Shoe shopping trip, London or Budapest?

[Madrileno]

Ever since I started lurking around the Forum I've wanted to make a trip to London and Northampton. Mainly because all the stories I read about those "magical" factory stores and MTO shoes (The last time I was there was before I found out about Style Forum, and I did not even know brands such as John Lobb or G&G, and neither did I know about the factory stores of several shoemakers in Northampton).

So I finally have saved enough money to buy several pairs of John Lobbs, Edward Greens and whatever else I found appealing (preferably with a steep discount) and was trying to find a long weekend to fly over there. But then I started reading all this threads about very cheap Vass due to the poor exhange rate of the Hungarian currency, and seeing all those pretty pictures of MTO shoes. So basically I don't know what to do anymore.

What would you guys recommend for a shoe shopping trip, Britain of Hungary? I haven't been to the latter, so buying three or four MTO Vass would not be the only reason to go there (but it will be the main reason, but I must hide this last part from my girlfriend).

One argument in favour of Budapest, is that Northampton will probably maintain prices in their factory stores, Vass will probably increase them in the not too distant future (although in today's uncertain times, nothing is for sure).

What do you guys think?

 

[stilmacher]

Go to Paris

 

[Golf_Nerd]

Originally Posted by stilmacher

Go to Paris

+1 ... or London and then Budapest.

 

[meister]

Budapest and have a holiday el cheapo and spend the savings on your Vass or Koronya shoes not the GF of course.

 

[Madrileno]

The problem with Paris is that I would loose favourable Exchange rates. If I go to Britain, how would the stock be in the Northampton stores? I believe sales just finished or are about to finish, so maybe there would not be too much to choose from. However, getting fitted for a few MTO G&G would be another possibility (even though I would only be able to order two pairs at most, while I could get maybe 4 or 5 Vass)

By the way, shoul I pay a visit to Koronya? from his blog I gather that he has started making RTW.
How much are they?

 

[stilmacher]

Originally Posted by Madrileno

The problem with Paris is that I would loose favourable Exchange rates.

True that. It still is the best "shoe-city" though.

 

[Madrileno]

I know, I know, I will have to travel up North to Paris too. But Paris will always be there

 

[rebel222]

Originally Posted by Madrileno

I know, I know, I will have to travel up North to Paris too. But Paris will always be there

Is England and Budapest going somewhere?

 

[Madrileno]

no, but the prices in Budapest will not always be this low

 

[oneade]

i think you've already made up your mind.

 

[m_wave]

Northhamton is not going to be a terribly nice holiday destination.. I say Budapest for the win!

 

[Concordia]

Having just been to Budapest (and being a long-time buyer of English shoes), I can say that you won't go far wrong either way.

Vass indeed has good prices now-- 100,000 Ft for calfskin, and 125,000 for cordovan. I don't know what the mark-up is on MTO. If you find a last that fits you and whose appearance you like, you will get a lifetime of cheap, excellent RTW shoes out of the deal. Quality appears to be at least what you'd get at Edward Green.

Also, although Koronya sets prices in dollars or Euros, they are also excellent value. Figure about 3x Vass prices, with the advantage of having a last made for you to your own aesthetic preferences. I have a pair started (they're on Marcel's blog), and look forward to seeing what he comes up with.

The real question: do you prefer the look of Hungarian shoes? They are about half the price of English equivalents but if you want English shoes you should go looking for them. Marcel at Koronya does pretty good English- or Parisian-styled shoes, but they will probably always have a slight Central European accent to someone who won't settle for anything but EG or Cleverley.

 

[Montesquieu]

My first piece of advice would be to focus on getting the shoes you want (last, leather, color, etc.), not what is on sale. You are unlikely to find exactly what you want on sale anywhere, and in the long term, you are better off buying fewer shoes you love than more shoes you like. Trust me on this.

My second piece of advice would be to decide which one or two shoe styles you like best of all that you've seen online, and go there to order those. Get what you want most. You can then go to the other place later.

Third, I think your decision to go to the source is a great one. That has been my greatest pleasure in shoe buying, having visited the brand stores for most of my purchases (Vass, EG, G&G, Sutor, Scafora, Berluti, Corthay, C&J). It creates a personal connection between you and the brands, and it lets you select exactly what you want (MTO most of the time, in my case).

All that said, in my opinion, the best shoes from EG, G&G, and Lobb are more beautiful than the best from Vass. I say that having been to Budapest and ordered 8 pair of Vass. I love Vass, and they represent such great value that I rely on them to fill out my collection. But when I have to turn to my single favorite shoes on days that I want to look my best, I pick from my EG, G&G, Corthay, Scafora and Berluti. Perhaps the Vass wholecut without medallion makes my shortlist, but otherwise, I find the best of the others more beautiful than the best of Vass. That's just my opinion.

So, I suggest that you identify the single shoe(s) you want most, and go there. Buy them MTO if not in stock. Were I you, I would go to London/Northampton first.

[As an aside, if you like Berluti, they are far cheaper in London than in Paris.]

 

[Cornellian]

The service at Vass is not very good, and I certainly wouldn't travel to Budapest just for shoes.

Go to Vienna instead.

 

[zalb916]

Originally Posted by Madrileno

If I go to Britain, how would the stock be in the Northampton stores? I believe sales just finished or are about to finish, so maybe there would not be too much to choose from.

The stock at the factory shops in Northampton is not necessarily great and far from "magical." I have been twice in the past couple of years. I've really enjoyed my experiences and picked up a number of shoes, but you have to understand the reality of what you are getting into.

First, the stores have somewhat particular hours. C&J is open for just a few hours and only on Friday and Saturday. Trickers is not open on Saturday at all. Lobb has pretty convenient hours, but I don't think the public even has access to the EG factory. Grenson is about 10 miles away in a different town. Basically, you can't just expect to take the train into town on any day and go to a bunch of shops. Not to mention, I'd be very surprised if you could even gain entrance to EG.

Next, don't expect to find great stock at the shops. I've only been to C&J and Lobb, but I expect the same can be said for all the shops. They are not like regular stores. The only shoes they get are factory rejects; therefore, the selection is entirely random and composed of whatever the factory happened to screw up. At Lobb, most of the desirable styles are not available, and you are left with a lot of crap to pick over. You can generally find a suitable pair or two, but don't expect to be finding a particular style. About 90% of the shoes in the shop I would never consider wearing.

C&J is better in terms of selection. However, they still don't have a full array of styles. They will have a lot more of the basics compared to Lobb, but they still are far from stocking their full catalog. The benefit of the factory store is that they will have shoes you've never seen before that they make for other stores.

Originally Posted by Montesquieu

My first piece of advice would be to focus on getting the shoes you want (last, leather, color, etc.), not what is on sale. You are unlikely to find exactly what you want on sale anywhere, and in the long term, you are better off buying fewer shoes you love than more shoes you like. Trust me on this.

My second piece of advice would be to decide which one or two shoe styles you like best of all that you've seen online, and go there to order those. Get what you want most. You can then go to the other place later.

Finally, you certainly can't follow Montesquieu's advice going to the factory shops. The shops are fun and worthwhile, if you have the mindset that it's a total crap shoot. It's pretty unlikely that you are going to find the exact shoe you want, particularly at Lobb. These stores are good if you accept that a) you may come home with nothing and b) you will buy something unexpected.

I think Montesquieu's advise is good. You seem to be taking a trip pretty much for the sole purpose of buying shoes. Get the shoes you definitely want. You can do this at Vass, not in the Northampton factory shops. Going to Northampton is a fun half day trip when you find yourself in London, but I wouldn't spend a vacation going specifically there.