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- Aug 30, 2019
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I think for me, aside from the other practical benefits - in my experience, over time Blake stitched shoes aren’t as comfortable.Agree. Still, it confirms my recent shift towards Blake. It is likely that future commissions will feature all the bells and whistles from the sleekiest HW shoes for a fraction of the price. My main concern right now? Leather quality. Shanghai "bespoke" shoemakers may be able to deliver great design but I don't know if they have access to decent leather.
Setting that aside though and focusing on aesthetics and make - I actually come at it from a different side of that same argument I think.
You’d mentioned the ease with which certain things can be achieved by using Blake construction. To me, the impressive part of higher end shoes is that they’re able to accomplish those things the traditional way. I also simply enjoy the craftsmanship in things. Whether it’s a pair of shoes, a watch, art. The skill, the knowledge, the work and time. I’m much less impressed by using a shortcut method to slap some features on a shoe because it’s easier to get a tighter waist or whatever it might be. Pulling it off on a hand welted pair made by hand? Let me get a pair from the maker who does that.