Why Lobb Paris Bespoke Is The $#!+

Originally Posted by LabelKing

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I like the heel on those--very nice. They sort of remind me of Foster's bespoke.

Nice pics.

Why does the heel remind you of Fosters?

Originally Posted by Eustace Tilley

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Nice pics.

Why does the heel remind you of Fosters?

No, I meant the shoe in general reminded me of Fosters for some reason. I was unclear in my post.

They do look sort of look like the Fosters samples in Jermyn Street. Not so much the shape -- which is pure Lobb Paris -- but the antiquing, and the aged patina.

I was just there, but I hadn't brought my camera, otherwise I would have taken pics.

Perhaps you find it reflective of the "fading" that Maxwell/Fosters applies to the finish of some of their shoes???

Originally Posted by whacked

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When did Loake ever make shoes with shape that remotely resemble this?

Looks like something Tom Cruise would require. I was talking about the black shoes.

Manton - Would you mind posting a recent picure of your Lobbs post-wear?

Originally Posted by Fuuma

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Haha, then I own a pair of John Lobb Paris bespoke (not made for me).

Since I bought them on a whim and was never a big fan of their offerings I wasn't sure if the gold print you often see on their insoles was common to every RTW pair of if they possibly had some sort of MTO offerings with the written script I just posted.]

The longitudinally diagonal signature script on every pair of Lobb Paris bespoke that I have seen has been black. Lobb St. James uses gold, accompanied by three Royal Warrants post-1983 and two Royal Warrants before that, at least since the fifties. Prior to the 50s I have no idea. Anyone...?

BTW, Lobb Paris bespoke always seems more refined than its English counterpart, to my eye. I find the shoes in th OP to be really beautiful - form, finish, color.

Self-correction: I just looked at your earlier post. The lettering looks gold-colored. My oversight. They are definitely the Parisian bespoke range.

Originally Posted by RJman

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So you post a picture of an old bespoke sample. Shouldn't you say Lobb Paris bespoke WAS the **** 50 years ago, then? Moreover, now that Philippe Atienza has left Lobb for Massaro, would Massaro now be the "the ****" and Lobb Paris in the ****?

Googling Massaro did not give the result I expected.

Originally Posted by well-kept

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The longitudinally diagonal signature script on every pair of Lobb Paris bespoke that I have seen has been black. Lobb St. James uses gold, accompanied by three Royal Warrants post-1983 and two Royal Warrants before that, at least since the fifties. Prior to the 50s I have no idea. Anyone...?

BTW, Lobb Paris bespoke always seems more refined than its English counterpart, to my eye. I find the shoes in th OP to be really beautiful - form, finish, color.

Self-correction: I just looked at your earlier post. The lettering looks gold-colored. My oversight. They are definitely the Parisian bespoke range.

Thanks a lot for the information.

It appears I was unclear in my statements:
1)\tI knew the shoes were from JLParis
2)\tI was wondering if the signature was only to be found in their bespoke models or if they shoes could have been from some sort of MTO operation they might have offered. The golden script I was alluding to is the golden print used in JLP RTW models.
3)\tIf you look at the bad quality picture I posted and take into account the difference in sizing it is clear that, apart from the burgundy patina on the tips, they are very similar in design, proportion and even leather to the pair owned by Manton. Mine also has the black soles and other assorted characteristics such as the stitching pattern at the heel.

Originally Posted by Fade to Black

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ahh Manton I'm jealous as hell, i'd kill for a pair like the black one you have!

So would I. Absolutely fabulous.

Originally Posted by medwards

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Perhaps you find it reflective of the "fading" that Maxwell/Fosters applies to the finish of some of their shoes???

when i was the at the begining of the month they said it was call bleaching, they also said they dont recomend to do it as it damages the leather. most of what you see in the store is due to sunlight as some of the sample are from the fifties

I did have a short visit with Simon Bolzoni of Fosters/Maxwells while he was in Washington and had an opportunity to see some examples of this "fading." While certainly some of Fosters shoes acquired this look as a result of time and sunlight, they indeed apply a special technique to achieve the effect should a customer desire it. That said, some points should be made. First, one shouldn't overstate the role this technique plays in Maxwell's offerings. Most models are very traditional and finished in the classic manner. Second, those examples which do employ this fading (I believe there were three that Mr Bolzoni had with him) are less ostentatious than one might imagine. While they are not to my personal taste, I can imagine the effect when well executed could create an intriguing and attractive shoe. I take it that achieving this is not easy and can only really be done on shoes of superior leather quality (which would seem to be counterintuitive). Moreover, the visual impact is more than just that of the color of the finish. For instance, one pair was a wingtip monk with broguing on both the toe and strap (there was an interesting discussion of the merits of such a monkstrap generally elsewhere on this forum). The fading changed the focus of attention so that the shoe actually appeared a bit less busy (I know this seems counterintuitive as well) inasuch as it draws attention away from the design on the strap and uppers and creates more focus on the toe. All in all, I can see why some individuals would find this approach appealing. I just do not happen to be one of them.

Originally Posted by medwards

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I did have a short visit with Simon Bolzoni of Fosters/Maxwells while he was in Washington and had an opportunity to see some examples of this "fading." While certainly some of Fosters shoes acquired this look as a result of time and sunlight, they indeed apply a special technique to achieve the effect should a customer desire it. That said, some points should be made. First, one shouldn't overstate the role this technique plays in Maxwell's offerings. Most models are very traditional and finished in the classic manner. Second, those examples which do employ this fading (I believe there were three that Mr Bolzoni had with him) are less ostentatious than one might imagine. While they are not to my personal taste, I can imagine the effect when well executed could create an intriguing and attractive shoe. I take it that achieving this is not easy and can only really be done on shoes of superior leather quality (which would seem to be counterintuitive). Moreover, the visual impact is more than just that of the color of the finish. For instance, one pair was a wingtip monk with broguing on both the toe and strap (there was an interesting discussion of the merits of such a monkstrap generally elsewhere on this forum). The fading changed the focus of attention so that the shoe actually appeared a bit less busy (I know this seems counterintuitive as well) inasuch as it draws attention away from the design on the strap and uppers and creates more focus on the toe. All in all, I can see why some individuals would find this approach appealing. I just do not happen to be one of them.

he too, i like the Lobb pataina in the origional post but i imagine it will just all crack if this shoe was actually worn

Thanks for another wonderful post! The heel seems to be a tad higher, may be 1/8" to 1/4". The black ones look closer to St James than Paris in a more restrained way. Is another post on the JL factory coming?

Originally Posted by well-kept

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Lobb St. James uses gold, accompanied by three Royal Warrants post-1983 and two Royal Warrants before that, at least since the fifties. Prior to the 50s I have no idea. Anyone...?

According to bengal, JL St James was demoted to 2 Royal Warrants recently. But there're still 3 warrants displayed in the store front last time I passed by.

Originally Posted by spectre

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How many of you could tell the difference between those Lobbs and a pair of Loakes from 10 feet?. Be honest now.

Yeah, yeah, I know quality etc etc, but....

If they look like "perfection", should you be able to tell the difference without examining them or not?

If a Loake lasts a dozen years or more, and I have some that have, and they are comfortable for you and look not a lot different at a glance, why do they get bagged so much here?

Maybe its just the philistine in me (Sometimes I worry that AAAC's Cruiser and I are brothers at heart!), but I too was wondering how many people would be able to discern, at normal viewing distance, any appreciable difference between Manton's JLP black punch-cap bals and my A-E Byrons.