be at least $100. Plus a wait of a few months.
* both meister and myself^^ are always prepared to spout off again about Topy and myths and any other shoes issues. Just whistle.
^^ both of us actually wear shoes (as opposed to looking at them and fretting about wear) and meister is known, perhaps unfairly and cruelly, as the Oz Imelda Marcos of mens shoes.

Click to expand...

It was also one of your postings on another forum that got me thinking about this. Do you have any recommendation as to how much of the sole I should get the Topy applied to? Is this something most cobblers can competently perform?

bhall41 said:

I just had a new pair of Carmina shoes Topy-ed. I used Master Cobbler in Collins St, between Spencer and King Sts. They charged me $55, although this included toe caps. I have used them once before, for a pair of RM Williams' boots.
Re getting Goodyear welted shoes re-soled, I have previously used McClouds, which is one of the few stores left in Australia to still offer this service. I think they charged me around $120 from memory - this was about 1 year ago now. No complaints about the outcome.

Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the information - I work on Collins St very close to Master Cobbler and I might check them out for pricing. Glad it turned out well for you.