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Ugh accidentally ate previous post. Here it is again. Looks kinda silly/affected/dandy/tryhard, I know, but is actually great for those of us with roadwarrior jobs.
Ugh accidentally ate previous post. Here it is again. Looks kinda silly/affected/dandy/tryhard, I know, but is actually great for those of us with roadwarrior jobs.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Oooh, the convenience of a gored loafer but with oxford styling. I dig.
Ugh accidentally ate previous post. Here it is again. Looks kinda silly/affected/dandy/tryhard, I know, but is actually great for those of us with roadwarrior jobs.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
WHY ARE THE GUYS IN SUITS HERE? HAS SOMETHING GONE WRONG?
The loafer, then, is something of a hybrid, wayward shoe. Even shoemakers have had their doubts about it. George Glasgow, owner and manager of Londonās prestigious GJ Cleverley shoes, told me that George Cleverley never liked making loafers for customers because he didnāt think he was giving them value for money because he was using less leather. He also fretted over the fit, which is difficult to perfect. To resolve the problem, he created elasticised sides, which helped to support the foot.
Whatever Cleverleyās qualms, his innovation was driven by demand. Social stigma and complicated construction aside, this was a style of shoe that his customers wanted.
I've seen these somewhere, but can't remember. Please share brand/model.
Also, great job on the shine!
Thanks! I aim to please. I like to tell everyone that the only class I took in college that I still use today is weightlifting (the kind with colorful rubbery weights and the hairy Russians throwing them overhead), and the only class from high school that had any staying power was the part of JROTC where I had to spit shine shoes for the local parades we were in. They're a little dirty after I wore them on the road every day this past week, but I managed to avoid scuffing the toecaps too badly.
As for make/model, supposedly the original version of this loafer-oxford thing was made by George Cleverley for an aging Winston Churchill, who had gotten too out of shape to easily tie his own shoes. Cleverley still makes this style in RTW and it is indeed beautiful; for a rare glimpse of it in action, note that Henry Cavill seems to have kept the pair he wore in The Man From UNCLE, and brings it out occasionally for a smart-casual appearance.
For those of us who are not as talented, handsome, or well-compensated as Mr. Cavill, there's this one, the "lazyman" from Fugashin Saigon. They are a Japanese-owned affair, with their factory in Vietnam. The result is sort of Meermin-ish: European-shaped lasts and leathers, and a cheaper price than what you'd expect ($300 seems about standard). In terms of bang for buck, the leather is buttery soft, requiring little/no break-in, and it had features typically associated with shoes in the $500+ ballpark, e.g. very tidy stitching on the uppers, high stitch density on the Goodyear welt, closed channel, and a fiddleback waist. Stylistically the shape is closer to the Carmina Forest last, i.e. a nice middle ground between a blobby AE and the the spear-like stuff you see from fashion houses like Prada. Some areas for improvement though: the lining is pretty cheap and can feel rough, almost abrasive, and there's a stubborn chemical smell that's fading, but not quickly enough. Also, the company has a pretty crappy online presence so you're going to have a hard time learning about their lasts, fits, etc. Logistically, they're kind of hard to buy unless you can get to Asia; I got these by messaging a menswear shop in Bangkok, and it took us a long back-and-forth to get it sorted out.
Overall, they have some unique styles in their lineup, like this one, and if that's what you want, you'll certainly be getting your money's worth, but otherwise, for the $200-$300 category of European-inspired shoes, I think more developed operations, e.g. Meermin with its clean site, huge selection, and shipping to/from their USA store in NYC, is a much easier route for now.
Thanks! I aim to please. I like to tell everyone that the only class I took in college that I still use today is weightlifting (the kind with colorful rubbery weights and the hairy Russians throwing them overhead), and the only class from high school that had any staying power was the part of JROTC where I had to spit shine shoes for the local parades we were in. They're a little dirty after I wore them on the road every day this past week, but I managed to avoid scuffing the toecaps too badly.
As for make/model, supposedly the original version of this loafer-oxford thing was made by George Cleverley for an aging Winston Churchill, who had gotten too out of shape to easily tie his own shoes. Cleverley still makes this style in RTW and it is indeed beautiful; for a rare glimpse of it in action, note that Henry Cavill seems to have kept the pair he wore in The Man From UNCLE, and brings it out occasionally for a smart-casual appearance.
For those of us who are not as talented, handsome, or well-compensated as Mr. Cavill, there's this one, the "lazyman" from Fugashin Saigon. They are a Japanese-owned affair, with their factory in Vietnam. The result is sort of Meermin-ish: European-shaped lasts and leathers, and a cheaper price than what you'd expect ($300 seems about standard). In terms of bang for buck, the leather is buttery soft, requiring little/no break-in, and it had features typically associated with shoes in the $500+ ballpark, e.g. very tidy stitching on the uppers, high stitch density on the Goodyear welt, closed channel, and a fiddleback waist. Stylistically the shape is closer to the Carmina Forest last, i.e. a nice middle ground between a blobby AE and the the spear-like stuff you see from fashion houses like Prada. Some areas for improvement though: the lining is pretty cheap and can feel rough, almost abrasive, and there's a stubborn chemical smell that's fading, but not quickly enough. Also, the company has a pretty crappy online presence so you're going to have a hard time learning about their lasts, fits, etc. Logistically, they're kind of hard to buy unless you can get to Asia; I got these by messaging a menswear shop in Bangkok, and it took us a long back-and-forth to get it sorted out.
Overall, they have some unique styles in their lineup, like this one, and if that's what you want, you'll certainly be getting your money's worth, but otherwise, for the $200-$300 category of European-inspired shoes, I think more developed operations, e.g. Meermin with its clean site, huge selection, and shipping to/from their USA store in NYC, is a much easier route for now.
Okay, looks like I'll never have a pair like those. My budget isn't a bespoke budget. And I have yet to see one of these small Asian shoe-makers who makes shoes to fit my size 12-13 feet. Also, I can never seem to understand how to use their websites, even when they're in English.
Thank you for the abundant information!
WHY ARE THE GUYS IN SUITS HERE? HAS SOMETHING GONE WRONG?
Okay, looks like I'll never have a pair like those. My budget isn't a bespoke budget. And I have yet to see one of these small Asian shoe-makers who makes shoes to fit my size 12-13 feet. Also, I can never seem to understand how to use their websites, even when they're in English.
Thank you for the abundant information!
Yea I did notice that about the sizing, that it only went up to 9.5UK/10.5US. I did a quick search just now and saw that at one point or another, both Enzo Bonafe and Carlos Santos had something nearly identical in their lineup, both far more in line with the Dappered price range than the Cleverleys. Might be worth your while to search in that direction. Carlos Santos sells through Herring Shoes; maybe send Adrian a quick email and see what he can do?
Last edited by stuffedsuperdud; September 23, 2019, 02:38 AM.
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