If proof were necessary that a man can have too many shoes it was obvious when I took delivery of the most recent pair of slipons. The shoes in the photo, samples by SW1 for A Suitable Wardrobe, arrived last week (see Goodyear Lasted in Florence). They looked awfully familiar, as they should since they turn out to be nearly identical externally to a bespoke pair that George Cleverley made for me earlier this year.
That is mixed news as I have been wearing the Cleverleys to the suburbs once or twice a week lately, and the Vendomes will take up half of that duty. The two are remarkably similar.The color is a few shades darker, and the strap across the apron shaped a little differently, but the only real way to tell them apart is that the Vendomes have a machine-lasted welt which is not cut as close as is the welt on their hand-lasted relations. Nonetheless, with their hand-stitched apron the Vendomes look at least as good as Northampton shoes from the likes of Edward Green and the price is somewhat better.
Indeed, I like them so much that I am inclined to order a pair of the Vendome Demi-Brogue, which is the same shoe with a row of punches on each side of the strap, in either chestnut or dark brown. And then there is the monkstrap...
Perhaps there are never too many shoes.
Posts
7 comments:
Those are beautiful shoes Will! What I would really love is a shoe like that but with a plain toe, though I'm not ready for bespoke shoes yet. What's the most formal outfit you'd wear with this shoe?
These are not bespoke but made on standard lasts.
I wear slipons with casual suits and odd jackets in warm weather.
Hi Will!
This isn't a public post so much as a simple thank-you note to thank you for all the effort you're putting into your blog.
I'm new to the sartorial realm. Surprising myself that I'm enjoying learning of custom fittings from well made fabrics. I'm really enjoying good tweed jackets and the such.
I'm hoping I can encourage you to consider taking some close up pics of the pattern of your jacket material so that we new students of the game can better grasp what is going on w/ the weave. Perhaps even w/ a dime tossed onto the material.
I'm hoping other patrons of your blog will also enjoy seeing the close up. Esp the highlight threads and the such.
In the few months that I have regularly been reading this blog and a handful of others I have learned enough that should I come into a lifestyle permitting the enjoyment of the finer things in life that I could now hire the pros to help me do it right. That now seems the easy part.
The tough part, the true art, seems to be in finding the source of easy income and wealth to fund it. I need to find a good used crystal ball and magic wand. Both still in good working order. ;-))
Oh, one question before I close. Is there such a thing as braces that are sewn to fit? Braces with no one-size-fits-all adjusters? Or is that necessary as one wears different trousers? I believe I've read to trim the braces so the adjusters are just a few inches above the belt. As that amount of adjustment should suffice.
I guess I'm just surprised that with a bespoke suit one doesn't also receive bespoke braces to hold them at the proper height without the tacky adjuster.
Thanks again.
JT
There is no proper height and suits vary from one to the other. Without adjustors we'd be the worse for wear.
Will, the shoes look great! What is the target date that these might be made available in the store?
Will, I'd echo Brown Smith's comment. I learn a lot from your blog but I have to say you have a Hearstian appetite for this stuff. Does your better half EVER ask the question as mine does after some new purchase "Are you going to be buried with all these shoes?"
You know Joe, compared to most men I might have a large wardrobe. Compared to men with large wardrobes mine is not very large at all.
Post a Comment