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

[flylikeneagle]

Today, I had the fortune to pick up an MTO pair from the NYC store.

I debated between Detroit EE and EEE but ultimately went with EE based on @stook1 feedback and his experience. They are flawless, and the color looks more like Ravello, with stronger brown undertones, when compared to other color 4 pairs I have handled.

I am very pleased with how these turned out, i will take better pictures once I have a chance:

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Congrats - these turned out amazing. Probably my favorite Carmina u-tip make-up.

I read your fit comparison to Plaza. Does the heel fit the same/similarly? Someone had commented Detroit fits wider at the heel, which is why I've hesitated ordering anything on this last.

 

[stook1]

Someone had commented Detroit fits wider at the heel

That's true in my experience.

 

[oskrusa]

Congrats - these turned out amazing. Probably my favorite Carmina u-tip make-up.

Hey bud, thanks. Pretty happy with this make-up.

I read your fit comparison to Plaza. Does the heel fit the same/similarly? Someone had commented Detroit fits wider at the heel, which is why I've hesitated ordering anything on this last.

Here are some comparison shots with Plaza lasted boots, side by side.

The Alden boots are Plaza 8.5E US and the Carminas are Detroit 8UK EE (Regular Width).

Unsurprisingly, they are almost identical in length, however, the Carmina boots are about 1/2 inch taller and the vamp is also longer.
I have splayed out toes with high insteps, and although optically it looks like the Alden boots are wider at the ball/toes, they are actually narrower. I have a bit more room on the ball and toes areas on the Detroit last. I can only wear those Alden boots with thin socks and the Carmina ones feel just fine with medium socks.

The heels on Detroit feel slightly larger but in all honesty, i will have to put some miles on these boots to provide a better assessment, at the moment the difference feels minimal.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Hey bud, thanks. Pretty happy with this make-up.



Here are some comparison shots with Plaza lasted boots, side by side.

The Alden boots are Plaza 8.5E US and the Carminas are Detroit 8UK EE (Regular Width).

Unsurprisingly, they are almost identical in length, however, the Carmina boots are about 1/2 inch taller and the vamp is also longer.
I have splayed out toes with high insteps, and although optically it looks like the Alden boots are wider at the ball/toes, they are actually narrower. I have a bit more room on the ball and toes areas on the Detroit last. I can only wear those Alden boots with thin socks and the Carmina ones feel just fine with medium socks.

The heels on Detroit feel slightly larger but in all honesty, i will have to put some miles on these boots to provide a better assessment, at the moment the difference feels minimal.

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The Detroit last looks so good! Nice boots man! I really want to try the Detroit last but that would mean going 8UK and not sure since I'm a 9UK narrow (8.5 UK Rain)

 

[oskrusa]

The Detroit last looks so good! Nice boots man! I really want to try the Detroit last but that would mean going 8UK and not sure since I'm a 9UK narrow (8.5 UK Rain)

Thank-you @Betelgeuse ,

I am not too sure either if you would be able to go from 8.5UK on Rain to 8UK on Detroit, I think they might turn out too short for you. On the other hand, going with 8.5UK on Detroit might end up being too wide.

I can wear Rain 8UK EEE with thin socks. Detroit 8UK EE along with Forest 8UK EEE are good with medium socks.

My personal experience: Detroit EE feels slightly wider on the toes than Rain EEE, and it is definitely wider than Forest EE.

 

[laufer]

The Detroit last looks so good! Nice boots man! I really want to try the Detroit last but that would mean going 8UK and not sure since I'm a 9UK narrow (8.5 UK Rain)

Do not size down, Detroit is just a hair shorter than Rain. If you still want Detroit to take the same size as your Rain last but you might need thicker socks. Detroit looks good indeed, I would recommend that you try Detroit chukka first.

 

[Show]

The Carminas I have in my wardrobe are flawless and give me immense satisfaction when wearing them. In the past defects have been on an odd pair here and there , so I brushed it off. They always remade and the remakes were flawless. But when 4 orders one after another are defective , it’s like WTF! Especially when one pair were already remade once.

Are their QC issues found more on their MTO's than RTW line or are there QC issues popping up everywhere in their shoes right now?

 

[zag73]

Are their QC issues found more on their MTO's than RTW line or are there QC issues popping up everywhere in their shoes right now?

Most of my shoes are MTO. So, I can only say that the QC issues seem to be on this side. This being , the last shoes I received were RTW and these had to be sent back due to QC issues. But it looks like others have not had QC issues recently. It seems to be a lottery as to what you’ll get.

 

[Show]

Most of my shoes are MTO. So, I can only say that the QC issues seem to be on this side. This being , the last shoes I received were RTW and these had to be sent back due to QC issues. But it looks like others have not had QC issues recently. It seems to be a lottery as to what you’ll get.

Yikes, for their pricepoint, you would think that at least their RTW line would be solid.

 

[zag73]

Yikes, for their pricepoint, you would think that at least their RTW line would be solid.

I wouldn’t take my experience of RTW as any indicator of quality. I’ve only had two pairs of RTW. The first Carmina shoes is bought were RTW from their Madrid store. They were flawless in every respect. Incredible shoes. They were the ones that got me on the Carmina train. The last pair I ordered were RTW. These were defective. It may be that they’re having a temporary spike in QC issues. I’m having shoes remade now. Fingers crossed they come back to me without defects.

 

[Neville Southall]

Day 208,323 of me waiting for my MTO loafers that were supposed to be here months ago.

 

[stook1]

Day 208,323 of me waiting for my MTO loafers that were supposed to be here months ago.

x2, are these from the October (?) fee waive event... Still waiting here as well if it makes you feel better

 

[Neville Southall]

x2, are these from the October (?) fee waive event... Still waiting here as well if it makes you feel better

Yup.

 

[Betelgeuse]

Thank-you @Betelgeuse ,

I am not too sure either if you would be able to go from 8.5UK on Rain to 8UK on Detroit, I think they might turn out too short for you. On the other hand, going with 8.5UK on Detroit might end up being too wide.

I can wear Rain 8UK EEE with thin socks. Detroit 8UK EE along with Forest 8UK EEE are good with medium socks.

My personal experience: Detroit EE feels slightly wider on the toes than Rain EEE, and it is definitely wider than Forest EE.

Do not size down, Detroit is just a hair shorter than Rain. If you still want Detroit to take the same size as your Rain last but you might need thicker socks. Detroit looks good indeed, I would recommend that you try Detroit chukka first.

Thanks guys. The one I'm looking for a while now is the long wing, I love those.

 

[zag73]

Day 208,323 of me waiting for my MTO loafers that were supposed to be here months ago.

You’ve still got 10 pairs still not unboxed ??