Pierre Corthay and Edward Green bring our two versions of the Monk Strap to you. Either look great dressed up or down, they are masculine and stylish. Monk straps aren’t for everyone but I’ve always liked them.
Pierre Corthay – Montaigne in Terre on the 002 last
Edward Green – Westminster in Dark Oak on the 888 last with Double Leather Sole
Incidentally in the old days we called them Buckle Shoes, and you would only wear them in black with a plain toe. I hope I’m not dating myself……
I’ve written recently about men buying shoes for their birthdays, well there is another occasion that ranks right up there and that of course is the wedding. Here is a list of shoes that were purchased to be worn to weddings either by the grooms or the guests.
Artioli – 06M090 in Black Calf & Lama
Gaziano & Girling – Westbury in Dark Oak
J.M. Weston-436 in Black Calf
Edward Green – Perth in Burnt Pine
Gaziano & Girling – Mitchell in Black Calf
Church’s – Diplomat in Brown Nevada Calf
Church’s – Consul in Black Calf
While I’m on the subject it’s interesting that in every case the grooms chose the brown shoes and the guests chose the black shoes. This suggests to me that men do not want to appear under dressed at another’s important social event (which is a good thing) and that more men are taking a fresh and less formal approach to their own weddings (also a good thing). And isn’t brown the new black anyway?
If there’s one thing I always look forward to on the weekend is Bill Cunningham’s column in the NY Times entitled “On the Street”. These days it can be found on line which is great for those that don’t have access to the paper edition of the Times.
Todays article is wonderful, as he photographed men in New York in all their finest. Of particular note is the gentleman in the brown and white spectators.
I wanted to share with you a few of the shoes I wear in and around Leffot. I think it’s important to wear what we sell for a few of reasons.
First it gives me a better idea how a shoe fits which in turn helps me gauge how it will fit a customer. I also think it’s helpful for customers to see the shoes as they’re meant to be seen which is on the foot.
Then of course there is the obvious reason, I just like the way they look and feel.
Here are a few styles I’ve been wearing lately.
Edward Green; Perth in Burnt Pine Antique on the 82 Last on Single Leather Soles
Aubercy; Malaury in Black Calf with Grey Calf Saddle on Single Leather Soles
Church’s; Grafton in Sandalwood Polished Binder on Double Leather Storm Welted Soles
Well the heat is back in New York and once again we look for ways to stay cool while looking good. Sure flip-flops are cool, but they don’t necessarily look it. For my money the Mars by Aubercy really delivers. It’s extremely lightweight and flexible which in turn helps your foot stay cooler and drier.
The “Mars” by Aubercy
I love the color; “Vernaccia” of the upper and, as with all the Aubercy we hand selected the lining color. For this shoe we chose orange which to me feels bright and sunny.
The Moment is a daily blog that spans the T Magazine universe of fashion, design, food and travel. Today’s post by Sandra Ballentine T Magazine’s Senior Editor is all about Leffot.
Sandra’s Sources is where Sandra opens up her little black book of tips on where to go, what to buy, and whom to know, a great place to find fabulous shopping, and dinning suggestions around the globe.
Thank you Sandra and T Magazine, we are most grateful and delighted to be “In The Moment”.
This MTO (made to order) pair of Corthay Mahler’s just arrived for our client Stuart. He’s a big Corthay fan and in fact brought this style to my attention.
He really did his homework on this one, you won’t find these on the Corthay website. This is the image he brought in.
The order for this pair was placed with Corthay on May 15 and was completed June 30th.
This loafer is on the 001 last which is the same as the Arca. It has an elastic gore under the tongue and a lace that feeds through it and the suede of the upper.
An interesting article was passed my way by The Trad the other day. In February 2007 (when $ was much stronger vs. €), New York Magazine asked the age-old question “What makes one loafer worth several hundred dollars more than another?”
To explain the answer they took apart penny loafers by J.M. Weston and Bass Weejun. The dissection is brutal but makes the point; there is no substitute for quality materials and craftsmanship.
I think Cosmo Castorini expressed it perfectly when he said,”There are three kinds of pipe. There’s aluminum, which is garbage. There’s bronze, which is pretty good, unless something goes wrong. And something always goes wrong. Then, there’s copper, which is the only pipe I use. It costs money. It costs money because it saves money.”
And that’s basically how I feel about great shoes. They cost money. They cost money because they save money.
I had originally planned to write a post about the All Star Game that is being played at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday which is kind of a big deal in New York.
The passing of Bobby Murcer changed that. I really enjoyed listening to Bobby’s smooth style of broadcasting, his analysis and humor. I never had the opportunity to see him play but I imagine he was as fun to watch, as he was to listen to. So Godspeed Bobby Murcer as you round the bases one final time, a Yankee forever.
We’re all familiar with the expression “Birthday Suit” but what about Birthday Shoes? There is a trend developing among men several of which have mentioned while buying shoes that it was their Birthday gift. Bravo guys you deserve it, and kudos to those spouses, girlfriends and partners that have encouraged it.
Here then is a rundown of those styles that made beautiful Birthday presents.
The Artioli G6M240
The Aubercy, Morgan
The Corthay, Montaigne
The Edward Green, Southwold
The Corthay, Arca
The Gaziano & Girling, Westbury
The Weston, Penny Loafer
The Cothay, Wilfrid
Church’s Grafton
The Artioli 0GM263
Last night I watched the 2005 Miramax movie Kinky Boots for the first time. I hadn’t heard of it until a customer asked me if I had seen it. I enjoyed it; it was funny, poignant, if not a bit over the top and predictable. In case you are not familiar with the story imdb.com has nice plot summary.
Many of the scenes were filmed in the Trickers factory in Northampton, which I enjoyed seeing. It also conveyed the sense of community among the residents and craftsman of Northampton and the effects of the economy on this once thriving industry.
Coincidentally I recently read that the movie is now being developed into a Broadway musical.
What is most striking about the Bamford by Edward Green is its beautiful simplicity. This single piece constructed suede loafer is the perfect accompaniment to a linen suit, barefoot of course. With the subtlest of hand-punched medallion on the toe it is Trés Chic.
The Edward Green – Bamford in Coffee Suede on the 101 Last.
