Japanese Shoes: Bespoke & RTW Super Thread

[nutcracker]

7.17 Judgement Day: Isetan's Summer Sale starts today!

Let us spend money!!

Isetan MEN's entrance. 30min before opening

Ok, so the line extends down the corner

okay....I expected this

another corner...

I am not happy....

Finally got to the end

Time to line up!

Woohoo!

GIVE ME SHOES!!!!

Shoes are basically 30% off retail, which is a great deal for many Japanese. Here's some of the sale prices I jotted down...

Edward Green: ¥105,000
EG Dover: ¥115,000
CJ Handgrade: ¥63,000
Vass F Last: ¥63,000
Perfetto: ¥36,000
Meermin: ¥30,000~$47,000
Sanyo Yamacho: ¥44,000~¥50,000
Jalan Srivijaya: ¥21,000
Otsuka Shoes: ¥26,000
Union Imperial: ¥26,000

btw the largest size I saw was size 9 (27)

 

[bozzkeren]

@NC
man, the queue give me the chills, last time i had to queue like that when i'm eating sushi at tsukiji
this is on another scale

does the sale include new line up? or just for the old stock?
also do you see shoe tree on the sale?
thanks

 

[nutcracker]



@NC
man, the queue give me the chills, last time i had to queue like that when i'm eating sushi at tsukiji
this is on another scale

does the sale include new line up? or just for the old stock?
also do you see shoe tree on the sale?
thanks

They had both....they're trying to get rid of the new seasonal shoes (summer loafers and what not), and also stuffs from way back....
The EG selection wasn't so back....a couple of different Dovers were on sale.
The selection of Japanese brands (Sanyo Yamacho, Otsuka, Perfetto) looked great (as expected)

Yeah they did have shoe trees for sale, but one of those simple split toe type (in red cedar)...for ¥3600 or so.

 

[clee1982]

That many people for 30% off only? Retailer can still defend the price well in Japan I suppose.

 

[nutcracker]



That many people for 30% off only? Retailer can still defend the price well in Japan I suppose.

Isetan carries some of the largest selection of classic menswear brands, and they were 30% off across the board (which is fantastic)

For shoes though, I was a bit disappointed that a lot of the staple designs/colors were excluded from the sale. Some nicer brands (Corthay, JMW, Alden, Carmina, and even Japanese brand Corno Blu) were excluded altogether.
Though a lot of people seemed quite ecstatic with the offering

 

[chogall]

I like Barney's sale better.

That many people for 30% off only? Retailer can still defend the price well in Japan I suppose.

And people wonder why Asians travel to Europe and buying out everything.

 

[nutcracker]

Shoeshine at Kutsumigaki Honpo

Kutsumigaki Honpo (aka Shoeshine Tokyo), established 5 years ago and easily recognised for their French cafe' inspired booths, has quickly become a favorite among the white collared workers of downtown Tokyo. Now with 5 locations in and around Tokyo, they offer a wide range of repair jobs, in addition to their signature shoeshine. They even offer shoe polish classes/seminars each month for hobbyists/amateurs. Their newest location, a shoeshine boutique store (in collaboration with Kamioka) is located in a 5 star Daiichi Hotel in downtown Tokyo. That is where I met Mr. Fujimoto Hideki, the owner of Kutsumigaki Honpo / Shoeshine Tokyo chain. He offered to nourish/polish a new pair of shoes that I took home (more on that pair later...)

Fujimoto Hideki san, the mastermind of Shoeshine Tokyo.

Untying the laces

Brushing & Dusting

Inserting the shoe trees

Light cleaning with a proprietary conditioner

Renovator!

Hand rubbing the reno

Brushing after the reno

Saphir creme polishes. He used 2 shades of brown to match the shoe color

Rub rub

Now time for wax polishing. Another proprietary formula...looked pretty hard and dry

The toes

The heels

.... and a light coat on the entire shoe

Voilà! I asked for a matt shine and they came out just right

For this nourish & polish service, the whole process took 15 minutes or so. A basic shoeshine takes 10 minutes or so (and the shoes are kept on). Among the specialised services offered here, there is the 'John Lobb Care & Shine' for discerning owners of JLP shoes who only wants to use JLP brand polishes (although they are essentially Saphirs....). There is also an 'Alden Care & Shine' course that only uses Alden brand cordovan polishes. I've been told that guests at the hotel can have their shoes picked up for a shine / repair by a bell boy.

