STYLE. COMMUNITY. GREAT CLOTHING.
Bored of counting likes on social networks? At Styleforum, you’ll find rousing discussions that go beyond strings of emojis.
Click Here to join Styleforum's thousands of style enthusiasts today!
Styleforum is supported in part by commission earning affiliate links sitewide. Please support us by using them. You may learn more here.
RJ and ShoeFan: thanks for the interesting (and somewhat contrary to received wisdom of this and other discussions) concerning hand and machine work.I can assure you, no shoes aside from historical reproductions are 100% handmade. Â All shoes have uppers and linings that are sewn on sewing machines, which comprises probably 80% to 90% of the stitches in a shoe. Â The handmade component of shoes such as Vass (and most bespoke shoes) are: hand sewn welts and hand sewn outsoles. Â Further, there are other tasks in shoemaking, such as lasting, skiving, and building of the heel, that may or may not be done by machine. Â In general, virtually all RTW shoes have most of these tasks performed with machines, whereas in English bespoke shoes much of this work is done by hand.
Handmade Shoes for Men by Laszlo Vass and Magda Molnar. Of course, all bespoke makers have slightly different techniques.Anyone have a good book they could recommend on the building of a shoe from start to finish as it is done at Lobb or the other bespoke houses?
There is one book aimed at the (interested) general public and therefore read and owned by quite a few members here:Anyone have a good book they could recommend on the building of a shoe from start to finish as it is done at Lobb or the other bespoke houses?
Beg to differ: I have sat and watched as Roman (to quote many, "the irrascible owner of Vincent & Edgar") sewed an entire pair of shoes by hand on his lap. I do not know or claim that he hand sews every pair he makes. I do know that he does carve every client's last from a plain block of wood.I can assure you, no shoes aside from historical reproductions are 100% handmade.
Well said. As mentioned, nearly all RTW shoes are almost entirely machine made. On the US market you have three levels at the top end: shoes that are largely machine made but that are extremely well finished, often by hand (Edward Green Lobb etc., you might think of these as "hand-grade",) shoes that have the welt and sole seams sewn by hand but which save labor by incorporating machines or pre-cut/processed materials for many of the other, smaller steps (Mantellassi, Santoni etc.,) and then you have shoes that are made in the same manner as bespoke. Vass is in that last category, as is Lattanzi I assume, though I have not actually witnessed their production. But, as shoefan said, even a Vass or Lattanzi shoe is going to have a machine-stitched upper. Handstitching would be too imprecise and uneven unless you are designing a very rustic looking shoe... Mr. Kabbaz also brings up an interesting point about the last. A hand carved last is a work of art, but you will only find those used for bespoke shoes. Vass lasts for instance, are carved by hand and then duplicated, in wood of course. Interestingly, it has become very common for top-end shoe companies to use composite lasts. Makes sense from their perspective, as it would be easier to redesign the last, and it doesn't matter as much what the last is made from if the shoe is lasted by machine. But if the shoe is hand lasted, a traditional wood last is preferable for several reasons, for instance, the way the wood reacts under the hammer. Truly handmade shoes are a real rarity these days. That's because they are a hard sell - they require MUCH more labor and care to produce, but all that handwork is hidden inside the sole, and is only apparent to men who really know shoes. Add the fact that everybody and their brother are claiming that their hand-finished shoes are "handmade" and you hardly have a easy market... Heck, I can't even seem to sell you guys truly handmade shoes for $425I can assure you, no shoes aside from historical reproductions are 100% handmade. Â All shoes have uppers and linings that are sewn on sewing machines, which comprises probably 80% to 90% of the stitches in a shoe. Â The handmade component of shoes such as Vass (and most bespoke shoes) are: hand sewn welts and hand sewn outsoles. Â Further, there are other tasks in shoemaking, such as lasting, skiving, and building of the heel, that may or may not be done by machine. Â In general, virtually all RTW shoes have most of these tasks performed with machines, whereas in English bespoke shoes much of this work is done by hand.
I can assure you, no shoes aside from historical reproductions are 100% handmade. Â All shoes have uppers and linings that are sewn on sewing machines, which comprises probably 80% to 90% of the stitches in a shoe. Â The handmade component of shoes such as Vass (and most bespoke shoes) are: hand sewn welts and hand sewn outsoles. Â Further, there are other tasks in shoemaking, such as lasting, skiving, and building of the heel, that may or may not be done by machine. Â In general, virtually all RTW shoes have most of these tasks performed with machines, whereas in English bespoke shoes much of this work is done by hand.Quote:
Thanks Harris.There are advantages. The welt and sole stitching on a handmade shoes is much stronger for one thing. To illustrate that, nearly every single pair of my Edward Green shoes (I hae 9 pr or so) has separated a bit, developed a seam if you will, between the welt and sole, especially in the waist area. My Vass shoes have not. Under the stress of walking the machine stitching of the sole on the Green shoes has loosened a bit, while the handsewn sole stitching of the Vass has not. The insole on a handmade shoe has been skived down so that it is much thinner than the pre-cut insole of a machine made shoe. Thus a handmade insole conforms better to to the foot. The toe and heel stiffeners of a handmade shoe are leather instead of celastic so the shoe breathes better. There are also many advantages that are gained when the upper is wet and hammered over the last, and then left on th last for some time, rather than just stretched over it by a machine. Â And though perhaps not conclusive, many men report that the feel and fit of a handmade shoe on the foot is significantly superior to a machine made shoe.
These advantages are perhaps not commensurate with the increase in price (though with Vass, there is no increase in price vs a top hand-finished shoe) but they are still advantages...
Get me a pair of Vass for that amount and I'm all over it. P2 or U last, please; Austerity Brogue or Balmoral Oxford please. Bevelled waist too.Heck, I can't even seem to sell you guys truly handmade shoes for $425 Â