J. Amesbury Split Toe Shoes with Saphir Cream

[Artisan Fan]

On Friday I received my first batch of Saphir shoe cream and wax plus some nice German horsehair brushes from Franco's.

Some of my pics were blurry given the bad lighting so I will add to this thread tomorrow which I have some natural light.

Here are my beloved black Amesburys:

I also used the very effective "roll-up" sheepskin polishing mitt from John Lobb to bring out the shine. They sell it at the Lobb store in NYC.

Some thoughts on the Amesbury shoes:
1. Phenomenal construction. These are six years old and are as good as ever.
2. They are literally as comfy as my favorite tennis shoes.
3. I have received several nice compliments from women regarding these shoes.
4. Jason is a bit of a value relative to the level of his work in my opinion.
5. I will have a new brown pair soon and will post pictures. Might have to go to London to pick them up. Darn.

6. If you can afford or barely afford bespoke, then I highly recommend you to go for it. It has proven to be one of my best investments. I will be wearing these shoes 15 years from now.

Some thoughts on Saphir shoe cream...
1. Superb product.
2. Nice honey smell that becomes addictive.
3. More of a dark, rich look than the more reflective Kiwi.
4. Seems a better match for the quality of shoes I have.
5. Got great service by phone from Franco's. I will be buying some more polish this week from this Richmond, VA retailer.

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

3. I have received several nice compliments from women regarding these shoes.

I find a female endorsement of a man's sartorial choice to be dubious, at best.

 

[Roger]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

If you can afford or barely afford bespoke, then I highly recommend you to go for it. It has proven to be one of my best investments. I will be wearing these shoes 15 years from now.
What's the cost with Jason Amesbury?

 

[Artisan Fan]

I find a female endorsement of a man's sartorial choice to be dubious, at best.

Well it lifts my spirits to hear from women in such a positive way but I already was fairly confident in my choice.

Roger, the cost was about $2.5K as of a few years ago when I paid for two pairs. I am afraid to ask what my next pair will cost with the exhange rates and all. I had a Coke in London a few months ago and it was $6!

We are going for a dark oak, antiqued type finish this time around and I believe Jason has only gotten better.

He originally worked for Lobb and I believe was Head Clicker if I'm not mistaken and knew the Lobbs quite well. He gave me a copy of The Last Shall Be The First which is signed by one of the current Lobb family who was the manager at the time. I will try to photograph it.

Jason claims (and I believe after some checking around) to use slightly better materials & construction than those of St. James's but he is reverential to the store and speaks fondly of his time there. He has some great stories to tell of Japan and its well worth buying him a pint to hear them.

The shoes feel comfortable and light but offer excellent support. I am surprised at durable such a delicate looking bespoke pair can be. But the delicacy is because they are smaller in bulk due to better construction like beveled waists.

It's also fascinating to see a real cordwainer's workshop. The quality of materials and obvious amount of work are impressive. He has some of the elusive grades of Russian reindeer and other quality leathers. What he also does on occasion are the more expensive three piece shoe trees. Mine were designed for travel so I think he used a light beech which have been carefully and artfully hollowed out in places. At the time I was traveling all over Europe and Asia as a consultant.

 

[whnay.]

Holy smokes those look brand new. Amazing craftsmanship.

Seems like you've got quite the collection. How long have you been "collecting"?

 

[kitonbrioni]

Nice shoes. It's always interesting to hear people's bespoke experiences.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Seems like you've got quite the collection. How long have you been "collecting"?

Since about 1997 but I dropped off a bit recently as I put some capital into a software venture.

 

[Thracozaag]

Gorgeous shoes

.

koji

 

[Artisan Fan]

Here are some better photos from today:

Some details I find nice...

Bonus Edward Green pictures.

 

[Artisan Fan]

P.S. The last pair need a good polishing which I am doing today...

 

[designprofessor]

I recently tried Saphir on my Martegani's. i like it as well. I'd swear my shoes got a little darker...
Anybody else get this?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Might I suggest that you employ the use of toe taps.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Tomasso,

Are you going to say anything nice in this thread?

 

[Tomasso]

Originally Posted by Artisan Fan

Tomasso,

Are you going to say anything nice in this thread?

I love the shoes.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Thanks.