Antonio Meccariello Shoes

[Noblekostas]

Took the bad boys out after a while.

 

[gs77]

These were ordered in January 2020 and received in June 2020.
And then spent year and a half in the box, as flip-flops became my preferred footwear.

Argentum single monk in black suede on soft square.

 

[shirtingfantasy]

Took the bad boys out after a while.
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Has the leather issue resolved? I am of the view that the vintage Cornelia tannery stuff is the problem - not the maestro or the retailer.
?
(A friend of mine got the exact same pair from FineShoes, when they were selling it at full price. His pair has the same loose grain issue.)

 

[Noblekostas]

Has the leather issue resolved? I am of the view that the vintage Cornelia tannery stuff is the problem - not the maestro or the retailer.
?
(A friend of mine got the exact same pair from FineShoes, when they were selling it at full price. His pair has the same loose grain issue.)

Nah it hasn't but honestly it doesn't bother me that much considering the price I paid!

 

[shirtingfantasy]

Nah it hasn't but honestly it doesn't bother me that much considering the price I paid!

I think as long as a product is not sold as a defective, some basic qualities should hold. For example, if Cornelia tannery leather consistently falls below the expectation of customers, then it’s wise of the maker to stop using it (indeed we don’t see any new stock from that).

To briefly follow the previous discussions, I would say AM shoes first intrigued me by their excellent price (Argentum with trees were roughly the price of Crockett and Jones handgrade in my city), then amazed me by by their colours, designs, limitless customisations and construction (think the Marstro’s Aurum and chain Norwegian at this point; at EUR 1600+ shoes are no longer “cheap” in monetary value). Appropriate last and leather quality are fortunate bonuses.

My recent pair from Acme made me reflect what I want from AM shoes. Is it an absolute precision in execution? Is it the ability to come up with never-seen designs? If I just want these things why don’t I just switch to the new wave of East Asian makers?



Arguably, we just like the Italian flair, the occasional hit-and-miss, and the charms of his unpredictable touch of genius. It is what truly sets AM’s shoes apart. ?

 

[Noblekostas]

I think as long as a product is not sold as a defective, some basic qualities should hold. For example, if Cornelia tannery leather consistently falls below the expectation of customers, then it’s wise of the maker to stop using it (indeed we don’t see any new stock from that).

To briefly follow the previous discussions, I would say AM shoes first intrigued me by their excellent price (Argentum with trees were roughly the price of Crockett and Jones handgrade in my city), then amazed me by by their colours, designs, limitless customisations and construction (think the Marstro’s Aurum and chain Norwegian at this point; at EUR 1600+ shoes are no longer “cheap” in monetary value). Appropriate last and leather quality are fortunate bonuses.

My recent pair from Acme made me reflect what I want from AM shoes. Is it an absolute precision in execution? Is it the ability to come up with never-seen designs? If I just want these things why don’t I just switch to the new wave of East Asian makers?



Arguably, we just like the Italian flair, the occasional hit-and-miss, and the charms of his unpredictable touch of genius. It is what truly sets AM’s shoes apart. ?

My Mario Bemer Chukkas are not the most polished, refined, amazingly tight shoes like you can get from say Japan. But they have a soul and creativity. For me often the Asian brands lack originality or are too perfect if it makes sense.



Plus I love Italy so much that I actually moved here.

My favorite makers are Scafora and AM even though I only have one pair from him. Also the great communication and politeness.

I want my shoes to give me a warm feeling alongside reasonable perfection and quality for the price.

 

[mhip]

Took the bad boys out after a while.
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Damn...
I miss that place. Loved every second I was there.

 

[Noblekostas]

Damn...
I miss that place. Loved every second I was there.

School starts in 1 month. I cannot wait.

 

[bernoulli]

Acme is almost twice the price of most models from AM. I live in Asia; AM and Vass are still extremely good value for money even when you consider all the options in Asia.

I think as long as a product is not sold as a defective, some basic qualities should hold. For example, if Cornelia tannery leather consistently falls below the expectation of customers, then it’s wise of the maker to stop using it (indeed we don’t see any new stock from that).

To briefly follow the previous discussions, I would say AM shoes first intrigued me by their excellent price (Argentum with trees were roughly the price of Crockett and Jones handgrade in my city), then amazed me by by their colours, designs, limitless customisations and construction (think the Marstro’s Aurum and chain Norwegian at this point; at EUR 1600+ shoes are no longer “cheap” in monetary value). Appropriate last and leather quality are fortunate bonuses.

My recent pair from Acme made me reflect what I want from AM shoes. Is it an absolute precision in execution? Is it the ability to come up with never-seen designs? If I just want these things why don’t I just switch to the new wave of East Asian makers?



Arguably, we just like the Italian flair, the occasional hit-and-miss, and the charms of his unpredictable touch of genius. It is what truly sets AM’s shoes apart. ?

 

[shirtingfantasy]

Acme is almost twice the price of most models from AM. I live in Asia; AM and Vass are still extremely good value for money even when you consider all the options in Asia.

Some regard Xibao / TGC / OctTenth quite highly, and rank them significantly above Vass.

Acme touts handsewn outsole, which makes the matching AM product Aurum.

Having said that, I do have doubts as to whether handsewn outsole offers any material benefits. Argentum Handwelted range with machine sewn outsole seems to be the sweet spot.

 

[JohnMRobie]

Acme is almost twice the price of most models from AM. I live in Asia; AM and Vass are still extremely good value for money even when you consider all the options in Asia.

Pre-price increase that we saw last year I would have been more inclined to agree that AM offered one of the best values. The delta on new models is closer to a 30-50% difference to go to ACME when you add trees which are standard with ACME. It’s still a pretty good value but the space it now occupies is much more crowded

As @shirtingfantasy mentioned Aurum would be the closer comparison to ACMEs spec list for apples to apples which is about 30%+ more than the ACME models.

Vass isn’t in the same conversation IMO with regard to finishing or details.

 

[clee1982]

Vass has some sweet last, else not quite there, AM standard RTW (argentum handwelt, machine seen bottom) that are still about 550 euro is best value to me, MTO or special mode is a lot higher these days (then tree/shipping/toe tap easily add 150 euro)

OT/Xibao/Yeossal/BWS have different aesthetic and while I like mine think I would go mostly MTO from then just because MTO is really cheap from them

 

[ViaSartoria]

Good day to all.

I have two pairs of Argentum RTW from Antonio and am currently awaiting a pair of Argentum hand welted from him, with a fourth pair in the planning.

I have always have excellent interactions with him and consider myself fortunate to know a bit more of the human side of the man behind the label. Antonio has a great sense of humor and is clearly very passionate about his craft. And the fact that what’s on offer on the website is only a tiny fraction of what he’s capable of was truly eye opening for me.

Here are my Decurion 3s and Optios, both with custom colors which Antonio was very happy to accommodate. I will post my latest acquisition as soon as I receive it.

 

[ViaSartoria]

Has Antonio knocked it out of the park with the Roma series or what?

 

[noobanker]

Are there any reasons to not buy an AM pair of shoes?
It seems like a much better bang for the buck than most options out there, but are there any cons?