Antonio Meccariello Shoes

[ecwy]

Please note that not all models and/or leather options are available as MTO via Antonio's website. I.e wholecut boot, Principes 2, Kudu and black pin grain are not available. These are exclusive make ups for our store. Also note that Argentum Dux is superior to Argentum, in terms of finishing, closing of the uppers to the sole etc. They are closer to his Aurum line.

The uppers are more closed, even slimmer waist and Argentum Dux offers more neat finish like round sole edges where Argentum normally offers square. That is the main reason for Argentum Dux to differentiate itself from the Argentum Antonio offers (which is more than great by the way) so that stores such as The Sabot, Medallion Shoes, Yeosal etc can offer their own unique line ups with a higher level of finish and details.

Sorry, this is quite confusing imo.

Isn't the Argentum (Dux or not) RTW/MTO line non hand-welted? Even with nicer finishing, it should not even come close to Aurum. I would not even compare it to Argentum handwelted series with modified last and GYW test shoe.

 

[clee1982]

Why is that confusing? I mean you can definitely have finishing been as good as you want, that's completely independent of GW vs HW.

 

[ThunderMarch]

For the unacquainted, the casual reader, or Meccarriello enthusiasts, his Aurum Line represents the best he has to offer.

Antonio is a very fair person, with very clear stratification between his different product lines, as has a deep passion to make great shoes. He is also keenly attuned to the needs of the market, and has fine tuned his offerings to provide the best he has to offer at each price point he has chosen to target.

There are numerous distinctions between his Aurum line and all his other lines, that give it clear benefits and quality differences, defining it as his premium line, and thus fetching a premium in terms of price as well. And justifiably so.

I will delve into these features:

1) Construction method
- All Aurum shoes are handwelted.
- The insole is prepared by hand, the holdfast is cut by hand, and the inseaming is done by hand. The nature of the stitch (shoemaker's stitch) is also also different from that of machine inseaming.
- Argentum welting is a noticeable step up from GYW, but is also, a noticeable step below handwelting.

2) Materials (uppers)
- All Aurum shoes receive the first cut from any hide.
- This implies that only ONE pair of Aurum shoes can be cut from one hide. Not two, not three. ONE.
- This does not mean that the hide is otherwise unutilised, because the remainder can be used for test shoes, RTW shoes, Aeris shoes, fitting shoes, and so on. BUT never for a second pair of Aurum shoes.
- The material for the uppers, is thus chosen from the best part of the hide, and hand clicked as such.
- This directly translates to better quality uppers, as compared to other lines.

3) Materials (outsole)
- All Aurum shoes utilise special outsoles different from his other lines.
- These outsoles have been cut from veg tanned hides that have been pit tanned for a minimum of 18 months, to Antonio's desired parameters.
- These outsoles are more dense, and more durable than his other outsoles, and are also as a result, more difficult for the awl to pierce, and require somewhat more effort to work with.

4) The waist
- Probably by default, the waist in Aurum shoes are markedly beveled, though a customer could always opt out.
- The execution of the beveled / blind waist, is not just dependent on a round exterior countour, but also greater offset of the holdfast from the edge of the insole at the waist.
- Again, this technique is more difficult, but results in a much tighter / narrower waist in Aurum shoes than his other shoes.
- The matter of the waist is strictly speaking, more of an aesthetic preference, but of course, does show greater attention to detail.

5) Closing
- After the individual pieces of leather that constitute the uppers are clicked, the edges are skived, and then they are sewn together at the seams. This process is called "closing", and after this is done, the uppers are "closed"
- I have no idea what "uppers more closed" means. Once the uppers are closed, they are closed. The term "closing" isn't really a quantifiable parameter. It is either done neatly and well, or sloppily.
- That being said, the closing for Antonio's Aurum line, probably isn't significantly different from other line. This is NOT to take away from the quality of the Aurum line, but more as a praise for the closing work in general, as the baseline standard is already extremely high.
- Each seam is double stitched and the the precision work is in general very very good.

6) The heel
- The heel in his Aurum line shoes are all built up layer by layer.
- None of his Aurum shoes used pre-built/ pre-stacked heels.
- Prior to each layer being added, all the way up to the eventual toplift, each layer is first "pre-compressed" to make it slightly more dense (and probably more durable), before it is added
- The shaping of the heel is also much more refined, being cut very close to the heel seat, with a marked taper from top to bottom.
- Again, this is also an aesthetic preference, but yet another indicator of attention to detail.

