Construction Archives - Page 2 of 6

The latest American military service boot introduced in 1943.

History – Functional reasons shoes look the way they do today

2022-01-30

By

Most rarely think about it, but in many cases there are practical, utilitarian reasons that shoes look the way they do nowadays, and we’ve been used to it and think it’s the right and beautiful way. Learn the historic functional reasons why we have derby shoes, a lot of brown shoes, built-up bevelled waists, natural sole edges on workwear boots and why rugged boots have high toe spring and sleek dress shoes low toe spring.

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Historic factory making Blake stitched shoes

History

History – The Blake construction

2022-01-16

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

The Blake-stitched construction, or McKay as it’s also called, is the first construction method that seriously made it possible to industrialise shoe manufacturing. Here is the story of its emergence and development.

8 Comments

Crownhill Goodyear welted shoes with foam cushioning.

-, The tip

The tip – Avoid cushioning

2022-01-13

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

We live in an age where soft sneakers is the norm on people’s feet, and unfortunately this cushioning slowly seem to gain traction also in the classic shoe world. The problem is that our feet are not built to be walking around in that environment, and this risk leading to serious feet health issues.

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The tip

The tip – Don’t fall for the misconceptions on water resistance

2021-10-24

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

From time to time I see big misconceptions on the waterproofing preferences of welted shoes, like how stitched rubber soles lead to water coming into the shoe or how closed channel leather soles are much more waterproof than open channel soles, and similar. This is wrong – here I explain why.

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In-depth

In-depth – Creases on the toe cap

2021-09-05

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

It’s one of the most common misconceptions in the world of quality footwear: that creases on the toe cap means something is wrong. That the shoes doesn’t fit, or are badly made, or other various explanations. In reality, it’s most likely nothing that’s wrong at all, just perfectly normal. Here I explain more.

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In-depth

In-depth – All about sole and heel edges

2021-07-23

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Few things say so much about the actual quality of the making on a pair of welted shoes as the work on the sole and heel edges. In this article I go through a number of details on the construction and finishing of welts, heels and sole edges and explain levels of difficulty, the difference between various solutions, if practical function or solely aesthetic, and so on.

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History

History – Toe stiffeners

2020-08-14

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

One thing that more or less all types of classic or traditionally constructed shoes have in common is the use of toe stiffeners to retain the shape of the toe and to protect the foot. The use of stiffeners have come and gone through the centuries, depending on what types of shoes that has been in fashion at the time.

8 Comments

In-depth

In-depth – How pattern affect fit

2019-09-08

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

It is easy to think that all shoe models made on one and the same last will always fit the same. It doesn’t necessarily have to be true, since the model’s pattern can affect how the shoes fit on the foot.

Guide – Resoling and re-heeling

2019-08-09

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

Traditionally constructed shoes, not least stitched ones, are almost always marketed with emphasis on the possibilities of resoling and repairing them. It often appears that they can be resoled forever. It’s not that simple, though. Here I go through the possibilities and shortcomings of the most common construction methods, as well as the conditions for re-heeling and resoling.

15 Comments

History

History – Crockett & Jones exhibition shoes from 1911 nr.2

2018-12-06

By

Jesper Ingevaldsson

It is among the finest made shoes you can see today, a collection that Crockett & Jones made for a major international exhibition in 1911. Here’s a close look at some of these masterpieces.

4 Comments

Construction

History – Functional reasons shoes look the way they do today

History – The Blake construction

The tip – Avoid cushioning

The tip – Don’t fall for the misconceptions on water resistance

In-depth – Creases on the toe cap

From the archive

Buying tip – Black Friday sales 2025

London Super Trunk Show 2018

Buying tip – Quality sneakers roundup 2025

Reflection – The strength with retailers

In-depth – All about sole and heel edges

History – Toe stiffeners

In-depth – How pattern affect fit

Guide – Resoling and re-heeling

History – Crockett & Jones exhibition shoes from 1911 nr.2

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