Working Shoe for Young Exec - Part 2

[paladin]

How many GYW or HW shoes or boots do you all own?

 

[Emospence]

Enzos are here.. As good a fit as I could hope for.. Woot!

Comes with 2 shoe dust bags and a shoe horn..

 

[arcfire]

Enzos are here.. As good a fit as I could hope for.. Woot!

Comes with 2 shoe dust bags and a shoe horn..

Pics Pics Pics!

 

[jordanlowlowlow]

Steps to getting my first Loake Aldwych Oxford

Hi guys, have been reading this thread and decided to take the plunge for my first pair of Loake.

Some questions which i hope you guys could assist.

Firstly, for sizing i should head to robinsons outlet to try it out?
Secondly, to order i should use herring uk? Do i get free shoe tree or is there any code to key in?
Lastly, any tips/pointers for wearing in the shoes or maintenance tips.

Thanks bros!

 

[Millimeter]

Hi guys, have been reading this thread and decided to take the plunge for my first pair of Loake.

Some questions which i hope you guys could assist.

Firstly, for sizing i should head to robinsons outlet to try it out?
Secondly, to order i should use herring uk? Do i get free shoe tree or is there any code to key in?
Lastly, any tips/pointers for wearing in the shoes or maintenance tips.

Thanks bros!

Hey I recently got my first pair of Loake shoes as well, so just wanna share.

Yes, you can try it out at Robinson's - but only the big store at Somerset/Orchard would stock Loake. Try to find another pair of shoes made in the Capital last to try. Heard that Metro at Centrepoint also carry Loake but I'm not 100% sure.

Herringshoes and Robinson's Shoes (different from the departmental store) are both highly recommended in this thread. Depending on whether you need the shoes urgently, you might wish to wait for a sale which can go as high as 20% sometimes. Can also look out to see whether the Aldwych appears in the clearance section - that's how I got my Loake Strands for £120.

 

[cokiee]

^ metro centre point does stock Loake, but as of last Thursday they only had 1 model in capital last, and only in full sizes. There was one in a 028 last I think, a couple of Loake lifestyle models iirc. Barker is avail too.

Sent from Xiaomi MI 3W using GAGT

 

[porphyrio]

Hi guys, have been reading this thread and decided to take the plunge for my first pair of Loake.

Some questions which i hope you guys could assist.

Secondly, to order i should use herring uk? Do i get free shoe tree or is there any code to key in?

Herring charges for shipping, so you should also look at Pediwear (you can choose free shipping or free shoe trees) or Robinson's shoes (the website). Pediwear goes on sale once a year, Robinson's a bit more often.

Unless you buy Herring-branded shoes—Herring Mayfair is made by Barker, Knightsbridge by Loake (026 last) so you can try on at the places the other posters suggested—there are 10% off/free shoe tree codes online.

 

[Emospence]

Pics Pics Pics!

When I get a bit of natural light over the weekend! Lol

 

[arcfire]

Pic of the Enzo Chelsea boots in action:

 

[thundermarch]

Reading about the construction on A.Meccariello's website got me thinking, what's everyone's thoughts on gemming in GYW shoes?

Perhaps some anecdotal experience from people who have shoes that are some years old?

Well, what I think is this.
Any type of construction is only as strong as it's weakest link.
In other words, a gyw pair of shoes is only as strong as the glue / cement that holds the fabric / linen strip to the insole.
In other words, gyw shoes are essentially, maybe just a little better than common cemented shoes.
So once the gemming gives way, the entire shoe is lost. It will have to be recrafted. Not a simple resole, but you'll most likely need to redo the gemming, and re-last the uppers.
The argument FOR gyw, is that for most people, they are "sufficient". Not great stuff. But sufficient. Sufficient enough to survive simple use, walking relatively short distances, but nothing crazy, nothing too adverse. And it offers a price break for this group of people.
There is no such problem in a handwelted pair of shoes because the inseaming is done directly into the holdfast, which is carved out from a sufficiently thick leather insole. Which reminds me, gyw makers don't use leather insoles.
Same logic as say.... carpentry. No structure joined with any amount of nails or glue is stronger than a continuous single piece of wood.
Of course, in the real world, budget is always a consideration. In a sense, that's why the gyw process was invented in the first place. To make cheap shoes, quickly.
There's really nothing wrong with that. We have to live within our means. But when you are talking about the objective strength and quality of a construction method... it is what it is man.
The notion that gyw is good / great or best is pure marketing hype.
Antonio's article captures all the important points.

