Kingstonian
Well-Known Member
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You would definitely be a Big Daddy with those alligator shoes.
Probably run the best string of working girls in the city too.
Probably run the best string of working girls in the city too.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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Out of business or out of Vass?
He certainly did nothing good for the brand in the long run.
He is out of Vass, and ebay also has no sign of him anymore so prices are much cheaper for Vass in the market now. It is almost like he doesn't exist anymore.
He now does gyw shoes. He made Vass stray far from it's roots and he did appear to have power over Vass so he could corner the market; ie, Vass never responded to my alligator requests, they ignored me completely. It is like that bloke wanted his $10,000 profit on each pair of alligator, so Vass wouldn't tell me their real price at the time. Glad he has gone....no appreciation of tradition and conventions, it is like communism sucked the soul out of him.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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He is out of Vass, and ebay also has no sign of him anymore so prices are much cheaper for Vass in the market now. It is almost like he doesn't exist anymore.
He now does gyw shoes. He made Vass stray far from it's roots and he did appear to have power over Vass so he could corner the market; ie, Vass never responded to my alligator requests, they ignored me completely. It is like that bloke wanted his $10,000 profit on each pair of alligator, so Vass wouldn't tell me their real price at the time. Glad he has gone....no appreciation of tradition and conventions, it is like communism sucked the soul out of him.
Now he is selling gyw factory shoes with a cheap close cut waist done by people newer to shoe manufacturing, ie the factory lacks the machinist skills expected of the more experienced workers. Naturally he would be marking up the shoes horrendously and taking advantage of cheap labour, so i'd say he would probably be having them made in countries China or Vietnam (not Spain).
I'll give him a test....I will ask him where his shoos are made and see if he responds back and comes clean.
Enrile
Well-Known Member
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Grand Potentate
Supporter of Possible Sexual Deviants
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Those are sexy
florisgreen
Well-Known Member
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Gorgeous shoes. Any informations?
Thruth
Big Winter Daddy
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he made them
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Nice Indonesian made boots
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Someday I will have to return to normal office attire after a year or two of wearing fatigues and boots, which is going to be hard. As far as shoes/boots go, I have a pair of Dayton service boots and a few RMWs. I may treat myself to a pair of White’s Semi-Dress:
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I like this one, too:
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Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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florisgreen
Well-Known Member
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Why are you saying that? Also interested, was thinking to make possibly some purchase. Has anybody some experience with that brand?
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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I have experience and the fact that they've closed their manufacturing facilities and RTW in a pandemic when the only option is the RTW.
The Shooman
A Pretty Face
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An interview with Pierre Corthay. Said by one of France's most celebrated cordwainers to be the best maker in France. In it includes a story when he went to the Sultan of Brunei's castle to measure him, and ended up making 140 pairs of bespoke for him.
Haven't heard the video yet, but it should be good.
Haven't heard the video yet, but it should be good.
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florisgreen
Well-Known Member
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Thank you, very nice, informative talk! Even though Corthay is not my favourite shoemaker, I like more conservative styles, nonetheless he has a very impressive and recognizable aesthetics. I really like those Bruno Jacomet's sartorial talks.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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Bought these C&J's from Pelger, yet another historic men's outfitters, struggling in these dark sartorial times:
The antique dark brown, reminiscent of your grandfather's old sea chest or desk:
Merino socks thrown in for free, makes a refreshing change from cotton Pantherella's
The antique dark brown, reminiscent of your grandfather's old sea chest or desk:
Merino socks thrown in for free, makes a refreshing change from cotton Pantherella's
belinmad
Damn Tacky Big Collar Daddy
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Nice choice. Great for grey flannels or denim
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- 4,235
Very nice, and lovely colour. I really like C&J's handgrade line.
What last is that? Looks pointier than the usual 337 handgrade last.
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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I think it's the 367 a tad thinner and longer than the 337, with a slightly clipped heel.
The Pitsford is not a model on the website now, it doesn't ring a bell with me either. It might be a quirky European market one that is like my Audleys with the extra shoe eyelets and Dainite sole.
You can't go wrong with C&J's Handgrades, you might not be a Johnny Lobby Paris Big Daddy, but you're still going to be in the top 1% of shoe geezers. And that's big enough for me in this town.
Sammy Ambrose
Well-Known Member
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Very nice.
florisgreen
Well-Known Member
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Very nice, classic style! You can't go wrong with them. Warm shade of brown with traditional, decent burnishing. I prefer this finishing by far over the numerous patina styles, so in trend nowadays, which to me are too flashy and funky, beyond being not solid and too delicate.
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These are some of the nicest Indo m2m custom boots I’ve seen. So nice I shot them a message to ask about price. With imported Japanese or Italian leather, they are around $500 US. Yikes! Compared to some of the Japanese brands, that is a bargain I guess - but I feel a lot safer sticking with US options at that price!
Great White Snark
Well-Known Member
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I’ve had some Frye harness boots for 19 years which have been heavily used on the Harley and are still in great shape. Strongly recommended and a fraction of the price of those^
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Hahah, pretty sure your Frye boots aren’t made to order from Shinki horsehide. I’m not really into harness boots, but I do love a nice engineer boot.
I have some Wesco Boss engineers for knocking about, but it’d be nice to get some that are a little more refined/dressy - without paying Clinch or Role Club prices. And in a EEE width.
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Grand Potentate
Supporter of Possible Sexual Deviants
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Hasn't Frye gone way downhill in quality in the past few years?
Great White Snark
Well-Known Member
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Dunno - maybe. I got mine in 2002!! Had one set of heels replaced in that time. They’re more or less bullet proof and surprisingly comfortable to walk in too! Laid the bike down once and ruined a pair of Levi’s but the boots were completely unscathed!
