Shoe design / style question.

[swiego]

Forgive my crude illustration. On a wingtip, regarding the piece of leather at the toe that has the medallion then wraps around the sides, should the upper edge (on the sides, where the arrow points) be further into the vamp, where it can be seen from above, or should it be further down to the sides so that the vamp remains relatively clear behind the toebox? Is there a style aspect to this, or is it simply personal preference? Or mostly influenced by foot shape or width?

There's a reason I ask. I had wanted to buy a pair of snuff suede wingtips for some time. At C&J NYC I wore a pair (can't remember the model) and thought they were gorgeous. The medallion leather seemed to end further up in the vamp, when my shoes were on, and could be seen clearly from above, when I stood. They were too expensive for what I thought would be the amount of use they'd get, so I thought I'd get the AE Player's Shoe as a less expensive alternative. But, when I wore them, I found that the same leather was lower/to the sides leaving the vamp open and clear, and I just didn't like that look and passed on it. Now I am thinking about suede wingtips once more, and would like to find out whether others have perceived this sort of thing in their [larger than mine] shoe collections and have a preference.

 

[DocHolliday]

It's preference. The Torrent, from Ferragamo's Tramezza line, has an incredibly shallow wing, for a fashiony look. That one's too low for me, but I haven't spent much time thinking about it otherwise.

 

[jonuiuc]

+1 above

Its really preference isn't it? I like them on the higher side,

 

[swiego]

Thank you, this is good to know. I'd be curious to hear what others' preferences are. I prefer the edge to be higher up. On a related note, I'd love to hear suggestions on brown suede wingtips somewhere in the $200-$400 range.

 

[NikotineStyle]

These aren't wingtips but I recently bought these beautiful brown suede monkstraps by Ferragamo.

http://nikotinestyle.tumblr.com/post/15072001777/a-pair-of-shoes-every-man-needs-these-suede

 

[cptjeff]

It's a preference thing. The shape of the wing, longwing/shortwing, whatever else, are all stylistic choices. The Player's Shoe (they really need a better name) is a perfectly lovely shoe to my eye.

 

[MyOtherLife]

There may or may not be historical reasons for the varying degrees to which the wingtip sweeps back along the front quarters from the toe box.. I agree that it will come down to personal preference. Perspective should be considered when making a selection. with any clothes or footwear, at best, you'll only receive half of the pleasure these things offer, which comes from the ownership and wearing of them. The other half of the pleasure goes to those who see you in them. It is a matter of angles. Put on a pair of any shoes and look down. Then look at your shoes through a mirror. The mirrored angles is what others will see. Don't be suprised when you discover that others will have the better view from what you wear. Comfort, quality, complimentary proportioning, then price should be determining factors when buying shoes.
The AE Player is a well proportioned design (in my opinion) that should compliment any shape or sized foot.

 

[Pliny]

Forgive my crude illustration. On a wingtip, regarding the piece of leather at the toe that has the medallion then wraps around the sides, should the upper edge (on the sides, where the arrow points) be further into the vamp, where it can be seen from above, or should it be further down to the sides so that the vamp remains relatively clear behind the toebox? Is there a style aspect to this, or is it simply personal preference? Or mostly influenced by foot shape or width?
There's a reason I ask. I had wanted to buy a pair of snuff suede wingtips for some time. At C&J NYC I wore a pair (can't remember the model) and thought they were gorgeous. The medallion leather seemed to end further up in the vamp, when my shoes were on, and could be seen clearly from above, when I stood. They were too expensive for what I thought would be the amount of use they'd get, so I thought I'd get the AE Player's Shoe as a less expensive alternative. But, when I wore them, I found that the same leather was lower/to the sides leaving the vamp open and clear, and I just didn't like that look and passed on it. Now I am thinking about suede wingtips once more, and would like to find out whether others have perceived this sort of thing in their [larger than mine] shoe collections and have a preference.

the C&Js seem to use the same stencil across the 4 styles below







Some older EG and C&Js



G&G Rosthchild



My fav- EG Beaulieu



I think it's about balance- if the lake's big or small as in the Corthay and the G&G the look is fashion forward.

In the middle is a more traditional look.

 

[connor09]

+1 above
Its really preference isn't it? I like them on the higher side,

True. I prefer a higher one as well.