These are but some of the things that I can think of (amongst others), off the top of my head, that define the higher objective quality of the Aurum line as compared to all other lines, and also justify the price point.

Beyond that, and beyond any form of marketing speak, customers / consumers should be free to discern what is important to them in terms of value / quality, based on their own sensibilities and maturity.

Instead of just accepting the blanket statement, "finishing is better", one should ask, "in what way", or "with the given information, is X indeed superior to Y?"

It's about making an informed decision.

 

[ecwy]

For the unacquainted, the casual reader, or Meccarriello enthusiasts, his Aurum Line represents the best he has to offer.

Antonio is a very fair person, with very clear stratification between his different product lines, as has a deep passion to make great shoes. He is also keenly attuned to the needs of the market, and has fine tuned his offerings to provide the best he has to offer at each price point he has chosen to target.

There are numerous distinctions between his Aurum line and all his other lines, that give it clear benefits and quality differences, defining it as his premium line, and thus fetching a premium in terms of price as well. And justifiably so.

I will delve into these features:

1) Construction method
- All Aurum shoes are handwelted.
- The insole is prepared by hand, the holdfast is cut by hand, and the inseaming is done by hand. The nature of the stitch (shoemaker's stitch) is also also different from that of machine inseaming.
- Argentum welting is a noticeable step up from GYW, but is also, a noticeable step below handwelting.

2) Materials (uppers)
- All Aurum shoes receive the first cut from any hide.
- This implies that only ONE pair of Aurum shoes can be cut from one hide. Not two, not three. ONE.
- This does not mean that the hide is otherwise unutilised, because the remainder can be used for test shoes, RTW shoes, Aeris shoes, fitting shoes, and so on. BUT never for a second pair of Aurum shoes.
- The material for the uppers, is thus chosen from the best part of the hide, and hand clicked as such.
- This directly translates to better quality uppers, as compared to other lines.

3) Materials (outsole)
- All Aurum shoes utilise special outsoles different from his other lines.
- These outsoles have been cut from veg tanned hides that have been pit tanned for a minimum of 18 months, to Antonio's desired parameters.
- These outsoles are more dense, and more durable than his other outsoles, and are also as a result, more difficult for the awl to pierce, and require somewhat more effort to work with.

4) The waist
- Probably by default, the waist in Aurum shoes are markedly beveled, though a customer could always opt out.
- The execution of the beveled / blind waist, is not just dependent on a round exterior countour, but also greater offset of the holdfast from the edge of the insole at the waist.
- Again, this technique is more difficult, but results in a much tighter / narrower waist in Aurum shoes than his other shoes.
- The matter of the waist is strictly speaking, more of an aesthetic preference, but of course, does show greater attention to detail.

5) Closing
- After the individual pieces of leather that constitute the uppers are clicked, the edges are skived, and then they are sewn together at the seams. This process is called "closing", and after this is done, the uppers are "closed"
- I have no idea what "uppers more closed" means. Once the uppers are closed, they are closed. The term "closing" isn't really a quantifiable parameter. It is either done neatly and well, or sloppily.
- That being said, the closing for Antonio's Aurum line, probably isn't significantly different from other line. This is NOT to take away from the quality of the Aurum line, but more as a praise for the closing work in general, as the baseline standard is already extremely high.
- Each seam is double stitched and the the precision work is in general very very good.

6) The heel
- The heel in his Aurum line shoes are all built up layer by layer.
- None of his Aurum shoes used pre-built/ pre-stacked heels.
- Prior to each layer being added, all the way up to the eventual toplift, each layer is first "pre-compressed" to make it slightly more dense (and probably more durable), before it is added
- The shaping of the heel is also much more refined, being cut very close to the heel seat, with a marked taper from top to bottom.
- Again, this is also an aesthetic preference, but yet another indicator of attention to detail.

These are but some of the things that I can think of (amongst others), off the top of my head, that define the higher objective quality of the Aurum line as compared to all other lines, and also justify the price point.

Beyond that, and beyond any form of marketing speak, customers / consumers should be free to discern what is important to them in terms of value / quality, based on their own sensibilities and maturity.

Instead of just accepting the blanket statement, "finishing is better", one should ask, "in what way", or "with the given information, is X indeed superior to Y?"

It's about making an informed decision.

Amen. Your response is more than the question deserves.

 

[deez shoes]

For the unacquainted, the casual reader, or Meccarriello enthusiasts, his Aurum Line represents the best he has to offer.

