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The Ultimate "HARDCORE" Shoe Appreciation Thread (Bespoke only)

patrickBOOTH

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Originally Posted by ohm
Discussions of gemming should go in the Official Gemming thread. Let's get this thread back on track.

All from here.

Koji Suzuki (boots included just for DWFII
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).
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Edward Green bespoke
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Lobb
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Cleverley
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G&G
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I think I just came. That's normal, right?
 

patrickBOOTH

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The way the waist meets the heel is really sloppy, it is like the outsole doesn't extend to the heel with the heel on top. Plus, it looks like the trees are stretching them a bit.
 

emptym

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Originally Posted by Sterling Gillette
Thank you. They are ridiculously comfortable. I am uncertain about the heel, though. I am thinking about having it heightened ever so slightly and tapered a bit more. We'll see when the maker wants to see me again, after a short break-in-period.
I prefer the wider, shorter heels. The tall, narrow ones make me twist my ankle on occasion.
Originally Posted by cdmoore1855
These RL Norwegians are in my opinion beautifully made and the stiching is extremely well executed, I was wearing them when I went to see a trunk show by Paulo Scafora, nice guy but he had the cheek to run his fingers over them and say they were not as well made as RTW Edward Greens. I was not overly impressed with what he was offering as a handmade bespoke shoe for the same price, you could not tell the difference between his bespoke and RTW. I think its not only the personal last, you need to really up your game in terms of leather quality and finishing to really produce a something worthy of being called true bespoke.
I love how you shot the exotics "in the wild."
Originally Posted by DWFII
... But I have always loved the way they finish the sole and heel. The waist work is really impeccable...especially the clean way in which the heel joints the edge of the sole. There's that "notch" at the breast that not only separates and sets off the heel...and, at the same time, accentuates the waist...but makes it look taller than it really is...
laugh.gif
FW(little)IW, I'm not a big fan. Maybe because I'm already tall and thin enough as it is. Plus, I like the stability of a wide, short heel, particularly when backing up on the motorcycle.
Originally Posted by DWFII
Well, I can post them...but where?
A new thread! Or the old gemming one.
 

Wes Bourne

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Originally Posted by ohm
Edward Green bespoke
YVdJe.jpg

l45Oe.jpg

cLDfl.jpg

Wx6Qc.jpg


EG has a bespoke service? I thought Top Drawer MTO was their best offering.
puzzled.gif
 

cdmoore1855

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Originally Posted by DWFII
Thank you for that clarification...pretty much what I thought.

That said, while not intending to revive a brouhaha that hits all the tender parts for some folks...there is an objectively demonstrable difference in the quality--the superiority--of handwelted versus gemmed/goodyear techniques.

That's my take as a maker.


Just a quick step back here on Gemming and in order to educate. I have spoken to Dean Girling about this and he informs me that yes all the bespoke shoes of course have a hand sewn leather rib which is cut in to the sole by hand and hand welted. The ribbing that they use on their RTW/MTO line is the same that all the other prestige English Houses use, such as JL and EG. Its very durable and this process has been used in Northampton since the 1950/1960s'. There are no current RTW/MTO in England which are not made this way. He added that if a RTW shoe were to be made with a handsewn rib/welt the retail would be closer to GBP 1,500.

Does anyone know if Vass shoes use a hand sewn leather rib or Gemming ?

Please do post the pic you mentioned earlier, either here or start a quick post on construction techniques.
 

Fishball

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Originally Posted by cdmoore1855
Just a quick step back here on Gemming and in order to educate. I have spoken to Dean Girling about this and he informs me that yes all the bespoke shoes of course have a hand sewn leather rib which is cut in to the sole by hand and hand welted. The ribbing that they use on their RTW/MTO line is the same that all the other prestige English Houses use, such as JL and EG. Its very durable and this process has been used in Northampton since the 1950/1960s'. There are no current RTW/MTO in England which are not made this way. He added that if a RTW shoe were to be made with a handsewn rib/welt the retail would be closer to GBP 1,500.

Does anyone know if Vass shoes use a hand sewn leather rib or Gemming ?

Please do post the pic you mentioned earlier, either here or start a quick post on construction techniques.


Vass is hand welted, AFAIK.
Actually you can tell the difference when you look to the insole.
The gemming insole always stay smooth and flat except by your foot imprint.
The hand welted shoe have small dimples around the "edge" of the insole, since the thread "pulling" underneath .
 

JamesX

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Originally Posted by Wes Bourne
EG has a bespoke service? I thought Top Drawer MTO was their best offering.
puzzled.gif


I am interested in this answer as well
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Since I need a pair of Gresham.
 

poorsod

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Originally Posted by Wes Bourne
EG has a bespoke service? I thought Top Drawer MTO was their best offering.
puzzled.gif


Tony gaziano used to run the EG bespoke service before they decided to get out of bespoke. Do a search back to 2007 or so and you can find the discussions.
 

Newcomer

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Originally Posted by patrickBOOTH
The way the waist meets the heel is really sloppy, it is like the outsole doesn't extend to the heel with the heel on top. Plus, it looks like the trees are stretching them a bit.

Perhaps the customer had strange feet? I guess that is the problem (?) with bespoke
smile.gif


Then again, I could be wrong. Heh.

And the more I see of Koji Suzuki, the more I want...
 

Wes Bourne

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Originally Posted by poorsod
Tony gaziano used to run the EG bespoke service before they decided to get out of bespoke. Do a search back to 2007 or so and you can find the discussions.

Ha, did not know that! The toe shape on that bespoke black EG punch cap and the way it slopes down looks a bit like some of the Cleverley or Foster stuff.
 

Newcomer

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Originally Posted by Wes Bourne
Ha, did not know that! The toe shape on that bespoke black EG punch cap and the way it slopes down looks a bit like some of the Cleverley or Foster stuff.

Interesting observation--it definitely seems that EG was 'controlling' Tony's style when he was running the bespoke operations their. I really do think that EG bespoke was sublime...
 

Yale Cameron

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Tony was at cleverly before he started EG's bespoke service, hence the cleverly chisel toe influence.
 

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