- Joined
- Aug 21, 2012
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I was given a free pair of shoes by @SartorialLuxury , a recent Affiliate Vendor. He didn't ask for any sort of review; he just wanted a few established members to try out his shoes. He asked for suggestions in thread.
This occurred around the time that Passaggio Cravatte thread was winding down and was very focused on the nature of gifts to reviewers, shilling, etc. I figured I'd use this as an opportunity to try a bit of an experiment, so I put myself forward as a volunteer.
The problem is, of course, that it is difficult for a reviewer, upon receiving a gift, to be unbiased. And even if he manages to do so, anything positive he has to say is (and perhaps should be) met with some skepticism. Even if the reviewer tries his bet to remain objective, the gift itself will color his take on it.
So this is not a review.
Instead, I have taken a series of pictures, some of the shoes out of the box, the others after four wears in eight days. I tried to capture any issues I noticed. And this is where you guys come in. Anything you guys notice about the pictures, please request a close up, and I'll oblige. If you want a certain angle, or the shoe twisted a certain way, just ask, and I'll provide. For example, the leather is really pliable, so I took a picture of my finger pressing down on it and then a second picture after I removed my finger.
I won't editorialize in the slightest, one way or another. So my silence on any subjective issues shouldn't be interpreted as anything more than that.
So.
Here we go.
Out of the box:
Please keep in mind, one of my feet is smaller than the other. After four wears (shoe trees, but no polishing):
This occurred around the time that Passaggio Cravatte thread was winding down and was very focused on the nature of gifts to reviewers, shilling, etc. I figured I'd use this as an opportunity to try a bit of an experiment, so I put myself forward as a volunteer.
The problem is, of course, that it is difficult for a reviewer, upon receiving a gift, to be unbiased. And even if he manages to do so, anything positive he has to say is (and perhaps should be) met with some skepticism. Even if the reviewer tries his bet to remain objective, the gift itself will color his take on it.
So this is not a review.
Instead, I have taken a series of pictures, some of the shoes out of the box, the others after four wears in eight days. I tried to capture any issues I noticed. And this is where you guys come in. Anything you guys notice about the pictures, please request a close up, and I'll oblige. If you want a certain angle, or the shoe twisted a certain way, just ask, and I'll provide. For example, the leather is really pliable, so I took a picture of my finger pressing down on it and then a second picture after I removed my finger.
I won't editorialize in the slightest, one way or another. So my silence on any subjective issues shouldn't be interpreted as anything more than that.
So.
Here we go.
Out of the box:
Please keep in mind, one of my feet is smaller than the other. After four wears (shoe trees, but no polishing):
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