Carpe Diem, Lmaltieri, Linea, etc.

[Peasant]

[Chinorlz]

Shell cordovan avantindietro evolution into memoria piece?

[Peasant]

Yep. They're super thick and awesome. Couldn't hang with the $3,800 price tag, but they were dope.

[kompressorkev]

Carpe Diem AW05/06 Showroom, including Linea.

[Peasant]

Awesome video. Thanks for posting, Kev.

[drizzly]

how many and what are the years that CD was around?

[dalmatas]

wow great video thanks!

[jacksoncall]

New m_moria exhibit in japan.

https://www.facebook.com/events/673611246078536/

Too bad I missed the facebook invite.

[lowrey]

Hah, the photo on the event page is mine

[nicelynice]

Visited the M_moriabc exhibition last week, quite impressed with the work. I first saw the shoes in the CdG shop a couple years ago and didn't give them much thought - they were sitting on a rack under completely unrelated clothes and I wasn't even sure they were for sale until I flipped them over (and the price subsequently caused my eyes to shoot out the back of my head.)

The line has come quite a long ways in the last couple years and the samples on display at the exhibition were nothing short of stunning. Just to re-cap what may have already been posted, the collection will be available entirely made-to-order, completely customizable - no stores (at least in Japan) will carry the line.

All the shoes are completely handmade with no metal parts. Nails are made from wood and there's no zipper models. There's three lasts (A, B, and C) with some variation for lifted toes. The A last is closest to the traditional Carpe shape, with a bulbous toebox, the C last is quite a futuristic looking, sleeker shape that would pair well with a suit, and the B last is somewhere in between. The A and C lasts were the standouts for me, depending on what you're after. Different welt options are available, including a Norwegian/storm welt, which fits the aesthetic very well.

On top of the three lasts, there are nine different styles (for a total of 27 different combinations), including derbies, ankle boots, chelsea boots, sneakers, and some other interesting designs including a diagonal hidden lace derby (similar to an MA+ design) where the laces thread through the foot opening and tie in the back. Some designs, like the aforementioned hidden lace model, lean a bit more feminine, but all can be done in any sizing.

The leather is all cordovan - reverse or smooth side, sourced from Horween. They're fully lined in calf, and I believe the sole is buffalo or bison, though I may be mistaken on that. Some of the reverse models have the Horween stamp showing. There's quite a few color choices, with the more remarkable ones being a lovely maroon and a deep eggplant purple. Even the laces are customizable, with hemp (a bit unwieldy to tie), woven cotton, and waxed cotton options available. The laces aren't cut - they're a single "infinity" lace and can be cut after purchase or just wrapped around in a creative way to preserve the effect.

At the actual exhibition, the presentation of the shoes was fantastic, with a fair number of styles in each last shown in a darkened room and a flashlight to inspect them. The construction and craftsman ship is absolutely superb - I don't have much experience with dress shoes, but they "felt" much more akin to a handmade shoe like John Lobb than the brands typically discussed here where the focus is more on leather quality and treatment than on design and construction. The smooth and simple cordovan really lets the other aspects of the shoes shine through. They all felt surprisingly light, yet very, very "solid." As an aside, I was wearing a pair of big white A1923 boots and they just felt downright unwieldy and a bit pretentious after handling the M_moriabc items.

The fit on all models I tried on (derbies and ankle boots on the A and C lasts) was just about perfect. I've never had a shoe, let alone one made from cordovan, feel so good right out of the box. The C last in particular adhered very well to the contours of my foot. I have a high instep (a problem with some models of Carpe boots), but these fit fine. There's padding and shaping in the insole negating the need for a separate supportive insole. The fit my was biggest surprise - I had no clue they were going to feel so good on my feet, especially given my past experiences with cordovan.

All-in-all, just thoroughly impressed with what I saw and tried. It's a bit hard to look at other footwear at the moment. Excuse the hyperbole, but I thought Carpe Diem had perfected the shape and design of a men's boot, but somehow M_moriabc has one-upped its predecessors and made a more perfect boot. As an aside, Mr. Altieri himself was a very down-to-earth and pleasant person and also very proud and passionate regarding his work - a very positive experience, as the personality of the designer does ultimately affect my impression of the brand. Jun Hashimoto is also an amazing person who took quite a bit of time to explain the work and help me try on different models. I also won't feel so bad about wearing my Jun Hashimoto Carpe Diem "knockoffs" knowing they're on good terms

I promised not to upload my own pics to the internet, but there's a some floating around instagram, including via the following store:

https://instagram.com/quattro_oda/

[Chinorlz]

^ best post in this thread in a very very long time! Thank you for the lovely description and rundown!

If not sold in any stores, how does one actually place an order? Via WJK?

[nicelynice]

Happy to get some discussion going :) From my understanding, this exhibition served as a "soft launch" for the brand - orders were taken directly or via Mr. Hashimoto. They were still in the process of rushing to complete some promotional material with options and contact information when I visited. I believe (and again, could be mistaken) that there will be a worldwide launch this fall, though I'm not sure how orders will be handled

[Chinorlz]

Happy to get some discussion going :) From my understanding, this exhibition served as a "soft launch" for the brand - orders were taken directly or via Mr. Hashimoto. They were still in the process of rushing to complete some promotional material with options and contact information when I visited. I believe (and again, could be mistaken) that there will be a worldwide launch this fall, though I'm not sure how orders will be handled

Very cool. Harkens back a bit to the X12 days and the made-to-measure service done in Paris via Anatomica and Sartoria along with visits to Japan where these were also done as an in-store service.

The international launch will definitely be quite interesting if the footwear is not going to be available off-the-rack since footwear measurements, materials choices and construction options are best arrived upon via a dialogue with the designer IMO.

Not to say that it cannot be done.

I am regrettably priced out of adding any of the line to my own closet, but really love that Altieri is focusing his energy and design ideas on purely footwear and the design/construction therein. By choosing Horween shell cordovan as his leather, he's essentially going with the absolute best of the best and not playing the "let me make the same shoe in a myriad of colors/leathers" game. The focus is then on the design, the last and construction rather than something more in-your-face obvious like reverse leather vs. tattered deerskin etc. He's already done that and has moved on.

[Lohikaarme]

The leather is all cordovan - reverse or smooth side, sourced from Horween. ....There's quite a few color choices, with the more remarkable ones being a lovely maroon and a deep eggplant purple.

Cut for relevance. Is this Horween's shell cordovan or just normal horse leather with some being in the number 8 color?

[yubbermax]

Cut for relevance. Is this Horween's sell cordovan or just normal horse leather with some being in the number 8 color?

All Horween shell cordovan.