What I Am Wearing

The beauty about having shoes that have fabric in the upper, is that if the fabric is relatively mild (such as this flannel is), then they are quite easy to compliment most things. A tweed on the other hand, might prove a bit trickier. As it comes into the cold and wet season, I will not be able to break these bad boys out as much as I would like to, but I can at least look forward to those wonderfully winter days where the sun is shining and it's below freezing. While my toes might get gangrene from the cold, I won't have to worry about the rain from damaging the flannel..... While this shoe won't be in my first collection, nor any for that matter as it was not made by my factory, I promise that for the future, as I spend more time in the industry, I will somehow incorporate something of this nature either into a collection or on an MTO basis. Because I know that I am not the only one who enjoys a bit of fabric in their shoes...   

Shoes: Designed by me, made on the DG 70 last, with the deco finishing at the G&G factory.
Coat: Burberry
Trousers: H&M
Undershirt: Primark
Jumper: Some Neapolitan brand
Tie: Salvatore Ferragamo
Scarf: Was gift so I don't know..

My Prototype Adjustments

I'm back! Sorry for the long time without posting, but I did not have time nor much access to anything while away on my quick trip to Spain. But alas, I am home and decided to give you another little morsel of what I have been up to. So needless to say, you can see here just what I have been doing while away, and how I am going through the rounds of adjusting my prototypes in order to create the ideas that I had floating in my head. Now, you might think that what I have been showing you is nothing that special (in terms of unique designs), and that is purposefully done as I don't want to give away of my ideas before my shoes are ready for distribution. So, at first I showed you my take on a cap-toe and now I am showing you my take on a nice brogue. I decided that I did not want to go straight into designing a full brogue, as every other shoe company in the world has one. Obviously I will eventually need to make one, for all of you classicists out there, but in the meanwhile being the sucker that I am for saddles, I decided to introduce the 'saddle brogue.'

As you can see, there have been adjustments made with a silver pen indicating what needs to be changed. The sharp corner of that saddle did not flow well with the smooth, soft line of the wing cap below it, so I am having the pattern maker round it out a bit in order for the lines to be in sync with each other. This will give the shoe a little bit more balance as I believe that it is a bit on the clashing-side at the current moment.

For some odd reason, it would appear that the toe sits very high off of the ground, but I can assure you that this is not the case, as I am not a fan of toes that curve upward. Obviously, a shoe needs a bit of space between the toe and the floor, due to the way that we walk, but I think that the fact that there is a piece of glass that sits on top of the table, it would appear as if the surface is lower than it actually is, giving off the illusion of a toe that curves too high upward.

So, here is one more of my shoes to hold you over and to let you know that I am indeed working as fast as I can to release my collection which will consist of around 12 different designs, having two of the designs using two different lasts, making it seem that there would be 14 different designs. I am hoping (optimistically) that they will be ready by mid to late January (assuming there is no more need for adjustments) and that I can put my first order through by sometime in February (but don't hold me strictly to this). So for all of those patiently waiting, I can assure you that it is not long from now.....

What I Am Wearing

The more and more that you see my personal collection, the more that you will realize that I love to gravitate towards two-toned shoes. This is actually a pair, despite being colors that I don't particularly think go that well together, is one of my favorite models. The only shame is, the more that I spend wearing bespoke shoes and shoes that come in narrow width, the more that I feel that many of the shoes that I bought in America, are too big. In the sense that being the fool that I can be, I would just always buy US 8D, thinking that they would be fine. But like shoes do, some fit bigger than others, and if you look closely you will notice that the sides of these are gaping, indicating that there is too much space. Needless to say, after wearing these for the first time in about a year or two, I came to the conclusion that I am going to sell them, as I no longer need them and need to free up space in my miniature European closet. So after I clean them up a bit, I will be putting them up for sale! Be on the look out if you fancy them.

Shoes: Magnanni
Suit: Gieves & Hawkes
Shirt: Primark
Tie: Gieves & Hawkes

What I Am Wearing - Spectators

It's not very often that I break out my pair of 1920's Chicago gangster-style spectators, but I always love the reactions that I get when I do. It's funny, because I never thought of them as "gangster-style" but this is a frequent comment that I receive amongst my colleagues here in London. I always looked at them as a very dandy-ish style shoe that elegant gentleman wore in the southern states of America when they wanted to dress up for festive garden parties or the likes of that. And while I am sure that their history goes back in a much more extensive way than that, it's just something that is embedded in my mind, being American and all. But now that I am one of the millions of viewers that watches the magnificent series, Boardwalk Empire, I can understand why they may receive this 'gangster' moniker. Nevertheless, there was a period when Church's were doing these in all types of color options (even white with yellow) and while I wanted to get one of each, I decided that I would just go with the most classic of them, as pictured here.

