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

[Achillus]

Will probably get one of those pairs from this brand aswell. The shoes are looking nice.

 

[PhiloVance]

This seems like as good a thread as any to ask - I may be traveling to Barcelona in the fall and was wondering:

(1) Does the mythical Inca factory on Mallorca actually exist? Has anyone seen it with their own two eyes?
(2) If it does in fact exist, does the factory actually sell seconds?
(3) Is it a ***** to get from Barcelona to Mallorca? Is the ferry really eight hours?

Thanks in advance . . .

 

[kev777]

Fantastic thread with some beautiful shoes !! Anyone with both Carmina's and Edward Greens care to comment on how they stack up against each other? I'm in the market for a couple of pairs of shoes and was just going to get EG's job done but after all the recent instances of "bad press" i'm thinking if Carmina is anywhere near the quality i may just let them have my hard earned. I know it can be a very subjective subject but any thoughts would be helpful.

Shoes i have in mind is calf brown double monks & brogue (EG would be Westminster & Inverness).

 

[Newcomer]



Fantastic thread with some beautiful shoes !! Anyone with both Carmina's and Edward Greens care to comment on how they stack up against each other? I'm in the market for a couple of pairs of shoes and was just going to get EG's job done but after all the recent instances of "bad press" i'm thinking if Carmina is anywhere near the quality i may just let them have my hard earned. I know it can be a very subjective subject but any thoughts would be helpful.

Shoes i have in mind is calf brown double monks & brogue (EG would be Westminster & Inverness).

May be able to help you here. Let me start by saying that EG's are objectively a better brand of shoes. If money is not an issue, I would recommend EG's. However, although nicer, EG's are more than twice the price and I do not feel that they are really worth the premium. I find that Carmina hits the sweet spot in regards to price and value. I would go for carmina if you find a last that fits and appeals to you.

 

[kev777]

Thanks for that , i get that the EG's are supposed to be better quality and not just because they are more expensive but i'm looking at the pictures on the Carmina website and here and i'm thinking what fabulous quality they look. Admittedly i've never handled Carmina's and pictures are indeed just pictures but they look as good, i suppose thats why im asking the question of those that have both. Am i going to be that disappointed when i'm after the EG quality (or supposed quality debateable recently) and receive a couple pairs of Carmina's??

 

[Newcomer]

Not in my opinion. Carmina shoes do not have the antiquing that EG's do, but that does not bother me in the least. They also may have the odd mistake, I.e on my last pair the brogueing was not perfectly aligned. But those are the only two major differences I have found. I find Carmina to be very close to EG quality, and their lasts are amazing.

 

[VRaivio]

One more supporting voice for Carmina's lasts, especially the Forest. Not as contoured as Vass and G&G, but as close-fitting as C&J. If you don't find what you're looking for in Carmina's stores, do email Betty Albaladejo. She sees to their factory selection and MTO services, among other things.

 

[Schweino]

What price range are they in by the way?

 

[PhiloVance]

A quick search of sf posts on Carmina pulls up posts from old hands like Ken Pollock putting the quality somewhere around C&J benchgrade and Peals for BB. 4-5 years later, has the quality really gotten that much better to almost EG standards in terms of craftsmanship/leather? That seems to be a pretty big leap to get from C&J mid-tier to EG quality . . . I remember that I was never really into the lasts when I saw them at BG or Barneys - but the lasts seem to have improved, perhaps the craftsmanship/leather quality has as well.

 

[clee1982]



A quick search of sf posts on Carmina pulls up posts from old hands like Ken Pollock putting the quality somewhere around C&J benchgrade and Peals for BB. 4-5 years later, has the quality really gotten that much better to almost EG standards in terms of craftsmanship/leather? That seems to be a pretty big leap to get from C&J mid-tier to EG quality . . . I remember that I was never really into the lasts when I saw them at BG or Barneys - but the lasts seem to have improved, perhaps the craftsmanship/leather quality has as well.

you can buy carmina in BG or Barneys, since when?

 

[clee1982]



Technically speaking Goodyear welted refers to a process which typically involves gemming. Any shoe that is advertised as being Goodyear welted should be suspected of using gemming.

The original Goodyear welted shoe relied on a rather complex and not very functional method of cutting two channels in a leather insole and folding them up perpendicular to the surface of the insole. I am not sure how many factories still use this method but it was more or less abandoned in favour of the gemming years ago. I would suspect that there are not many machines left that can cut and fold the channnels.

But the term Goodyear welted" is based on the a machine invented by a fellow named Goodyear. It requires a standing rib of some sort.

Nine times out of ten if it is Goodyear Welted it is gemmed.

There are also machines that can channel an insole and sew an inseam much like a hand welted inseam would be done. It is my understanding that this method is not "Goodyear welted" however. It is something else again. The machines that do this are few and far between and are difficult to control especially on narrow toes.

Vass is hand-welted...they are not Goodyear welted. If someone says they are, they are misusing the terminology--I read the book, cover to cover.

Thanks! Where can I get the "book" you were referring to, or any decent shoe textbook (no idea where you would find that) would do

 

[Pliny]



Thanks! Where can I get the "book" you were referring to, or any decent shoe textbook (no idea where you would find that) would do

Amazon - it's easy to get and not expensive

 

[clee1982]



Amazon - it's easy to get and not expensive

name of the book?

 

[DWFII]



name of the book?

Handmade Shoes for Men by Laszlo Vass

 

[clee1982]



Handmade Shoes for Men by Laszlo Vass

thanks!