Many thanks to Fujimoto-san for an excellent shine!

Kutsumigaki Honpo @ Daiichi Hotel, Tokyo HP
Kutsumigaki Honpo HP

 

[clee1982]



Shoeshine at Kutsumigaki Honpo

Voilà! I asked for a matt shine and they came out just right

Kutsumigaki Honpo @ Daiichi Hotel, Tokyo HP
Kutsumigaki Honpo HP

That looked better than some of the insane mirror shine, it blended better instead of nothing, then mirror shine toe in your face

 

[JermynStreet]

I love the Japanese's pride in these small things. Details aren't part of the art, they [/B] are the art.

 

[Fang66]

That many people for 30% off only? Retailer can still defend the price well in Japan I suppose.

Isetan carries some of the largest selection of classic menswear brands, and they were 30% off across the board (which is fantastic)

For shoes though, I was a bit disappointed that a lot of the staple designs/colors were excluded from the sale. Some nicer brands (Corthay, JMW, Alden, Carmina, and even Japanese brand Corno Blu) were excluded altogether.
Though a lot of people seemed quite ecstatic with the offering

Went to Isetan today, salesman recognised me, I looked at a pair of chukkas, "do you have these in my size"? No sorry. "do you have anything in my size"? No sorry.

 

[striker]

I hear you brother.

 

[Fang66]



Shoeshine at Kutsumigaki Honpo

Kutsumigaki Honpo (aka Shoeshine Tokyo), established 5 years ago and easily recognised for their French cafe' inspired booths, has quickly become a favorite among the white collared workers of downtown Tokyo. Now with 5 locations in and around Tokyo, they offer a wide range of repair jobs, in addition to their signature shoeshine. They even offer shoe polish classes/seminars each month for hobbyists/amateurs. Their newest location, a shoeshine boutique store (in collaboration with Kamioka) is located in a 5 star Daiichi Hotel in downtown Tokyo. That is where I met Mr. Fujimoto Hideki, the owner of Kutsumigaki Honpo / Shoeshine Tokyo chain. He offered to nourish/polish a new pair of shoes that I took home (more on that pair later...)

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Fujimoto Hideki san, the mastermind of Shoeshine Tokyo.

Untying the laces

Brushing & Dusting

Inserting the shoe trees

Light cleaning with a proprietary conditioner

Renovator!

Hand rubbing the reno

Brushing after the reno

Saphir creme polishes. He used 2 shades of brown to match the shoe color

Rub rub

Now time for wax polishing. Another proprietary formula...looked pretty hard and dry

The toes

The heels

.... and a light coat on the entire shoe

Voilà! I asked for a matt shine and they came out just right

For this nourish & polish service, the whole process took 15 minutes or so. A basic shoeshine takes 10 minutes or so (and the shoes are kept on). Among the specialised services offered here, there is the 'John Lobb Care & Shine' for discerning owners of JLP shoes who only wants to use JLP brand polishes (although they are essentially Saphirs....). There is also an 'Alden Care & Shine' course that only uses Alden brand cordovan polishes. I've been told that guests at the hotel can have their shoes picked up for a shine / repair by a bell boy.

Many thanks to Fujimoto-san for an excellent shine!

Kutsumigaki Honpo @ Daiichi Hotel, Tokyo HP
Kutsumigaki Honpo HP

Nice post, thanks nc.

 

[Fang66]



I hear you brother.

I went to Ueno and bought a pair of gold golf shoes just to slake my lust. F! U! Nice shoes.

 

[nutcracker]



Went to Isetan today, salesman recognised me, I looked at a pair of chukkas, "do you have these in my size"? No sorry. "do you have anything in my size"? No sorry.

I hope you had better luck with clothes.....

 

[Fang66]

Went to Isetan today, salesman recognised me, I looked at a pair of chukkas, "do you have these in my size"? No sorry. "do you have anything in my size"? No sorry.

I hope you had better luck with clothes.....

Only had 10 minutes spare to drop in. Not really in the market for clothes though.