How do you feel about blake stitching?

[DocHolliday]

I like Goodyear welting. Nice, sturdy, rough 'n' tumble. Easily resoled, hallmark of fine shoes everywhere. As such, I've always been skeptical of blake stitching. Feels like a shortcut. Lets water seep into the shoe. Sure, it's lightweight, and a lot of Italian makers use it. But I'm still skeptical.

As so often is the case, I have been true to my convictions until confronted by temptation. Mr. Blake and his stitching have come calling my name. The price is fairly attractive. I wouldn't hesitate if they were Goodyear. But they're not. They're blake. And I'm skeptical. But I'm thinking I could have them Topyed, and things would be just fine. Right? Right?

Am I making too much of this? What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you and blake get on? Is there a cap to how much you'd pay for blake v. Goodyear?

 

[edmorel]

Do you actually resole your goodyear shoes or wear your nice stuff when you know it's going to rain? I don't really care either way, I buy the shoes based on their looks and what I know of their quality. Can't say I prefer an Alfred Sargent or Crockett and Jones over Romano Martegani, based on goodyear versus blake. I think a lot of people on the forum are "afraid" of blake, not because of any experience or knowledge, but just because it's one of those forum "commandments". I buy all my shoes at a discount/ebay and resoling them would probably cost as much as the shoes themselves so I never even think about it. I think if you stick with a good shoemaker, be it Martegani, Santoni, Borgioli or whoever else makes blake stitched shoes, you won't be disappointed nor will you feel like you are missing anything from goodyear shoes. There are a lot of crappy goodyear shoes.

 

[chorse123]

The only knock I have against blake is that the pair I own does not have a interior lining in the toes to cover the stitching. If wear them for a very very long day, the stitching can be an irritant. This seems to be the case with many blake shoes.

 

[Kuro]

I like Blake stitched shoes for spring and summer because they are lightweight and Goodyear for fall and winter because they are more substantial. Of course Goodyear is better, but I've never had any of the issues that you described with my Blake stitched shoes. As to price I think the most they should cost retail is $500 or $600, but I must admit that I have a pair of Berluti that I paid twice that (first and last time). Also, the manufacturer that constantly touts its Goodyear welt (J.M. Weston) recently released a Blake stitched collection with the #425 catching my eye.

 

[EL72]

Ed's right in a way. There are crappy welted shoes and beautiful blake-stitched ones. I think it comes down to the esthetics and style of the shoe. If I'm getting a sleek Italian style shoe, I don't mind blake-stitching if the rest of the construction and materials are good. If I want a more substantial, double-soled, gunboat-type blucher, then I would probably insist on goodyear welting.

 

[fritzl]

@chorse
...does not have a interior lining in the toes to cover the stitching.

Go to a cobbler - let him put a cover sole in - fixed.

 

[pejsek]

fwiw I don't plan on resoling any of my bentivegna-welted shoes either.
I agree that blake stitching often gets an unwarranted bad rap on the clothing message boards; it's interesting to see the groupthink changing on this question. As an ancillary, I'd be curious to hear opinions on blake-rapid. Blake-rapid stitching can be very good and I consider it to be superior to plain blake stitching in almost every way--it's sturdier and adds an extra design element. But blake-rapid is burdened by such an unfortunate name that fairly screams out concerns about cost- and corner-cutting. Maybe it could be renamed blake-magnificent (or -slow, -tedious, -meticulous, etc.). Anything with less of a whiff of the glue gun.

 

[DocHolliday]

Originally Posted by edmorel

Do you actually resole your goodyear shoes or wear your nice stuff when you know it's going to rain? I don't really care either way, I buy the shoes based on their looks and what I know of their quality.

Originally Posted by EL72

If I'm getting a sleek Italian style shoe, I don't mind blake-stitching if the rest of the construction and materials are good. If I want a more substantial, double-soled, gunboat-type blucher, then I would probably insist on goodyear welting.

Truth be told, I might be less averse to blake if the ones I'm considering were another style. I own a pair of blake-rapid Marteganis and am more than happy with them. These, though, are a fairly rugged style, with double soles, and I had thought they might make good all-weather shoes. (That's where the Topy came in.) I like that they're unexpectedly light, but I'm still undecided. Feels like they're neither fish nor fowl. On such a shoe, it seems like a conspicuous cost-cutting decision.

I agree with Ed that there are certain forum bogeymen that have taken on excessive importance, but at the same time, I'm cheap, and I want to feel like I'm getting my money's worth. The old "pay for quality" chestnut holds more sway with me than "paying for aesthetics," though a bit less so as time goes on.

 

[Tarmac]

It would be interesting to know, out of all the people on SF, out of all their goodyear welted shoes they owned, how many have actually been resoled in accordance with the advantages offered by goodyear welting. I would guess under 10%

 

[skalogre]

How do I feel about blake stitching? Well, on a scale of 19 to 31, I would say be obliged to say "mauve".

In my case I would not care much if I really wanted the shoes but I would certainly prefer welting as then at least I know that if I need to I can resole them. I have not had to do that yet though, as Tarmac noted.

 

[grimslade]

Some people here simply own too many shoes for this to be a live issue.

 

[Kuro]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

It would be interesting to know, out of all the people on SF, out of all their goodyear welted shoes they owned, how many have actually been resoled in accordance with the advantages offered by goodyear welting. I would guess under 10%

+1

 

[Get Smart]

For me aesthetics>construction (altho construction is very important too)

and if my goodyear welted shoes needed new soles I'd just buy new shoes, but I've never had any of my shoes need new soles

I have Paul Smith, Martegani and A Testoni blake-rapid stitched shoes, and for those particular styles, the blake is better suited aesthetically than goodyear (which imo look best on heavy gunboats and "country" shoes)

 

[edmorel]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

It would be interesting to know, out of all the people on SF, out of all their goodyear welted shoes they owned, how many have actually been resoled in accordance with the advantages offered by goodyear welting. I would guess under 10%

I'm guessing closer to 1%

 

[skalogre]

Originally Posted by grimslade

Some people here simply own too many shoes for this to be a live issue.

True!

I am sure I am at the bottom end as far as number of pairs owned and I probably have more than a dozen.

P.s. what the hell is wrong with us

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