Shoes: Church's
Suit: MTM Gieves & Hawkes
Shirt: Primark
Tie: XMI Platinum
Socks: Mes Chaussettes Rouges

J.Fitzpatrick & Gaziano & Girling Collaboration

I don't know how many of you remember, but before I ever went to have my collection made up in Spain, I went to Tony Gaziano to learn how to make a pattern. He spent the day showing me using one of my very own designs. At first I thought that I would try and take another skill on board, but after seeing how intricate it can be and understanding that it would just add a few more years onto realizing my goals, I decided that I would leave it at that and maybe come to it at another point in life. But, that day was very integral to my knowledge in understanding why a pattern (and how it fits on the last) is so important. I realize that it is not just a shape that makes the shoe, but how the design (pattern) fits on that shape. How it compliments the curvature of the last. This is something that I am now struggling with in my own prototypes. Getting the pattern to fit the last, properly, is no easy feat, especially on your first round of making them. They usually need adjustments. 

Needless to say, this is the final result of my design. You may say, 'oh this is nothing unique,' but if you look carefully, I have extended the adelaide to follow the top line of the shoe, giving it sort of a 'wing-like' characteristic. As well as that, I have minimized the heel counter. I did that because I wanted to emphasize the flannel that I used, so that it would be the main focus of the shoe. And even though some might find these characteristics to be unpractical, I find them to be the refreshing difference to everything else that already exists.

As far as the construction of the shoe goes, allow me to explain. So after Tony and I (really just Tony) completed the pattern, we had one of the closers that he uses sew all of the pieces together. This proved to be a difficult request due to the nature of the fabric. Yet, after a struggle, he still managed to do so and ended doing a very good job on such a difficult piece. The intention was then for me to make the shoes myself, but after a couple of complications, including lack of time and the fragility of the upper, we decided to just have it made in the G&G factory on the DG70 last. And as a surprise, they ended up constructing it with the Deco standard of construction and finish, to give it more of that 'handmade' feel. So that being, the concoction that you see presented here is designed by myself conceptually (and on paper), with the pattern done by Mr. Tony Gaziano, and then made up by the wonderful workers at Gaziano & Girling. The only downfall to all of this, is that this shoe will unfortunately be a one-off, as the flannel used is far to delicate and difficult to put into mass production. But, the design will be something that I incorporate into my first collection.


(Just to reiterate for clarification, this shoe will not be available by either side, and in the future, the design will be made available by me, not G&G)

Shoes Of The Week - Saint Crispins

When I first saw this pair in one single color (posted here) I fell in love with them. But when I saw this pair, by Saint Crispins, in a multiple leather type two-tone, I was absolutely blown away. Time and time again, they make the exact thing that I feel needs to be more present in the shoe industry and it makes me smile to know that other makers/designers appear to be thinking the same thing. So, it comes as no surprise that this company continues to grow, having their shoes being carried at more and more stores around the world, all while they carry a price tag of around $2000. This particular shoe just might be one of my favorite models in circulation at the moment. Not only does it remind of what they used to wear back in the early 20th century, but represents shoes as a piece of art, because looking at this, I would not know whether to wear it or place it on my mantelpiece. Just joking...I would definitely rock them!

Pictures Courtesy Of: Leather Soul

Shoes Of The Week - Perfetto

Hands down, these are among the coolest boots/shoes that I have ever seen. Every single detail is bang-on, the styles are amazing and the mixtures of fabric with leather are extremely well-executed. The more that I see shoes that are either designed, or made by Japanese people, the more I feel that the Japanese are surely becoming the masters of shoes. I had never heard of this brand, Perfetto, but upon stumbling across them, I fell in love instantly. And what shoe love wouldn't? After researching a little, it seems that they were an up-and-comer at the last Pitti Uomo, which means that with cool shoes like this, we can expect to hopefully see much more of them as they get purchased by stores around the world. Granted many stores buy rubbish shoes, so maybe we won't, but nonetheless I believe that they will be successful. And believe it or not, this model above, is definitely an example of something that I would still buy, even when I have my own line.....

On that note, let me tell you that I will be getting 8 of my 13 samples on Monday, so be on the look out for a picture or two, for sneak-previews sake!

Majority of Pictures Courtesy Of: The Suitorial