Antonio is a very fair person, with very clear stratification between his different product lines, as has a deep passion to make great shoes. He is also keenly attuned to the needs of the market, and has fine tuned his offerings to provide the best he has to offer at each price point he has chosen to target.

There are numerous distinctions between his Aurum line and all his other lines, that give it clear benefits and quality differences, defining it as his premium line, and thus fetching a premium in terms of price as well. And justifiably so.

I will delve into these features:

1) Construction method
- All Aurum shoes are handwelted.
- The insole is prepared by hand, the holdfast is cut by hand, and the inseaming is done by hand. The nature of the stitch (shoemaker's stitch) is also also different from that of machine inseaming.
- Argentum welting is a noticeable step up from GYW, but is also, a noticeable step below handwelting.

2) Materials (uppers)
- All Aurum shoes receive the first cut from any hide.
- This implies that only ONE pair of Aurum shoes can be cut from one hide. Not two, not three. ONE.
- This does not mean that the hide is otherwise unutilised, because the remainder can be used for test shoes, RTW shoes, Aeris shoes, fitting shoes, and so on. BUT never for a second pair of Aurum shoes.
- The material for the uppers, is thus chosen from the best part of the hide, and hand clicked as such.
- This directly translates to better quality uppers, as compared to other lines.

3) Materials (outsole)
- All Aurum shoes utilise special outsoles different from his other lines.
- These outsoles have been cut from veg tanned hides that have been pit tanned for a minimum of 18 months, to Antonio's desired parameters.
- These outsoles are more dense, and more durable than his other outsoles, and are also as a result, more difficult for the awl to pierce, and require somewhat more effort to work with.

4) The waist
- Probably by default, the waist in Aurum shoes are markedly beveled, though a customer could always opt out.
- The execution of the beveled / blind waist, is not just dependent on a round exterior countour, but also greater offset of the holdfast from the edge of the insole at the waist.
- Again, this technique is more difficult, but results in a much tighter / narrower waist in Aurum shoes than his other shoes.
- The matter of the waist is strictly speaking, more of an aesthetic preference, but of course, does show greater attention to detail.

5) Closing
- After the individual pieces of leather that constitute the uppers are clicked, the edges are skived, and then they are sewn together at the seams. This process is called "closing", and after this is done, the uppers are "closed"
- I have no idea what "uppers more closed" means. Once the uppers are closed, they are closed. The term "closing" isn't really a quantifiable parameter. It is either done neatly and well, or sloppily.
- That being said, the closing for Antonio's Aurum line, probably isn't significantly different from other line. This is NOT to take away from the quality of the Aurum line, but more as a praise for the closing work in general, as the baseline standard is already extremely high.
- Each seam is double stitched and the the precision work is in general very very good.

6) The heel
- The heel in his Aurum line shoes are all built up layer by layer.
- None of his Aurum shoes used pre-built/ pre-stacked heels.
- Prior to each layer being added, all the way up to the eventual toplift, each layer is first "pre-compressed" to make it slightly more dense (and probably more durable), before it is added
- The shaping of the heel is also much more refined, being cut very close to the heel seat, with a marked taper from top to bottom.
- Again, this is also an aesthetic preference, but yet another indicator of attention to detail.

These are but some of the things that I can think of (amongst others), off the top of my head, that define the higher objective quality of the Aurum line as compared to all other lines, and also justify the price point.

Beyond that, and beyond any form of marketing speak, customers / consumers should be free to discern what is important to them in terms of value / quality, based on their own sensibilities and maturity.

Instead of just accepting the blanket statement, "finishing is better", one should ask, "in what way", or "with the given information, is X indeed superior to Y?"

It's about making an informed decision.

But there's also the "argentum handwelted" which Antonio says on his website: "My Argentum handwelted shoes are constructed in the traditional shoemaking method, by stitching the welt directly to a thicker insole. This is the traditional method of making handwelted footwear, and this is how I construct my Aurum and bespoke shoes." http://www.meccarielloshoes.it/argentum-handwelted/

He appears to differentiate the argentum handwelted from the argentum welted construction that you mentioned. Does that sound right?

 

[ThunderMarch]

But there's also the "argentum handwelted" which Antonio says on his website: "My Argentum handwelted shoes are constructed in the traditional shoemaking method, by stitching the welt directly to a thicker insole. This is the traditional method of making handwelted footwear, and this is how I construct my Aurum and bespoke shoes." http://www.meccarielloshoes.it/argentum-handwelted/

He appears to differentiate the argentum handwelted from the argentum welted construction that you mentioned. Does that sound right?

