The Bespoke Shoes Thread

[bbqthis]

Jokes about beautiful wives and friends aside, what is the reason why a maker would punch additional holes in the upper to hold the facings instead of just using the lacing holes?

 

[ntempleman]

It’s how it was always done in the west end, much more secure in keeping facings aligned when lasting, doesn’t stetch eyelets out of shape and the lace leaves a dent in the facings and tongues

 

[bbqthis]

It’s how it was always done in the west end, much more secure in keeping facings aligned when lasting, doesn’t stetch eyelets out of shape and the lace leaves a dent in the facings and tongues

Thank you so much for the answer! I find it odd that such a destructive process would be traditional. I suppose the thought is the laces will conceal the holes, especially when laced straight bar?

 

[bbqthis]

Received my Cleverleys back today. Toe taps installed. Now I can actually begin the proper long term evaluation of the fit.

 

[ijustknow]

A mainstay of Maftei, I just wonder whether this patina is the optimal, any other colour works too?

 

[clee1982]

A darker shade across the board?

 

[ijustknow]

Yes, but intention is not to make it a two tone shoe.

 

[clee1982]

Not more contrast, just darker shade

 

[marlinspike]

I like the subtle marbling a lot, my only change would be to make the whole shoe the same as the cap.

 

[colton2e]

Question to any bespoke makers on here: how rare is it to have toes wider than the ball of the foot?

My 5th toe is long and wide and I have a fairly square “Roman foot” where the first 3 toes are essentially straight across and the 4th and 5th are just a bit shorter. To make matters worse the 5th to splays out maybe 5mm wider than the joint. Because of this there are basically no RTW lasts that fit me.

Is this something you’ve seen before in your experience? It’s getting to the point where I think bespoke/semi-bespoke might be my only option besides shoes that are unstructured enough to not crush that 5th toe

 

[w.efelaborde]

Question to any bespoke makers on here: how rare is it to have toes wider than the ball of the foot?

My 5th toe is long and wide and I have a fairly square “Roman foot” where the first 3 toes are essentially straight across and the 4th and 5th are just a bit shorter. To make matters worse the 5th to splays out maybe 5mm wider than the joint. Because of this there are basically no RTW lasts that fit me.

Is this something you’ve seen before in your experience? It’s getting to the point where I think bespoke/semi-bespoke might be my only option besides shoes that are unstructured enough to not crush that 5th toe

It's not that unusual..
It gets trickier for the last maker when a similar situation occurs with the big toe, stylistically it gets a little challenging.

Depending on your morphology and 'type' of foot (fleshy/boney) generally the best approach is to apply gentle pressure in the muscle area behind the ball on the lateral side of the foot, which draws the toe in without applying direct pressure on it. This should provide support when you walk and remedy the 'line' of the shoe

 

[colton2e]

It's not that unusual..
It gets trickier for the last maker when a similar situation occurs with the big toe, stylistically it gets a little challenging.

Depending on your morphology and 'type' of foot (fleshy/boney) generally the best approach is to apply gentle pressure in the muscle area behind the ball on the lateral side of the foot, which draws the toe in without applying direct pressure on it. This should provide support when you walk and remedy the 'line' of the shoe

Interesting approach but I’m not sure it would work for me. I underpronate which is why my outer toes stick out. I usually rip through the uppers of all my sneakers after a while since my 5th toes push out with so much force.

 

[marlinspike]

What is the name of the device one steps on and leaves the impression of your foot on carbon paper? If this is an expensive device, anybody know of a way to rent one for one time use?

 

[JohnMRobie]

A Harris mat. They’re like $200.

 

[Kaizen]

Does anyone have a suggestion for resoling bespoke shoes, other than sending them back to the original maker?