The Bespoke Shoes Thread

[BColl_Has_Too_Many_Shoes]

I do love a good chiseled toe last so will likely continue to have makers try to fit my feet into them ?

Considering you have such easy access to these extremely talented shoemakers, I don't blame you for continously trying ??.

 

[usctrojans31]

Everything I have seen from Wegan / Catella has blown me away. It's similar enough to G&G that the inspiration is clear but different enough to know that he has put his own spin on shoemaking.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

Everything I have seen from Wegan / Catella has blown me away. It's similar enough to G&G that the inspiration is clear but different enough to know that he has put his own spin on shoemaking.

Totally agree with that. Which is what he aimed on with Catella. Think it will become clearer and clearer as new samples are done and shoes are finished for customers (think he has a whole bunch of fitting shoes just waiting for the chance for him to travel overseas again and meet all clients he met at trunk shows organised in the US just before COVID broke, so once that happens and he can do the final shoes lots of new stuff will show up).

 

[marlinspike]

Man, I'm always so jealous of people who don't have duck feet. Those are beautiful.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

Man, I'm always so jealous of people who don't have duck feet. Those are beautiful.

Ha, I'm famous for my duck feet. Very wide, short toes, sensitive and ****** to work with for the makers. You can get nice looking lasts anyway, with good lastmakers.

 

[marlinspike]

Ha, I'm famous for my duck feet. Very wide, short toes, sensitive and ****** to work with for the makers. You can get nice looking lasts anyway, with good lastmakers.

The widest part of my footprint is just in front of my ankle, my arch (well lack of) is rigid, cannot be done. I would have to crush that shoe to wear it (in fact, the shoe that Maftei made that solved my pain, it is 13 inches long from heel to toe but only 1.5 inch does not touch the ground).

I was in the Alden DC store when they were opening the new location and the VP was there after looking at my feet she tried to put a couple of shoes on and then said there was not a single last they had that I would be able to wear. I'm supposed to have a surgery, but the surgery has a 50% success rate and for the other 50% some of them end up with partial paralysis in the foot, so....no. lol.

 

[j ingevaldsson]

The widest part of my footprint is just in front of my ankle, my arch (well lack of) is rigid, cannot be done. I would have to crush that shoe to wear it (in fact, the shoe that Maftei made that solved my pain, it is 13 inches long from heel to toe but only 1.5 inch does not touch the ground).

I was in the Alden DC store when they were opening the new location and the VP was there after looking at my feet she tried to put a couple of shoes on and then said there was not a single last they had that I would be able to wear. I'm supposed to have a surgery, but the surgery has a 50% success rate and for the other 50% some of them end up with partial paralysis in the foot, so....no. lol.

Yeah, sounds like your feet are more tricky than mine I guess ?

 

[ntempleman]

You can always figure out a good looking last no matter how bad a client thinks their feet are, just need to take the time to find it. In some ways, the worse the foot the easier the job is

 

[dieworkwear]

In some ways, the worse the foot the easier the job is

Curious, what do you mean?

 

[marlinspike]

You can always figure out a good looking last no matter how bad a client thinks their feet are, just need to take the time to find it. In some ways, the worse the foot the easier the job is

The shaded area represents how much of the foot can be made not to touch the ground if supported (beyond that isn't possible, I used to only wear blake stitches shoes because they more quickly crush to fit, though even GYW shoes crush to fit eventually), and the bony protrusion part has to be forced up off from weight bearing (being barefoot is painful for instance). Do you think something so striking can really be done with that footprint?

 

[ntempleman]

Curious, what do you mean?

In that if someone comes to you, having never had a well fitting or good looking shoe in their whole life, you can really give them something they’ll cherish. From a lastmaking point of view, a foot is a foot, you’re fitting a shape - how “attractive” it is doesn’t really come into my mind, I’m just trying to work out how to get the best I can from it. I think there’s always a good shape that’ll suit the person to be found, I take into account the person, what they wear, body shape etc as much as the piece of paper with measurements when I make a last. If someone comes to you in any line of work, say you’re a chef, they tell you everything they ever ate in their life was delicious, 3 Michelin star food, but they want you to wow them - what do you cook for them?

 

[ntempleman]

View attachment 1568787

The shaded area represents how much of the foot can be made not to touch the ground if supported (beyond that isn't possible, I used to only wear blake stitches shoes because they more quickly crush to fit, though even GYW shoes crush to fit eventually), and the bony protrusion part has to be forced up off from weight bearing (being barefoot is painful for instance). Do you think something so striking can really be done with that footprint?

It depends what you mean by “striking”. I am sure you could have a good looking pair of shoes, but without seeing your actual feet it’s hard to say exactly - whoever if you wanted something of a certain aesthetic that’s simply too small then there’s an issue to address. We’re still bound by physics sadly

 

[daizawaguy]

Lovely shoes - as far as I understand these are relasted from an earlier pair that had too much volume across the vamp when they were made at GG by Daniel - Interested to hear more about this - I mean the fitting and relasting - how much changes can be made to a shoe? I also read that the final trees get made after using the shoes for a while - a very sensible idea given that small fitting issues become evident after you wear the shoes for a while.

 

[ntempleman]

I’ve had clients come to me explaining they’ve never had a comfortable shoe, every day has been a painful experience, all they want is something comfortable and don’t care how bad they look. One chap at the fitting looked at the shoes and told me they don’t look like they’ll fit before trying them on, but when you give someone that comfort they’ve been looking for and they also look better than they dreamed they could, in a small way you’ve just improved their life. One of the most satisfying feelings in shoemaking IMO, better than all the fancy fiddle waist chisel toe show off stuff

 

[marlinspike]

I’ve had clients come to me explaining they’ve never had a comfortable shoe, every day has been a painful experience, all they want is something comfortable and don’t care how bad they look. One chap at the fitting looked at the shoes and told me they don’t look like they’ll fit before trying them on, but when you give someone that comfort they’ve been looking for and they also look better than they dreamed they could, in a small way you’ve just improved their life. One of the most satisfying feelings in shoemaking IMO, better than all the fancy fiddle waist chisel toe show off stuff

That's how I felt when I got that pair of wingtips I posted here (my second pair of shoes from him). I actually turned to my wife when I opened the box and said "I don't know why he did this, what is he thinking changing my last like this this obviously won't fit me," and after wearing them they're like medicine.
That said, while they look good, I know my shoes will never be the ones he posts to his IG.

I wanted to respond to your saying "in a small way you've just improved their life." You should know it is not a small way at all. I feel like I got my life back, and I'm sure your clients who are similarly situated feel the same. It doesn't just relieve you from pain every single day, but it makes it so you can enjoy nice things like travelling or going for a walk on a nice day. It completely changes your life.