Yes, this is correct.
Argentum handwelted shoes are handwelted.
Argentum - welted shoes are machine welted on a one piece insole with holdfast. No gemming.
This is the fundamental difference.
My earlier post specifically addresses the Aurum line only.

The term "construction" addresses and pertains only to construction method, and does not addresses other details, or aspects covered in the finishing process.

 

[nkapped]

For the unacquainted, the casual reader, or Meccarriello enthusiasts, his Aurum Line represents the best he has to offer.

Antonio is a very fair person, with very clear stratification between his different product lines, as has a deep passion to make great shoes. He is also keenly attuned to the needs of the market, and has fine tuned his offerings to provide the best he has to offer at each price point he has chosen to target.

There are numerous distinctions between his Aurum line and all his other lines, that give it clear benefits and quality differences, defining it as his premium line, and thus fetching a premium in terms of price as well. And justifiably so.

I will delve into these features:

1) Construction method
- All Aurum shoes are handwelted.
- The insole is prepared by hand, the holdfast is cut by hand, and the inseaming is done by hand. The nature of the stitch (shoemaker's stitch) is also also different from that of machine inseaming.
- Argentum welting is a noticeable step up from GYW, but is also, a noticeable step below handwelting.

2) Materials (uppers)
- All Aurum shoes receive the first cut from any hide.
- This implies that only ONE pair of Aurum shoes can be cut from one hide. Not two, not three. ONE.
- This does not mean that the hide is otherwise unutilised, because the remainder can be used for test shoes, RTW shoes, Aeris shoes, fitting shoes, and so on. BUT never for a second pair of Aurum shoes.
- The material for the uppers, is thus chosen from the best part of the hide, and hand clicked as such.
- This directly translates to better quality uppers, as compared to other lines.

3) Materials (outsole)
- All Aurum shoes utilise special outsoles different from his other lines.
- These outsoles have been cut from veg tanned hides that have been pit tanned for a minimum of 18 months, to Antonio's desired parameters.
- These outsoles are more dense, and more durable than his other outsoles, and are also as a result, more difficult for the awl to pierce, and require somewhat more effort to work with.

4) The waist
- Probably by default, the waist in Aurum shoes are markedly beveled, though a customer could always opt out.
- The execution of the beveled / blind waist, is not just dependent on a round exterior countour, but also greater offset of the holdfast from the edge of the insole at the waist.
- Again, this technique is more difficult, but results in a much tighter / narrower waist in Aurum shoes than his other shoes.
- The matter of the waist is strictly speaking, more of an aesthetic preference, but of course, does show greater attention to detail.

5) Closing
- After the individual pieces of leather that constitute the uppers are clicked, the edges are skived, and then they are sewn together at the seams. This process is called "closing", and after this is done, the uppers are "closed"
- I have no idea what "uppers more closed" means. Once the uppers are closed, they are closed. The term "closing" isn't really a quantifiable parameter. It is either done neatly and well, or sloppily.
- That being said, the closing for Antonio's Aurum line, probably isn't significantly different from other line. This is NOT to take away from the quality of the Aurum line, but more as a praise for the closing work in general, as the baseline standard is already extremely high.
- Each seam is double stitched and the the precision work is in general very very good.

6) The heel
- The heel in his Aurum line shoes are all built up layer by layer.
- None of his Aurum shoes used pre-built/ pre-stacked heels.
- Prior to each layer being added, all the way up to the eventual toplift, each layer is first "pre-compressed" to make it slightly more dense (and probably more durable), before it is added
- The shaping of the heel is also much more refined, being cut very close to the heel seat, with a marked taper from top to bottom.
- Again, this is also an aesthetic preference, but yet another indicator of attention to detail.

These are but some of the things that I can think of (amongst others), off the top of my head, that define the higher objective quality of the Aurum line as compared to all other lines, and also justify the price point.

Beyond that, and beyond any form of marketing speak, customers / consumers should be free to discern what is important to them in terms of value / quality, based on their own sensibilities and maturity.

Instead of just accepting the blanket statement, "finishing is better", one should ask, "in what way", or "with the given information, is X indeed superior to Y?"

It's about making an informed decision.

Thanks for this fine, forensic analysis.

Would you be able to shed some light on the difference between the Argentum RTW/MTO models on his website/other retailers and the Argentum 'handwelted' range he offers? Is there another world of difference between these 2 tiers or is it just the type of welting?