 

[thundermarch]

Pic of the Enzo Chelsea boots in action:

Looking good Arc.
They're wholecut chelseas too. Love em.

 

[arcfire]

Looking good Arc.
They're wholecut chelseas too. Love em.

Thanks. Yea, great stuff!

 

[urbanturban]

Fair points, @thundermarch.

As with most things in life, there is always a tradeoff.

Often it is a choice of picking 2 between the 3 of price, quality and speed/service.

 

[Emospence]

Well, what I think is this.
Any type of construction is only as strong as it's weakest link.
In other words, a gyw pair of shoes is only as strong as the glue / cement that holds the fabric / linen strip to the insole.
In other words, gyw shoes are essentially, maybe just a little better than common cemented shoes.
So once the gemming gives way, the entire shoe is lost. It will have to be recrafted. Not a simple resole, but you'll most likely need to redo the gemming, and re-last the uppers.
The argument FOR gyw, is that for most people, they are "sufficient". Not great stuff. But sufficient. Sufficient enough to survive simple use, walking relatively short distances, but nothing crazy, nothing too adverse. And it offers a price break for this group of people.
There is no such problem in a handwelted pair of shoes because the inseaming is done directly into the holdfast, which is carved out from a sufficiently thick leather insole. Which reminds me, gyw makers don't use leather insoles.
Same logic as say.... carpentry. No structure joined with any amount of nails or glue is stronger than a continuous single piece of wood.
Of course, in the real world, budget is always a consideration. In a sense, that's why the gyw process was invented in the first place. To make cheap shoes, quickly.
There's really nothing wrong with that. We have to live within our means. But when you are talking about the objective strength and quality of a construction method... it is what it is man.
The notion that gyw is good / great or best is pure marketing hype.
Antonio's article captures all the important points.

Wow, interesting and well thought out response, thanks.

I suppose you are moving towards purchasing only handwelted shoes?

 

[urbanturban]

Wow, interesting and well thought out response, thanks.

I suppose you are moving towards purchasing only handwelted shoes?

He has already gone bespoke.

 

[Millimeter]

My new strands in action! Not the best pics but hard to get natural light around here lol

 

[arcfire]

My new strands in action! Not the best pics but hard to get natural light around here lol

Nice socks.

 

[thundermarch]

Wow, interesting and well thought out response, thanks.

I suppose you are moving towards purchasing only handwelted shoes?

Well, I'm not saying anyone's reasoning is right or wrong.
But sometimes, I know, I'm a little stubborn in my views.
Thing is, I think that before one buys a pair of shoes, one has to consider what's most important to him.
Price / quality ratio? Construction? Comfort? A particular last? Cost / budget? Brand?
For me, I look at a handwelt as the most important factor that determines the quality of a pair of shoes. Not the ONLY factor, but the most important.
Think about it, when a maker does both RTW and bespoke... what is the one most ostensible difference that goes into the bespoke pair? Yes. The handwelt.
Why? Because it's better. Far superior, than GYW. It is a very quantifiable and objective marker of quality. Irrefutable, nearly, if done properly of course.
I look at shoes this way, and I don't want to pay extra for anything that I think isn't worth the money. I don't mind paying a lot. But it must be WORTH what I pay.
So I benchmark shoes at what is the entry point for the price at which I start to be able to get handwelted stuff. Which is around the 650 to 750 sgd mark (I am not considering Meermin's linea maestro due to how horrible the shoes are). If I'm paying anything above that, the shoe MUST still be handwelted, but BETTER and BETTER handwelted stuff. This effectively negates all gyw makers that price themselves above this level. It's logical to me, but might not be so to anyone else.
To answer your question directly... Well, at this point, I have far too many shoes than one person should have. I have a disease, a bad sickness, an addiction.
I have the basics, so right now I mainly buy stuff with very specific details, features that I want, or interesting stuff I don't have yet. So it's mostly MTO, handwelted stuff. Though I'm still considering Antonio's rtw.
Ultimately, I think it boils down to what means the most to you. Your own innate sense of value. Only you have the answer to that.

