Meermin Mallorca Shoes

[Stani777]

So you don't find the shape of two lasts similar in my picture above?

I find shoes at your picture quite similar, since both are oxfords and their color almoast the same. But yes, not the lasts shape. Similar very slightly.

 

[MTLinStyle]

Meermin Hiro G-width

 

[JJRADICK]

I take same size in all meermin (hiro, rui, ron, elton, olfe) as well as in Carmina (uetem, rain), and Loake Capital, the only one i sized up for is Carmina Simpson by 1/2 UK size.

Elton is a bit elongated compared to Hiro but there is not necessarily more room in Elton (unless your toes form a triangle and are very long). I'd say it is almost the same in terms of room. i should add, however that i have a high instep (arch)

Thanks. I also have a high arch

Meermin Hiro G-width

View attachment 873904

What does G width mean?
I thought hiro only comes in E width

 

[jdp234]

There are sometimes wide-foot MTO groups.

 

[vriche]

I find shoes at your picture quite similar, since both are oxfords and their color almoast the same. But yes, not the lasts shape. Similar very slightly.

I agree with this and I own both. The Rain last's square shape is a lot more subtle and there's a noticeable difference when looking at them side by side. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't buy another Elton pair.

 

[MTLinStyle]

Thanks. I also have a high arch

What does G width mean?
I thought hiro only comes in E width

THere are often G-width MTO groups on Meermin website.

 

[JJRADICK]

THere are often G-width MTO groups on Meermin website.

There is a noticeable V gap on your G-width Hiro last.
I have a high instep. So does that mean I should stick with standard Elton (since they have higher instep according to Meermin) than with the standard E width Hiro?

 

[Riva]

There is a noticeable V gap on your G-width Hiro last.
I have a high instep. So does that mean I should stick with standard Elton (since they have higher instep according to Meermin) than with the standard E width Hiro?

You can reduce the V by changing the lacing style.

 

[sarteaga]

@sarteaga which last? where up there? you mean the black captoe ?

Yes.

 

[MTLinStyle]

There is a noticeable V gap on your G-width Hiro last.
I have a high instep. So does that mean I should stick with standard Elton (since they have higher instep according to Meermin) than with the standard E width Hiro?

Yes, I have a noticiable V pretty much in most oxford shoes. in the G-width I did not lace them very tightly, so you will see that there is a wider V on the left shoe than the right, even though the right foot is bigger. The V on the Elton is even more noticeable see below

, see below

 

[Bojan Zebic]

Yes, I have a noticiable V pretty much in most oxford shoes. in the G-width I did not lace them very tightly, so you will see that there is a wider V on the left shoe than the right, even though the right foot is bigger. The V on the Elton is even more noticeable see below View attachment 875211 View attachment 875211 View attachment 875212 , see below

Oh wow the Elton ones look much nicer than Hiro. These Elton's are really nice both the last and colour.

 

[MTLinStyle]

@JJRADICK not sure if you are looking for any recommendations, but based on my experience the most comfortable Meermin shoe is Olfe last in Dark Brown Llama

 

[ProperlySuited]

Hello everyone, don't know if there are loafers amateurs around, I absolutely love these loafers I bought a few months ago. Even though I am very impressed by their durability, the sole is starting to get damaged. I am quite new to shoes and shoe care, do you have any advice on how I could fix that?

View media item 2292732

 

[am55]

Hello everyone, don't know if there are loafers amateurs around, I absolutely love these loafers I bought a few months ago. Even though I am very impressed by their durability, the sole is starting to get damaged. I am quite new to shoes and shoe care, do you have any advice on how I could fix that?

View media item 2292732

All leather soles get used over time. The scratching is normal and gives you a bit more grip, but you don't want to reach the point where you can see the cork underneath.

Actually, there is an extra layer on Meermins because they use closed channel soles. The stitching that attaches the upper (the top part) of the shoe to the sole fits in a "channel", a sort of groove the width of the thread which protects it from being used by walking like the sole itself is.

(I apologise to the cordwainers here for any inaccuracies forthcoming and welcome corrections)

You basically have three options: leave the channel open, put a layer of leather on top (and therefore on top of the whole sole) "closing" the channel, and closing the channel by tightening the opening (have the groove be "too tight" for the stitch, therefore closing over it even if you still see a ****).

Open channel is the most common, but can result in grit coming into contact with the thread and destroying it early, especially on Goodyear welted soles (a cheaper, industrial process for stitching it on) vs good hand welted where you can cut one of the loops and the others stay put, whereas the Goodyear stitch, if cut, loosens everywhere.

Closing the channel by bringing the sides together is hard to do well. A bespoke shoemaker like @DWFII (from whose posts I learnt all this stuff) will make the channel "diagonally" so the pressure of walking closes the channel mechanically, but it's a lot of work so that kind of closure is done vertically on cheaper shoes.

What you have on Meermin is an open channel covered by a thin leather layer. The advantage is that the shoes look better in the shop, with a nice unified bottom not showing any stitch, which is why this type of sole covering is increasingly adopted in shops. The disadvantage is that this wears off first, leaving strips of leather falling off in an unsightly way. It doesn't mean it's time to resole yet, though.

You can cover the sole with a Topy (thin rubber layer) to preserve it, in theory. In practice, this traps humidity in the sole and results in faster rotting, according to more experienced shoe owners anyway (I do not Topy). There was a gallery somewhere showing Topied soles with the Topy removed after a few months of walking around and it was not cosmetic. Best in my opinion is to replace the sole when it gets too used (the cobbler will stitch a new one on), although unless you walk with the shoes every day that should not be for a few years. This should cost around $50 for an open channel sole.

 

[Wild Strawberry Rabbit]

4 years old suede wholecuts, AMA last.