The Bespoke Shoes Thread

[dieworkwear]

A friend of mine told me that her father, a famous double-bass player, wore black suede shoes with rubber soles-- for comfort, as he would be standing for much of the evening's performances. She was once at a concert and had to listen to two women natter on forever about why he couldn't afford, or recognize the necessity, of proper shoes on an occasion like that. Life in the 70s.

I was recently speaking to someone who grew up in Europe but now lives in the US. She grew up at a time and place where dress codes were more important, and people would constantly natter on -- as you said -- about how someone wasn't dressed "correctly." Reminded me of the more unpleasant side of formal dress code type societies, and how it's a bit more relaxed now.

 

[bdavro23]

I was recently speaking to someone who grew up in Europe but now lives in the US. She grew up at a time and place where dress codes were more important, and people would constantly natter on -- as you said -- about how someone wasn't dressed "correctly." Reminded me of the more unpleasant side of formal dress code type societies, and how it's a bit more relaxed now.

A bit...

A few years ago I was on the board of the ballet here, which is fairly well respected. Opening night is usually a great opportunity to wear black tie, and it happened to be unseasonably warm. While there were a pleasing number of guests in black tie, there were also a number of men wearing shorts and t-shirts.

I get that dress codes and standards have relaxed, etc. But I also think that a lot of people are just clueless. I also noted that at least 2 of the men in shorts were with women wearing nice dresses, which makes me sad as the father of a daughter.

 

[patrickBOOTH]

A friend of mine told me that her father, a famous double-bass player, wore black suede shoes with rubber soles-- for comfort, as he would be standing for much of the evening's performances. She was once at a concert and had to listen to two women natter on forever about why he couldn't afford, or recognize the necessity, of proper shoes on an occasion like that. Life in the 70s.

Was it Charles Mingus?

 

[patrickBOOTH]

A bit...

A few years ago I was on the board of the ballet here, which is fairly well respected. Opening night is usually a great opportunity to wear black tie, and it happened to be unseasonably warm. While there were a pleasing number of guests in black tie, there were also a number of men wearing shorts and t-shirts.

I get that dress codes and standards have relaxed, etc. But I also think that a lot of people are just clueless. I also noted that at least 2 of the men in shorts were with women wearing nice dresses, which makes me sad as the father of a daughter.

I don't think it is clueless. I think people just don't see a "good" reason to wear something stuffy. I have the money to be here, so I will wear what I want.

 

[bdavro23]

I don't think it is clueless. I think people just don't see a "good" reason to wear something stuffy. I have the money to be here, so I will wear what I want.

I'm sure there is some of that, but its also a matter of degree. There are plenty of stops between black tie and shorts. I think some level of being clueless may be involved here.

 

[Texasmade]

The colours in my photos are too yellow but you'll get the idea of how black suede looks with a smart and dressy last. This is Crispin's Classic-last.

Thanks for posting. This kind of confirms that I'm not a fan of black suede. I can do the various shades of brown, green, or blue suede. Black suede just isn't my thing.

 

[dieworkwear]

I get that dress codes and standards have relaxed, etc. But I also think that a lot of people are just clueless. I also noted that at least 2 of the men in shorts were with women wearing nice dresses, which makes me sad as the father of a daughter.

TBH, I'm all for people wearing whatever they want. If they want to enjoy a nice ballet and don't have the "right" clothes, that's fine. Some people don't have the clothes, the inclination, the interest, or whatever. My parents don't wear tailored clothing, or really any "nice" clothing of sorts. But my mom likes doing nice things.

We've gone to places with strict dress codes and she tried to dress as well as she can. But you know, even those places, I was surprised to find, some people are in shorts and tees. Didn't detract from my experience of whatever we were there for.

In general, I'd like to see men approach clothes with less anxiety ("am I dressed right" or "will I look out of place") and people be less judgemental about what others are wearing (the whole pearl clutching "my god, look at what that man is wearing"). IMO, if you liberalize the system even more, people can even wear suits in offices without having to worry about whether they stick out.

 

[Concordia]

Was it Charles Mingus?

Julius Levine.

 

[konoyaro]

I'm having my first pair of "custom" (MTM actually) shoes made up. These will be cap toe with medallion.
Aside from looking at examples by various makers, I'm looking for a good resource online for medallion designs. I'm curious what folks here use for their inspiration.

 

[dieworkwear]

Bernhard Roetzel has a new book on bespoke shoes. Torsten over at Sartorial Notes recently interviewed him here:

New book on bespoke shoes

Menswear writer Bernhard Roetzel, author of the best selling book world-wide on classic menswear, “Gentleman”, has a new book out on bespoke shoes: “Herrenschue nach Mass”. …

sartorialnotes.com

 

[j ingevaldsson]

Bernhard Roetzel has a new book on bespoke shoes. Torsten over at Sartorial Notes recently interviewed him here:

New book on bespoke shoes

Menswear writer Bernhard Roetzel, author of the best selling book world-wide on classic menswear, “Gentleman”, has a new book out on bespoke shoes: “Herrenschue nach Mass”. …

sartorialnotes.com

Hugo Jacomet just published one in the same topic as well, in French. We non-German-French-speakers just have to wait a while for both these books to be translated to English.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

My choice of Cleverley - when I commissioned the shoes in September 2018 - was based on their reputation as a bespoke shoemaking firm; a reputation which, I have since discovered, is based primarily on the work they did years ago, or a 'select' percentage of their current work.

Me not surprised Teemu and Dominic leave.
Me hope Cleverley do better in the future and fix the problems.
They do excellent work when pushed,

 

[RJman]

Hugo Jacomet just published one in the same topic as well, in French. We non-German-French-speakers just have to wait a while for both these books to be translated to English.

My review is coming. Just trying to wait for a way to buy the Hugo book without giving one of the Amazon companies my money.

 

[WilYa]

Cleverley

 

[Kobletas]

My first ever bespoke shoes, by Raz Maftei. I was intrigued by his entry in last year's Shoemaking Competition and paid him a visit last autumn, when in Vienna. Turned out to be an excellent choice and I fully recommend him to those who have trouble with fit, as he's also familiar with orthopedic work.