Gaziano & Girling Appreciation & Shoe Appreciation Thread (including reviews, purchases, pictures)

[dlind]

If a shoe does not fit first time round, theres little change it will stretch to fit - at least not in the area you want it. Leather really rarely stretches, at least from the point of making room for a tight fit. Don`t fall in that trap - too much money wasted in that hope is my advice...

I would say it depends on how tightly the upper is lasted... In general my shoes tend to stretch a bit.

 

[DWFII]



If a shoe does not fit first time round, theres little change it will stretch to fit - at least not in the area you want it. Leather really rarely stretches, at least from the point of making room for a tight fit. Don`t fall in that trap - too much money wasted in that hope is my advice...

That's not true...or at least it depends on too many other factors to be generally true.

Some leathers are stretchier than others. Most of that will have been taken out during lasting but even if "all" of it has been drafted away, as the leather "works" and relaxes, it can open up more than you would expect.

It also depends on how, and if, the facings are 'backed."

And it depends on how tightly the customer wants to lace the shoes. I'm not talking about foot crunching tight but if you pull those laces up snug every time, the facings will eventually come together by as much as a centimeter. Having said that, however...from what I've seen on SF most people don't want even a little pressure on their feet. Want oxfords to feel like loafers.

Machine lasted shoes might tend to be lasted less tightly than bespoke, but I doubt that would be a factor. Ideally the leather is going to be pulled "tight to the wood" and no more. No one wants to take "all" the stretch (or even more--to the point of damaging the leather) out of the leather. It's not best practices, and it eliminates the elasticity and the suppleness that is inherent in leather..

 

[bamboo]

Quote:
Hi. Do you mean the facing is open too wide? It looks fine to me even now and in my experience it will close about 5mm. Please note however, I like tight fitting and lace up firmly.

 

[Jsoftz]



If a shoe does not fit first time round, theres little change it will stretch to fit - at least not in the area you want it. Leather really rarely stretches, at least from the point of making room for a tight fit. Don`t fall in that trap - too much money wasted in that hope is my advice...

They fit comfortably. The laces were just a bit more open than I'd like and would want to see close up. I also think with dress-weight socks they might close a bit better.

 

[SoGent]

I can't tell much about the fit for the right foot due to 'fuzz' but I have a question about the left foot
That gap is not going to close that much more with tighter lacing

 

[PCK1]

I think you need to size up or get a wider size...

 

[chogall]

I think you need to size up or get a wider size...

Never size up when the length is correct. That's just changing from one pair of misfiting shoes for another pair of misfitting shoes.

 

[PCK1]

Never size up when the length is correct. That's just changing from one pair of misfiting shoes for another pair of misfitting shoes.

Definitely not true.

The first time I tried G&G's I tried a size 11E and Dean was there and I told him that they felt great except across the vamp and on my instep and he recommended trying an 11.5E which fit great...and length fits great.

 

[chogall]

Definitely not true.

The first time I tried G&G's I tried a size 11E and Dean was there and I told him that they felt great except across the vamp and on my instep and he recommended trying an 11.5E which fit great...and length fits great.

Right, because you can fit great in both size 11 and size 11.5 in length. Or maybe you are just closer to size 11.5 in length and you didn't know it. Or your feet were grown to fit multiple sizes great at the same time.

 

[PCK1]

I don't claim to be an expert...but I think Dean Girling probably is...and this was his advice...not some crazy postulation of my own

 

[wurger]

 
I think you need to size up or get a wider size...

Never size up when the length is correct.  That's just changing from one pair of misfiting shoes for another pair of misfitting shoes.

Well, it is not so black and white, and not all makers provide different width for their shoes, and going MTO or Bespoke has their cost implications.

For a lot of people, going up half a size may just solve the problem, a 3 to 5 mm difference in the overall length of the shoe isn't perfect, but some of us will make do.

 

[DWFII]



Never size up when the length is correct.  That's just changing from one pair of misfiting shoes for another pair of misfitting shoes.

+100

A half size in length can make a difference...long term. Far more than width. You're forcing the bones...esp. those that support the foot and the weight of the body (in the long arch)...into an unnatural configuration. It's like moving the weight bearing piers on a bridge even a couple of inches either way. It's a recipe for disaster.

Or the buttresses in a cathedral. How many cathedrals in Europe have tremendous cracks in their structure? How many are tied together with long and thick bands of cable or rods of iron/steel? None of those cracks appeared in the first years after the cathedrals were completed; nor in the first decades. But they threaten the very existence of them now.

It is a common misconception that if an 11 doesn't fit, an 11.5 will. Or if an 11A doesn't fit a 10.5E will. Such misconceptions gain currency only because 99.9% of all customers for RTW (or bespoke) don't know the length of their foot overall much less the length from heel to ball. And 99% of shoe salesmen are not only almost as ignorant about proper fit as the customer but fundamentally (and perhaps wisely) unwilling to argue with someone else's ignorance. Combine that with the fact that an 11 in one maker's last might really be the length equivalent of an 11.5 in another makers last.

But like the cathedrals, while the initial fit may be satisfactory...may seem solid...only time will reveal the wisdom of not knowing how a foot should be fit.

--

 

[chogall]



Well, it is not so black and white, and not all makers provide different width for their shoes, and going MTO or Bespoke has their cost implications.

For a lot of people, going up half a size may just solve the problem, a 3 to 5 mm difference in the overall length of the shoe isn't perfect, but some of us will make do.

No it's not so black and white and we have many Cinderella wannabes that wear foot corsets or foot aprons on this forum.

We don't have to adopt the feminim habit of buying pretty heels that doesn't fit.

 

[hoodog]

It is a common misconception that if an 11 doesn't fit, an 11.5 will. Or if an 11A doesn't fit a 10.5E will. Such misconceptions gain currency only because 99.9% of all customers for RTW (or bespoke) don't know the length of their foot overall much less the length from heel to ball. And 99% of shoe salesmen are not only almost as ignorant about proper fit as the customer but fundamentally (and perhaps wisely) unwilling to argue with someone else's ignorance. Combine that with the fact that an 11 in one maker's last might really be the length equivalent of an 11.5 in another makers last.

But like the cathedrals, while the initial fit may be satisfactory...may seem solid...only time will reveal the wisdom of not knowing how a foot should be fit.

--

Speaking of which - is there any easy, fool proof, way of judging fit? Is there any good guide (or maybe thread here on SF) that explains this in a good way? I personally think I have this nailed down - but I am always open to new insights. It would be interesting to read about others opinions on this matter...

 

[wurger]

The ball of your feet at the widest part of the shoes, then feel.