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There’s many leathers that are durable in various ways, but most fall short to the natural armour, the stingray skin. Here’s a black wholecut which is about to be finished in the Gaziano & Girling factory in Kettering, Northampton. Below a crash course on the properties of this special leather.
When I wear my Wellington boots made by the Swedish bespoke shoemaker Janne Melkersson, the point of high boots become so obvious: its protective properties. You can walk around in the forest or wherever like a bulldozer, nothing disturbs you.
How much finishing that is applied on leathers from the tannery varies vastly, some casein finished box calf can be really shiny and have a nice depth already from the start, but most leathers are actually more or less dull and lifeless when delivered. Especially unfinished (note, not the same as undyed) crust calf or similar, which are left for the maker to burnish in a desired direction. Above shows the huge difference between unfinished and burnished.
Time again for me to bring out the black shoes (only time this year I believe, which says a bit of the times we still live in), and as I would even if it’d been a black tie event I prefer well-shined calf leather wholecuts or plain cap toe oxfords ahead of patent leather dittos.
This year Christmas is a bit more normal here in Sweden at least, where one have the possibility to gather with close family and friends. And one thing that will always be the case is that you can wear some goodies on your feet to get your Christmas spirit up.
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Few bespoke shoemakers push the artistic boundaries in the same way as Atelier du Tranchet / Tranchet Vif. The French makers have a style that leaves no one indifferent, here they have interpreted the Japanese cherry blossoming season in a sample shoe that is extravagant as it is well-made.
I’ve been fortunate enough to own a number of shoes from several Japanese bespoke shoemakers, and what continuously amaze me with these shoes are the exemplary execution of the making. Look at this shoe above by Yohei Fukuda as an example, see the flawless closing of the uppers, the perfectly trimmed and stacked heel, the immaculate blind welted waist, the precise sole stitching and welt finishing, and so on. One can make shoes differently than this – but one can’t basically make it better.
The amazing shoe pictured above looks like it could have been made in the 1920’s by a bespoke shoemaker in London’s Saint James district. The old school-looking aniline leather, the super-classic last shape, the muted yet perfect making, and so on. It’s not however, it’s a newly made sample shoe by Japanese bespoke maker Marquess.
It’s always great to see playful yet highly wearable takes on classic shoe models. Pictured above is a seamless wholecut lazyman faux adelaide wingtip oxford – certainly not a standard to find on the shelf in your shoe store.
Following the previous article, I thought of this photo which in a good way showcase the different appearance of welt finishing between top premium factory-made shoes and fine fully handmade shoes. The left one is a Gaziano & Girling RTW shoe, the right one is from their Optimum range which is made to the same standard as their bespoke shoes.
