Dimitri Gomez is one of a handful of the world's best bespoke shoe makers. He works by himself in a space within the Crockett & Jones store in Paris. 
Gomez is one of the few makers who makes a fitting shoe (the black shoe in the photo) before he begins work on the final product. The fitting shoe is open, so he can see exactly how foot and shoe are interacting. 
A man who obviously enjoys his work with exotic skins, Dimitri is holding a pair of golf shoes in blue stingray and white antelope which, sadly, are considerably more expensive than the regular bespoke quality calf offerings. The other pair is crocodile.
Bespoke shoes begin at €2500 including VAT (about $3,100 ex VAT for visitors from outside the EU). When he has time, Gomez will also hand make shoes to existing patterns on standard lasts for €1200 (about $1,500 ex VAT). To my mind that latter option may be the best shoe value in Europe.
Orders require four to six months as well as a minimum of two further visits to Paris, for fitting and then pick-up of the final product. Packing and shipping services are not available. Dimitri would rather make another pair of shoes than take time to ship a pair he has already made, and who can blame him?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Of Stingray and Antelope
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12 comments:
Will,
How come the prices are more excluding VAT? Some mistake surely?!
Prices with VAT are in Euro. Prices without are dollars. Hence the difference.
That stingray shoe has the most exquisite visual texture I've ever seen on a shoe, and the color makes it all the better. (The crocodile shoe is gorgeous, too.)
Thank you for sharing this with us.
Thank you! All very beautiful. Don't think I've ever seen lacing like that on the crocodile, Will. Do you what it's called?
That's standard lacing for oxford shoes Tim. It is also used for display shoes as it is cleaner looking than the crossed lacing that helps hold the tops of bluchers like these together better.
Here's a guide for making that straight lacing. It is actually quite pleasant to tighten, as well.
http://www.fieggen.com/shoelace/straighteuropeanlacing.htm
Thank you. I believe I didn’t use the proper terminology. I was referring to the throat of the shoe that seems to combine some elements of both an open and closed throat, with what appears to be an additional apron of leather nearer the top. Though the latter could just be the grain of the leather in the photo.
Thoughts?
It's just a more interesting way of executing a two tone blucher to my eye Tim.
Ah yes, so they are! Don't I feel stupid!
Ha! Yes it is, looking more carefully. I mistook the perpendicular portion of a lace for an edge.
Plate 2 - a nice shoe.
Plate 3 - tourist trinkets.
Still, the tourist dime stacks up so no complaints, just a perplexed glance at their choices...
I've seen those shoe trees before with the long handle sticking up. Is that indicative of trees made for bespoke shoes or is there some purpose to them? They also don't appear to be made out of the same cedar my woodlore ones are, is that the case?
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