The Bespoke Shoes Thread

[WhyUEarly]

The beautiful customers like Stallone and Statham obviously.

Good point!

When I ordered, Senior talked about clients who were members of gentlemen's clubs and ordered bespoke shoes by the dozens. I'm certainly a small timer in that regard, as I can only order one pair every couple of years.

It's possible that GC is an elaborate Antifa operation organized to punish the super-rich by making them wear bad shoes.

Well...maybe those gentlemen knew that you needed to buy a few dozen pairs of GC before you get one good pair. The rest are disposed of as gifts for their valets?

 

[dieworkwear]

@shackletonian if you get the gator shoes remade, I would also ask for a better leather. These seem to have fine cracks between the scales, possibly because they were taken from a lower quality part of the hide. I lived in Moscow for a few years, where gator leather goods are semi-popular in the main luxury mall (GUM). I remember seeing really smooth, clean scales. For bespoke shoes, I think you should be aiming for that. This is not good.

Here are some loafers from Templeman. He uses the same gator that Hermes uses for their bags. I have to imagine that, if a small independent shoemaker can source these skins, so can Cleverley. I saw these loafers in real life and they look as good in person as they do in photos.

About seven years ago, I had lunch with a fellow StyleForum member, who wore these Cleverley shoes. He's been with the company for something like thirty years now. His shoes are incredible, and I remember being very impressed when I saw them. Clearly they can source good skins if they want

 

[shackletonian]

Thanks, @dieworkwear. That's very handy to see. I didn't think about the quality of the leather until I took the shoes out and put them under good light to photograph and then it became clear just how bad it was for that cost. The cracking, dulling, cuts, and 'fuzziness' of the edges was clear. I've had alligator belts for over a decade that don't evince that loss in quality or wear. It was heartbreaking. I suspect that the wholecut nature of the oxfords makes it harder to source a fully excellent leather without flaw, but this was just... not what I'd expect.

I don't think that they could do a full remake of the alligator shoes because the leather was limited (black cherry), which was the reason I got them. I really loved the color. I don't think that I'd get a pair of alligator shoes otherwise.

 

[Texasmade]

The fact that they would still try to pass off low quality leather is just ****** on their part. If it’s limited and the remaining leather is low quality they should’ve notified you that the shoes can’t be made and given you other alternatives.

 

[daizawaguy]

Hear hear, these skins remind me of those arcades in Bangkok where you can buy cheap fake alligator wallets...

 

[R.O. Thornhill]

These shoes are just shocking. I feel so bad for Shackletonian. I had a very underwhelming bespoke experience with Cleverley five years ago (fit wasn't quite right; finishing was a little sloppy; they had messed up the design and had to make adjustments). Convinced me not to go back. For now I am perfectly happy to stick to MTO from EG, St Crispin and Fukuda. If I was to go for bespoke again it would be with Templeman or Fukuda

R-O-T

 

[shackletonian]

Thanks everybody. I took a few more photos of the alligator. The cracks are fairly large and ubiquitous.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

Thanks everybody. I took a few more photos of the alligator. The cracks are fairly large and ubiquitous.

Jesus... That leather should never have been made into shoes, it's a dry fragile alligator hide which hasn't handled the stretching when lasted at all. Could maybe have been used for a cardholder or something, but barely that. The fact that they sent that out to a customer who has paid what you have... I don't know what to say, it's just such a shame in so many ways. Do not accept those shoes under any circumstances.

I talked to one of the most reputed bespoke shoemakers around earlier today, and showed him your first pics, he was quite shocked by both fit, make and especially the leather. His initial reaction was basically "what the f**k!", which I guess says it all. The new photos show that things are even worse than it looked on those.

What pains me the most is the fact that there's many people out there who don't know too much about shoes, who order bespoke from this company and get something similar to what you have, and think that it's what bespoke shoes are supposed to be like. That it isn't more than that. Such a drain for the industry.

 

[djdanniedee]

That would be a BIG nono! Even for rtw that wouldn't be acceptable, much less for bespoke.

Thanks everybody. I took a few more photos of the alligator. The cracks are fairly large and ubiquitous.

 

[dieworkwear]

I just don't understand who looks at their shoes before they go out. Or during the making process, does anyone stop and say "this doesn't look right?" It's so confusing.

When I received my shoes, the soles looked like they were scraped with broken glass shards. It was the strangest thing.

I went to Clev partly because I saw those really beautiful loafers on Will from ASW. At the time, I thought they were some of the most beautiful shoes I've ever seen. They've also made shoes for Bruce Boyer, who tells me he really likes his shoes. So I figured they would be good. But from all the shoes posted in recent years, I think I've only seen one that didn't look messed up. Foo's shoes eventually split open in the back. Mine were a mess. Someone else here posted shoes with a splotch at the back. Kirby's shoes rock back and forth and have back seams that angle out at different degrees.

With that kind of track record, I just assume a remake is going to be more hassle, more time, and more headache. Like, shouldn't the bottom maker in that process look at that skin and say "this is not right?"

 

[clee1982]

I have to say it's just so strange they will let out product like that...

 

[Texasmade]

Thanks everybody. I took a few more photos of the alligator. The cracks are fairly large and ubiquitous.

I'm really glad you shared your story here even though it sucks that spent so much for such a ****** product.

Like Dieworkwear mentioned previously, a lot of people don't share bespoke commissions gone wrong because they don't want to admit that they spent a fortune for bad stuff. This serves as a reminder for future people who are considering using GJC to really think twice before using them.

For your shoes, I wouldn't bother with remakes. I would just demand refunds. It's clear they don't care about quality control on their products.

 

[dieworkwear]

The time has likely already passed for credit card protections, but maybe it's worth knowing that some credit card companies offer a 6 month window to file a chargeback.

It's easier to do this with ready-to-wear because you almost always get the item within 6 months of ordering. Hard with bespoke because a tailor or shoemaker might not even see you between fittings for 6 months, nevermind delivery. But perhaps something to check. I feel like if you've ordered bespoke shoes, you should at least get bespoke shoes for your feet, not someone who wears something two sizes larger than you.

I would try to solve it amicably with Clev first, but maybe in the meantime see if you're covered in any way by your credit card company and, if so, what are the terms.

 

[dieworkwear]

GC is the only company where the RTW line is a halo product for their bespoke range.

 

[clee1982]

Seriously, I mean it's at least made by EG/GG/AS to some known quantity