Shoe Damage Report & Appreciation Central - Part I

[nordicstyle]

Originally Posted by Thurston

I am getting worried about you though. It's looking like they don't view you as a real possibility, sexually. You know "Oh he's just Guido".

Not everyone thinks sexual interaction with their co-workers is a good idea, you know.

 

[nordicstyle]

Some Italian style from Barrett:

 

[grimslade]

Originally Posted by Star

These arrived in the mail today. I know they have been photographed to death however I am quite happy with them and this is my take. The color is very nice.

What size are they?

 

[gazman70k]

State of the collection post after getting into the shoe thing for 12 months...

Left to right: Cheaney Gibson, John Lobb Paris Luffield, Gaziano & Girling Wiltshire, Edward Green Falmouth, Stefano Bemer 602, Stefano Bemer 609 and Berluti Indio.

Some close ups to show wear...

Cheaney Gibson in black calf. My only black shoe and purchased at a significant discount from Hong Kong Seibu. The leather holds up well even if it feels a little synthetic. The overall design is more Italian than English but as you will see as we go through what I have, I seem to gravitate towards this contradiction. Besides being my only black pair, its the only pair that has an elongated design.

John Lobb Paris Luffield in deep grey august calf. Many shoe lovers swear that JLP make the finest RTW shoes, period. And its hard to argue. JLP's reputation of only clicking one pair per leather swatch may justify its higher price but clearly the leather is absolutely amazing. It is soft and very comfortable unlike any other leather I have come across in my limited shoe experience. The august calf ages extremely well, both in patina and in creases. In fact, after a good polish, the creases actually disappear. A fine pair that is an absolute pleasure to wear. This pair is MTO through the John Lobb boutique in Hong Kong.

Gaziano & Girling Wiltshire in espresso calf. G&G - a darling of SFers with many loyal followers. This is my first MTO pair and not my last as I have another two pairs on order. The quality of the leather is very good and its actually very easy to get a mirror shine. These are absolutely stunning when mirror polished giving it the appearence of patented leather. The creasing is coming along nicely too. I've also noticed that on one occasion where I polished the entire shoe to a mirror shine, there was no flaking at the creases. However, this experience has not been shared by other G&G owners.

Edward Green Falmouth in antiqued dark oak calf. I had to check out what the fuss was all about and I was glad I did. This is a RTW purchased during the Christmas clearence sale and certainly worth every penny. The quality of the leather very good, and I would argue from my limited expereince, better than G&G but not as good as John Lobb. The leather ages very well and I love the casualness of the monk strap. I understand that EG are reintroducing their top drawer range after seeing how successful Gaziano & Girling have become.

Stefano Bemer 602-AF in tobacco calf. This is my favourite pair of shoes. A RTW purchased during a visit to Florence last year, this is a wonderful pair of shoes that fit like a glove. The colour of the leather is stunning. Many SFers have noted that they look very English in design and I couldn't agree more. I love the reserved constraint that Stefano exercised and it is an absolute classic. The leather is not aging very well at all, as you can see, they look very new. They polish to a mirror shine very easily and the creases are well concealed by the broguing. The polish will flake at the creases so only the toe and back receive mirror polish. I also recently interchanged its original lighter shoe lace with the dark ones I received for my latest purchase. I think the contrast works well.

Stefano Bemer 609 in dark brown (meleze). My first pair fit so well that I had to get another pair, which I had MTO. I settled on a wholecut as I was yet to own a pair and Stefano Bemer had just released this new design. This pair was further personalised with the addition of the medallion. I've always wondered how a wholecut would crease and it seems like the creasing does make the shoe look older than it is. Its hard to believe from the photos that this pair is only about six weeks old. Again, they are very English in design and I love the contradition of an Italian producing an English looking shoe. Apparently a local shoe maker in Hong Kong, Zees, was asked to replicate this design by some local SF lurkers who printed my previous photos of the shoe.

Berluti Indio chukka boot in Berluti patina calf leather. These were purchased on a whim and with little shoe education on my part. Yes they are costly and probably not SF approved but nonetheless, they are quirky and interesting. The leather is very soft, rivaling that of the John Lobb and the patina is a stand out. Having said that, I would not be buying another pair of Berluti given the myriad of other brands that offer better value, especially since I would rather explore bespoke at those prices. Its all part of the education process I suppose but I don't regret buying these.

Next up are two more pairs of G&Gs. I am currently contemplating a pair of spectators (not in navy blue - inside joke with Luk-cha and PG) along with another pair of JLP MTO and maybe a pair of Hidetaka or G&G bespoke later in the year (when I am in Florence or when Tony and Dean drop by HK during their next visit to Japan).

Thanks for reading
Gaz

 

[JayJay]

Originally Posted by gazman70k

Gaz
^^^Terrific collection.

 

[Spatlese]

Originally Posted by JayJay

^^^Terrific collection.

+1

 

[adagio]

+1 really excellent. Agree with you on the softness of the JLPs, and the fit. It is someting quite amazing. I've sent a pair of Barker Black wholecuts to Ron Rider for him to work his magic on them. I'll post some images of my modest collection when I get those back from him.

 

[dkzzzz]

Those Berlutis are strangely attractive.
Do you have a foot with low instep? Some of your shoes have very pronounced creasing.

 

[haTTer]

Excellent post Gaz -

 

[william]

Originally Posted by dkzzzz

Do you have a foot with low instep? Some of your shoes have very pronounced creasing.

I was about to ask the same thing.

Also some people have a "deeper" step and flex their foot more when they walk.

At any rate I'd make sure to use shoe conditioner every other time I wore those.

 

[Michael Ay329]

Gazman excellent post...I can honestly say I would have never picked any of your shoes...not even your G&G

 

[Cary Grant]

Great shoes/collection. Your left foot is different is size (smaller than your right I bet? (or the arch is different)) - that would explain the sugnificantly greater creasing on every left shoe.

 

[maomao1980]

Gazman, why all of your shoes crease so much? You must wear them very hard.

 

[nate10184]

Originally Posted by maomao1980

Gazman, why all of your shoes crease so much? You must wear them very hard.

+1 They are really beautiful shoes but that creasing is pretty rough. I wore some work shoes 3 times per week and they don't show nearly as much wear. Do you condition them?

 

[bigbris1]

He seems to have a smaller left foot & low instep. a wigwam on the left foot and insoles should fix that.