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Certainly, there are engineer boots out there that are more ‘work’ than ‘dress’, but there are also a lot that you definitely wouldn’t want to take a spill on your bike with. Some people make a destination between the soft toe 1930s styling which is sleeker than the 50s chunkier styling, but I don’t think it’s really that simple.
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Not a bad round-up of the emerging Indo bootmakers. I’m still not ready to take the gamble of ordering frown WhatsApp with a decent return policy I trust, but I definitely see the appeal:
stridewise.com
The 9 Best Indonesian Boot Brands You Should Know About - stridewise.com
Why would you get boots from Indonesia, especially when half the companies don't have websites? Jaw dropping quality and ultra low prices.
stridewise.com
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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They look like cowboy boots to me. Engineer/safety boots look more snub-nosed sneakers these days.
I used to wear Jallatte's:
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James Dean wore Chippewa engineer boots for Rebel Without a Cause, though in some of the promo shots it looks like he also wore some western boots.
Thruth
Big Winter Daddy
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They still have made in the US models like the rest. They are over-priced compared to Red Wing and others. Their selection of boot models has been decreased and there are few nice ones. I have a pair of US made GYW prison boots and they are equal to Red Wing and the usual suspects.
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Best looking pair of 1k Miles I’ve seen:
chesterfield
Member
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- 13
Gentlemen, what do you think of these? Do you find them attractive?
I want to hear extensive responses on your impression of them. They are Hiro Yanagimachi bespoke. I love round toe derbies... I'm in pursuit of a perfect pair. I'm not sure the perfect pair is sitting somewhere; I may have to commission them. I'm trying to figure out what to do, if you have recommendations, please let me know. My heels are narrow, and my feet are somewhat narrow; this is not really suited to derby construction. It makes things challenging. I want to try a Vass derby on the P2 last but dont want to make a special order only to find out the last doesn't work... to be continued.
I want to hear extensive responses on your impression of them. They are Hiro Yanagimachi bespoke. I love round toe derbies... I'm in pursuit of a perfect pair. I'm not sure the perfect pair is sitting somewhere; I may have to commission them. I'm trying to figure out what to do, if you have recommendations, please let me know. My heels are narrow, and my feet are somewhat narrow; this is not really suited to derby construction. It makes things challenging. I want to try a Vass derby on the P2 last but dont want to make a special order only to find out the last doesn't work... to be continued.
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SPI vrs ‘tilted’ stitching:
Pimpernel Smith
Tone Deaf Daddy
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If you don't know the last, a very high risk you're taking. You need to know the sizing and style of the last.
Enrile
Well-Known Member
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they are honestly beautiful and well done. I think if you have a conversation with Hiro Y. or his team, the risk will not be great.
chesterfield
Member
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- 13
I'm glad you like them!
He's a bespoke maker. I don't think one can order these without getting measured, trial shoe, etc. And if you check out his web presence even these seem somewhat different than what he usually makes. I believe he does do MTM but I don't think there's an RTW line. Even if he did I wouldn't consider it at the price it would probably punch... beyond a certain price point I can't stomach it unless its custom. I'm trying to be somewhat responsible with future shoe buying, get things that actually fit, fit perfectly, trying to understand and plan out how it should unfold; I don't know if I would be a good candidate for bespoke footwear, I might be. $$$$ though, but I have made expensive mistakes pretty regularly for about a year now. Another route I was considering taking was going to Budapest and getting measured in the store etc and going from there with different models, and I'd be a Vass guy. Don't have much information on Enzo Bonafe but I believe I could be measured in California and go from there, I need to look into it. I don't think I'm a big daddy; I want to be modest, but believe in what I've got.
I love doublesole derbies... they seem to be somewhat underrepresented or underspecialized in apart from Alden & Vass BP/ P/ P2, Paraboot. Of course there are other makers but it doesn't seem to be a common flagship model. I'm sure I'm missing stuff here... fill me in. Perhaps my fondness for them is particularly american.
chesterfield
Member
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- 13
just remembered the Weston chasse & demi-chasse. i really like the way the standard chasse leather ages. admittedly, i have only seen photographs of aged pairs.
The Shooman
, what do you think of JM Weston?
typically i like darker leathers, very dark, but the chasse leather could be worth building up from it looks so good.
i did visit a jmw store. i saw the chasse and found it to be too much; my eye went right to the welt. i could have a different response if i saw them today. the demi-chasse looked good, but I was only taking in information; to be honest i think i was even confused looking at the model, comparing it to the images i'd seen online. there's a site called corner luxe, i'm assuming its a french consignment site, i haven't spent time there but they have the most distinctive search results for "weston chasse" on GI. i was looking at corner luxe photography, and then i was in the jmw store on madison avenue, and i was confused, but i was only taking in information. that was nearly two years ago, i hadn't spent as much time considering footwear. my eye is more developed now.
the sales assistant was nice... he gave me his business card. i believe that store closed and there is now no american jmw presence.
The Shooman
, what do you think of JM Weston? typically i like darker leathers, very dark, but the chasse leather could be worth building up from it looks so good.
i did visit a jmw store. i saw the chasse and found it to be too much; my eye went right to the welt. i could have a different response if i saw them today. the demi-chasse looked good, but I was only taking in information; to be honest i think i was even confused looking at the model, comparing it to the images i'd seen online. there's a site called corner luxe, i'm assuming its a french consignment site, i haven't spent time there but they have the most distinctive search results for "weston chasse" on GI. i was looking at corner luxe photography, and then i was in the jmw store on madison avenue, and i was confused, but i was only taking in information. that was nearly two years ago, i hadn't spent as much time considering footwear. my eye is more developed now.
the sales assistant was nice... he gave me his business card. i believe that store closed and there is now no american jmw presence.