musigny
Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2006
- Messages
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Hello all,
I've been a lurker for some time and just recently registered. My compliments to the collective knowledge and experience on this forum.
I recently paid a visit to the Vass store in Budapest. Clearly Vass focuses on custom shoes (or MTO or whatever you want to call it), which unfortunately wasn't an option for me as I couldn't return to pick them up for quite a while. The RTW selection was very meagre, with most shoes available in only one size (the display model).
It turned out that a London 3-eyelet derby in antique cognac actually fit me, so I bought it -- no complaints about the price. The intriguing thing was the discussion I had with them about lasts. The four shoes that were labeled U-last didn't really resemble what I've seen on the US website or at Bergdorf -- they seemed a little rounder in the toe and less chiseled. It could have been my imagination. But they were slightly more expensive, and came with the three-piece shoe trees. There were a few other shoes (including my London derby) with a more pronounced chisel and narrow toe that I thought were U-last, but I was told no, this was the "Panischer" (sp?) last. Have you heard of this? These were less expensive than the "U-last", and came with spring-loaded trees. I did ask about the F-last, but this was met with silence and a blank stare. (By the way, we were speaking English, so no problems there.)
Anyway, here is a quick digital pic of my so-called "Panischer" last shoes. You can't really see the toes too well, but you get the idea. Apologies for the poor lighting. I haven't polished them yet, so this is the original finish.
I've been a lurker for some time and just recently registered. My compliments to the collective knowledge and experience on this forum.
I recently paid a visit to the Vass store in Budapest. Clearly Vass focuses on custom shoes (or MTO or whatever you want to call it), which unfortunately wasn't an option for me as I couldn't return to pick them up for quite a while. The RTW selection was very meagre, with most shoes available in only one size (the display model).
It turned out that a London 3-eyelet derby in antique cognac actually fit me, so I bought it -- no complaints about the price. The intriguing thing was the discussion I had with them about lasts. The four shoes that were labeled U-last didn't really resemble what I've seen on the US website or at Bergdorf -- they seemed a little rounder in the toe and less chiseled. It could have been my imagination. But they were slightly more expensive, and came with the three-piece shoe trees. There were a few other shoes (including my London derby) with a more pronounced chisel and narrow toe that I thought were U-last, but I was told no, this was the "Panischer" (sp?) last. Have you heard of this? These were less expensive than the "U-last", and came with spring-loaded trees. I did ask about the F-last, but this was met with silence and a blank stare. (By the way, we were speaking English, so no problems there.)
Anyway, here is a quick digital pic of my so-called "Panischer" last shoes. You can't really see the toes too well, but you get the idea. Apologies for the poor lighting. I haven't polished them yet, so this is the original finish.
