Shoes with sleeker toe box/sole

[jonc]

Hello again SF,

My last question was answered by a very helpful person knowledgeable in the city in which I live, as this is a more general question I hope to be similarly informed by the good people of SF.


I'm looking for some new shoes, and have spent a while looking at various makers shoes both here, elsewhere online and in person (I live in London).

I have an issue though in that I don't seem to be a huge fan of the more traditional-looking shoes, specifically around a) the way that around the end of the shoe it comes up pretty much vertical from the sole to what is the top of the shoe. It looks very boxy/not very sleek. b) the soles of all of the more expensive shoes seem to be super-thick, again making the shoe more like some massive hoof.

It may be that there are some styles that I'm simply not aware of and look more like I would like, or maybe they are all made like that so that they last well (I can see how, for example, thicker soles would last longer).

I'm looking for black shoes, probably a pair of full brogues or maybe captoes, primarily to wear for work. I live in London (as I already mentioned above), so can pretty much go anywhere round here to have a look.

I've looked at C&J, Loake, Chruches, Grenson (something like Dylan is probably what I'm looking for, but they didn't have my size when I went in), Oliver Sweeney (I like their Duca, again they didn't have my size, and you guys don't seem to rate them).


Apologies for the wall of text.

 

[NORE]

I would suggest you take a closer look at Crockett & Jones' website as they have a number of sleek/chiseled lasts.

 

[Xenon]

There are many quality shoes made on chiselled lasts but some of these still have a vertically high toe box and tip that slopes quite quickly at the tip only.

You are probably accustomed to Italian blake stitched shoes that typically have a flatter toe box & tip. What you really want to pay attention to is the last and not necessarily the maker. That sais I would suggest you have a look at John Lobb's 8000 lasted shoes as well as Corthay's 001 lasted shoes for a start. Santoni has some as well but I don't know the last models.

 

[JamesX]

You seem to want Japanese style lasts.

Not sure how to get a hold of those though. Most of the lasts seems to be Japanese Markets only.

 

[uniesse]

Originally Posted by JamesX

You seem to want Japanese style lasts.

Not sure how to get a hold of those though. Most of the lasts seems to be Japanese Markets only.

These look nice. Who's the maker?

 

[jonc]

Thanks for the pointers Xenon, I think you may be correct that I'm used to/like the look of Blake stitched shoes. Could well be then that most of the more pricey ones/classic shoes will be like that.


I thought that when you/people on SF talked about sleekness/chiselling NORE they were referring to the profile as viewed from above rather than from the side (as in the toe box is boxy). I could be wrong, if so, what's being referred to here?

 

[Xenon]

Here is a pair of hand welted boots that i am having made (and still waiting for unfortuneately) that has a thin & shallow toe box


http://www.styleforum.net/attachment...1&d=1286331916

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by JamesX

You seem to want Japanese style lasts.

Not sure how to get a hold of those though. Most of the lasts seems to be Japanese Markets only.

Either that or he wants the sort of flattened, pointy shape that can only be made with cheap glued on soles. Hard to tell what he wants without some sort of picture, especially since C&J, etc make plenty of shoes which should be sleek enough.

 

[Xenon]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

Either that or he wants the sort of flattened, pointy shape that can only be made with cheap glued on soles. Hard to tell what he wants without some sort of picture, especially since C&J, etc make plenty of shoes which should be sleek enough.

If you look at the picture above, the lateral toe box walls (sides) are still fairly high at the tip and certainly much more so than the toes that will occupy the space. As such there is a tapering on a birds eye view but not horizontally. This is a completely stylistic choice and could be done in any construction method, but which for historic reasons is more prevalent in cheaper RTW.

Although a shallow toe box is not popular on SF outside it seems to be well recieved and there are more and more quality makers that are offering a last with this styling. Again the Lobb 8000 is a subdued example. You may be right though that it does present a slightly bigger challenged for bespoke makers to remove the last from the finished shoe the shallower the toe box is.

 

[jonc]

Ok, well to give you some kind of an idea, I'm currently wearing a pair similar to these
http://www.oliversweeney.com/shoes-a...rombglblk.html

I bought mine a year or so ago, so I'm not sure whether that's the exact model. They look a bit nicer in person. Honest.

In any case, you should be able to see that they kind of taper a bit towards the end/side.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by jonc

Ok, well to give you some kind of an idea, I'm currently wearing a pair similar to these
http://www.oliversweeney.com/shoes-a...rombglblk.html

I bought mine a year or so ago, so I'm not sure whether that's the exact model. They look a bit nicer in person. Honest.

In any case, you should be able to see that they kind of taper a bit towards the end/side.

It looks kinda cheap, though is far from the worst thing about those shoes.

 

[jonc]

Originally Posted by Sanguis Mortuum

It looks kinda cheap, though is far from the worst thing about those shoes.

Heh, they look nicer in person/on the foot. Well a bit. I can understand why you think they look a bit cheap, probably because most expensive ones look like they are built like battleships

Maybe it's all in my head. Thanks for the pointers Xenon, I think I'm going to look at some of the lasts you suggested.

 

[Sanguis Mortuum]

Originally Posted by jonc

Maybe it's all in my head.

This, I think. I mean, some shoes certainly are built like battleships (Alden gunboats anyone?) but others such as the 'Japanese style last' posted above look sleek and elegant enough without looking cheap.

 

[JamesX]

Originally Posted by uniesse

These look nice. Who's the maker?
That is actually a pair of Tricker's Jodepurs. I think it is their 4449 Last made only for the JP Market. The Last for that picture is no longer avaliable however. The closest you can get is the 4447 Last. Which is nearly as flat just as pointy but the blade like decline is more rounded. You can also go for Italian Shoes. They tend to be more streamlined. This is a Sutor Mantellassi BS 1089 Loafer