 

[deez shoes]

Is Antonio the only shoemaker using this argentum welt method? Seems revolutionary to the industry

 

[deez shoes]

Thanks for this fine, forensic analysis.

Would you be able to shed some light on the difference between the Argentum RTW/MTO models on his website/other retailers and the Argentum 'handwelted' range he offers? Is there another world of difference between these 2 tiers or is it just the type of welting?

On AM's website he describes the rtw/mto models as argentum welted (ThunderMarch explains the difference above better than I can)

 

[chobochobo]

Nice. I'm inspired to continue breaking in my Tacticus

 

[ThunderMarch]

Thanks for this fine, forensic analysis.

Would you be able to shed some light on the difference between the Argentum RTW/MTO models on his website/other retailers and the Argentum 'handwelted' range he offers? Is there another world of difference between these 2 tiers or is it just the type of welting?

You are most welcome.
What I feel are the main differences between the Argentum Handwelted line vs Argentum-welted RTW method are:

1) Construction method, naturally
- As mentioned in my earlier post, there is a noticeable step up from GYW to Argentum - Welted (AW), and yet another noticeable step up, from AW to Handwelted. The preparation of the inseaming thread, the nature of the stitch, the control of how the holdfast is cut, all have a part to play.
- As a matter of comparison, the time it would take to inseam by hand one pair, would probably allow you to machine inseam 10 pairs by the AW method.

2) Economies of scale
- All Argentum Handwelted shoes are made on an INDIVIDUAL ORDER basis.
- Naturally, it is far more "troublesome" to bang out a pair of shoes made to your specific design, in your specific color, to your specific specs, compared to making 20 pairs of shoes in a full series, in the same colour, design, leather, last, etc....
- This is the basis for the difference in price for individual and group MTOs that require critical mass, it represents the "economic loss" when the well oiled, routine, factory process is disrupted.

3) Options and flexibility
- Basically, any design is possible, subject to Antonio's abilities (of which I have yet to find a limit), and in whichever leather you desire.
- These options are available on a level that is not found in his conventional website based MTO system.
- I could say, "the sky is the limit?"

4) Sizing
- There is an option of doing MTM (or at least to some extent) for the Argentum Handwelted range.
- For an additional 400-450 Euros, a fully wearable test shoe made to more or less Aeris specs can be made, which includes last adjustments according to your measurements.
- Opting out of the test shoes, certain small adjustments to a base last can still be made to the base last, subject to approval by Antonio.

5) Details / finishing
- admittedly, I would say that qualitatively there might be some differences between the AW range and the Argentum HW range, but not very very marked, compared to what can be seen from Argentum to Aurum, highlighted in my earlier post.
- And again, I am not saying this to "take away" from the quality of the Argentum HW range, but I say this as praise to the high baseline achieved in his RTW.
- Both lines have machine stitched outsoles, compared to hand stitched for Aurum. But the welt fudging and sole edge finishing is probably marginally better and neater than the AW range.
- The heel is maybe finished slightly better in the Argentum HW range with greater attention to the silhouette and closeness to the heel seat, and probably a more pronounced taper.
- Both ranges already exhibit a very tight waist especially considering that the outsole is machine stitched.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

^^^ A lot of good information there Thundermarch. But to clarify, as Erikged tried to explain, Argentum Dux is a range offered only by Antonio's retailers (hence why Dux is not described on Antonio's website) and is placed between Argentum Hand welted and Aurum. Without going into details (since I don't know them), it's basically Argentum HW with several specifications taken from the Aurum range (like closer cut sole edge, which I believe was what Erik was talking about before). And furthermore, some materials have been reserved for retailers making Dux models, so these are not offered for single MTOs through Antonio. It's his way of making it possible for his retailers to offer something unique to the customers.

 

[ThunderMarch]

Placed between Argentum handwelted and Aurum? Really?
I think you need to get some of your facts straightened out.
Argentum Dux shoes are not handwelted to begin with.

I have no vested interest in this discussion whatsoever, I am merely interested in the truth, and honest marketing.

That's all.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

^^^ Sorry, my bad, I mean it's sort of in betweeen Argentum and Argentum HW with several specifications from the Aurum range.

 

[ThunderMarch]

I would like to know specifically, what are the exact "several specifications" from the Aurum range?
Exact.
Explained in a similar fashion / detail as my earlier Aurum related post.
I would then verify this with my own Argentum RTW / Argentum HW / Aurum shoes. Dux range shoes are accessible to me as well, and I can get a pair from a local retailer for further verification.

Please, I beseech you, educate me.