Please recommend Bespoke Shoe

[jjgold]

I have a closet full of Edmonds...some C&J...My feet are flat and nothing seems to fit comfortably! My wife said maybe it is time to get a pair made. I would prefer an American Maker. I am sort of price conscious. Business Shoes. Any help or recommendation?

Thanks

jjgold

 

[Concordia]

Price conscious-- American made---

Hmmm, that's going to be tough, unless you have a skilled immigrant toiling in one of the rougher parts of your town.

Best US custom makers of business shoes reputed to be in NYC or Pennsylvania. Prices at their studios start at $2,700 and go well above $3K.

Also in NYC, Vogel is said to be pretty good, and much cheaper.

There are probably some makers of cowboy boots who also charge much less, but I couldn't pass on any testimonials about their street shoes.

 

[Sator]

Originally Posted by jjgold

I have a closet full of Edmonds...some C&J...My feet are flat and nothing seems to fit comfortably! My wife said maybe it is time to get a pair made. I would prefer an American Maker. I am sort of price conscious. Business Shoes. Any help or recommendation? Thanks jjgold
Price conscious and bespoke really do not belong in the same sentence. What I can suggest, given that I too have the same problem with flat feet, is the combination of orthotics and a shoe with a bevelled waist. The bevelled waist helps to partially support weak arches and this is reinforced further by having orthotic arch supports: http://www.orthaheel.com/ I have recommended these over at AAAC and people who tried the mail order service found it very efficient and reasonably priced. I recommend the regular model. Take these to a store where you can get Edward Greens or John Lobbs and try the shoe on with the orthotics in place. EGs nearly all have bevelled waists, whereas only the top of the range JLs do. Another source of EGs with a bevelled waist is RLPL but your choice of lasts will be severely limited. Choose the shoe based on the fit of the last more than on the style. If you can get EGs spend time trying their different lasts until you find the one that suits your foot. The results should be excellent arch support at around 1/4 the price of bespoke shoes. Alternatively, you may find the Orthaheel insoles alone to be the solution to all your woes anyway (but don't tell your wife I said that!). I like them so much, I keep telling myself I must get a spare pair for the car and the desk at work in case I rush out of the house forgetting to put them in. It just about ruins my day if I go without them.

 

[jjgold]

OK let me clarify a little..."Sort of price conscious'...Meaning I will buy the Porche but not the Lambo. I don't need the Rolls Royce of bespoke but good for the $ if there is such a thing! I already tried the ortho heel...If anything I will get orthotics made.

 

[Manton]

You don't have many options in the USA. The only two I know of that do comparalbe work to the best of Europe are Vincent & Edgar (Roman Vaingauz) in New York, and Perry Ercolino in Pennsylvannia. The former is a cranky guy and he makes some strange shoes. I am told that he can also make beautiful examples, but I have never seen any that really moved me. I do think his quality of contruction is excellent. Ercolino is a very nice guy, but personally I have never been all that impressed by the shoes. They don't look "bespoke" to me in terms of last or finishing, in a way that a good London or Paris (or Italian) shoe really stands out above its RTW brethren. And his price point is very high, north of $3K. Not sure what V&E charges these days, but it's comparable to that.

 

[Vintage Gent]

Originally Posted by Manton

Ercolino is a very nice guy, but personally I have never been all that impressed by the shoes. They don't look "bespoke" to me in terms of last or finishing, in a way that a good London or Paris (or Italian) shoe really stands out above its RTW brethren.

Agreed, and I think these samples from his web page suggest that his shoes have little to distinguish themselves from nice RTW options:

http://www.perryercolino.com/styles.php