Carmina Shoes - Definitive Thread (reviews, advice, sizing, etc...) - official thread.

[jischwar]

Come the end of April, or early May I have the feeling you will be very pleased you did.

I'm in on the KA x Carmina GMTO, decided to size same way as rain. Reached out to their customer service which recommended me to do so as well. Looking forward to these!

 

[laufer]

I'm in on the KA x Carmina GMTO, decided to size same way as rain. Reached out to their customer service which recommended me to do so as well. Looking forward to these!

I went for it too. I think you made the right decision. With Forest, you will get little more room in the toe box.

 

[bamgrinus]

#4 is pretty great imo

View attachment 1346712

Is that a burgundy midsole on those? That looks really good.

 

[Vocans]

Is that a burgundy midsole on those? That looks really good.

Thank you. I believe I went with chestnut on the welt.

 

[miamidoc]

I went for it too. I think you made the right decision. With Forest, you will get little more room in the toe box.

I went in for the reindeer GMTO as well. Forest works well for me in same size as Rain and Oscar. Pleasant surprise, however, that I could opt for metal toe caps without paying.

 

[jischwar]

I went in for the reindeer GMTO as well. Forest works well for me in same size as Rain and Oscar. Pleasant surprise, however, that I could opt for metal toe caps without paying.

I added toe caps as well... no brainer since it didn't cost any more.

 

[jischwar]

I went for it too. I think you made the right decision. With Forest, you will get little more room in the toe box.

Yeah, although was reading that it could be narrower and @stephenaf2003 mentioned that he sized a width wider as well

 

[ErPupone4]

I added toe caps as well... no brainer since it didn't cost any more.

Same here. Really looking forward to these.

 

[ErPupone4]

Yeah, although was reading that it could be narrower and @stephenaf2003 mentioned that he sized a width wider as well

I think you'll be fine. Most people take the same size in Rain and Forest. I'm weird and take a half size larger in Rain, mainly due to the sharper taper at the pinky toe.

 

[stephenaf2003]

I added toe caps as well... no brainer since it didn't cost any more.

Wow, I slept on that option. Don’t see how I didn’t even notice it was available

 

[Wlchew]

Hi gents, I’m thinking of an MTO for all-cordovan balmoral on 80092 or 80450. I’m hoping for a more sleek and dressy look, despite the #8. I wear a Rain 10.5 (fits great) and Vass F 44.5 (fits okay). I believe I’m on the wider feet side. Wondering if I should stay on 10.5 for the boot or could I afford to go for 11 and have the upper prevent heel slip? Also any recommendations for dressy boot lasts? Thanks!

 

[ErPupone4]

Wow, I slept on that option. Don’t see how I didn’t even notice it was available

I would reach out to their customer service. I emailed them about 10 days ago asking if I could have toe plates added since they are leather soles. They finally responded a couple days ago. I suspect they added the option then. I'm sure they'll add them for you. I didn't realize they would be free, but was pleasantly surprised when I placed my order today.

 

[bamgrinus]

Robert looks really good for a bal boot, although I don't know much about sizing it. Maybe Alcudia, Queens, or Inca?

 

[Wlchew]

Had some time to brush the two black cap toe oxfords. Left Carmina Rain 10.5UK; right Vass F 44.5EU. Took some time to get sized properly, but got to start somewhere, why not with two popular lasts? Think the Carmina is a bit roomier and sleeker. Like them both though!

 

[DrGearTronic]

These look great. How do these compare to alden or allen Edmonds shell ?

Carmina natural shell from previous pictures on left. Allen Edmonds Park Avenue’s in natural cordovan on right. The Alden shell portion of my collection is mostly (if not all) color 8 atm, so I opted to leave them out of the comparison photo you requested as I feel they would only subtract from the side-by-side comparison.
I will admit that the Allen Edmonds natural shells on right in this pic present a tone not typical of natural shell cordovan... this was/is one of my first pairs of natural shell (from any branding) that I added to my collection. Early on during my time with them, likely due to a lack of experience with natural shell I had at the time, I was very particular with them... treating them with Saphir Renovateaur before and after each wearing. Looking back, I don’t regret my care of the Allen Edmonds natural shell pair as they have developed an interesting patina during this process. That said, I look forward to keeping the Carmina natural shell (left in picture) closer to original state if possible and plan to only condition them with saphir renovateur once/twice per year if/when needed. That said, my plan for each pair in my collection (110+ pair) tends to vary on the amount of time of time I have to dedicate to shoe-care on any given day, so this is open to change as I frequently call audibles and maybe even over-care for some of my shoes occasionally if for no other reason than I enjoy the process. After a long day seeing patients in the hospital and/or my clinic, I find it relaxing to spend time caring for my shoe collection.