 

[All in a Day]

Well, I'm not saying anyone's reasoning is right or wrong.
But sometimes, I know, I'm a little stubborn in my views.
Thing is, I think that before one buys a pair of shoes, one has to consider what's most important to him.
Price / quality ratio? Construction? Comfort? A particular last? Cost / budget? Brand?
For me, I look at a handwelt as the most important factor that determines the quality of a pair of shoes. Not the ONLY factor, but the most important.
Think about it, when a maker does both RTW and bespoke... what is the one most ostensible difference that goes into the bespoke pair? Yes. The handwelt.
Why? Because it's better. Far superior, than GYW. It is a very quantifiable and objective marker of quality. Irrefutable, nearly, if done properly of course.
I look at shoes this way, and I don't want to pay extra for anything that I think isn't worth the money. I don't mind paying a lot. But it must be WORTH what I pay.
So I benchmark shoes at what is the entry point for the price at which I start to be able to get handwelted stuff. Which is around the 650 to 750 sgd mark (I am not considering Meermin's linea maestro due to how horrible the shoes are). If I'm paying anything above that, the shoe MUST still be handwelted, but BETTER and BETTER handwelted stuff. This effectively negates all gyw makers that price themselves above this level. It's logical to me, but might not be so to anyone else.
To answer your question directly... Well, at this point, I have far too many shoes than one person should have. I have a disease, a bad sickness, an addiction.
I have the basics, so right now I mainly buy stuff with very specific details, features that I want, or interesting stuff I don't have yet. So it's mostly MTO, handwelted stuff. Though I'm still considering Antonio's rtw.
Ultimately, I think it boils down to what means the most to you. Your own innate sense of value. Only you have the answer to that.

If it's of any comfort, many of us here also have too many shoes than necessary too, benchmarking to the average SG guy! The 'degree of sickness' varies; it's usually mild when one is deficient in Vitamin M

Keep the shoe porn going though! Really good stuff on IG and your posts here are always insightful!

 

[Emospence]

Well, I'm not saying anyone's reasoning is right or wrong.
But sometimes, I know, I'm a little stubborn in my views.
Thing is, I think that before one buys a pair of shoes, one has to consider what's most important to him.
Price / quality ratio? Construction? Comfort? A particular last? Cost / budget? Brand?
For me, I look at a handwelt as the most important factor that determines the quality of a pair of shoes. Not the ONLY factor, but the most important.
Think about it, when a maker does both RTW and bespoke... what is the one most ostensible difference that goes into the bespoke pair? Yes. The handwelt.
Why? Because it's better. Far superior, than GYW. It is a very quantifiable and objective marker of quality. Irrefutable, nearly, if done properly of course.
I look at shoes this way, and I don't want to pay extra for anything that I think isn't worth the money. I don't mind paying a lot. But it must be WORTH what I pay.
So I benchmark shoes at what is the entry point for the price at which I start to be able to get handwelted stuff. Which is around the 650 to 750 sgd mark (I am not considering Meermin's linea maestro due to how horrible the shoes are). If I'm paying anything above that, the shoe MUST still be handwelted, but BETTER and BETTER handwelted stuff. This effectively negates all gyw makers that price themselves above this level. It's logical to me, but might not be so to anyone else.
To answer your question directly... Well, at this point, I have far too many shoes than one person should have. I have a disease, a bad sickness, an addiction.
I have the basics, so right now I mainly buy stuff with very specific details, features that I want, or interesting stuff I don't have yet. So it's mostly MTO, handwelted stuff. Though I'm still considering Antonio's rtw.
Ultimately, I think it boils down to what means the most to you. Your own innate sense of value. Only you have the answer to that.

Completely get that logic of benchmarking based on entry price to handwelt stuff. Thanks for sharing!