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Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

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  • bakla
    Senior Member
    • Oct 2006
    • 902

    Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

    I thought putting this article here would be interesting, to at least give people some perspective on shoe-making. I think the SZ-preferred brands would probably include an extra step: "Leather Finishing" that includes hand- and object- treating the leathers to attain a look completely opposite from that which the article invokes...
    From Esquire, by way of MSN.



    The shape:
    The eight-week process of hand-crafting a pair of J.M. Weston shoes
    begins with the last-maker. This guy ? and it's almost always a guy ?
    has trained for decades and can optimize the balance between form and
    fit.



    The leather: Cheaper shoes are made from scuffed-up
    hides that have been treated, but Weston uses only unmarked, untreated
    leather. The shoes are softer and more supple because of it.



    The stitching:
    Craftsmen stitch together the shoe's various pieces using both machine
    and hand sewing, resulting in a construction that lasts longer than
    anything mass-produced.



    The lining: Inexpensive shoes don't have linings; the best ones, like these, have soft calfskin that's gentle on your foot.



    The heel: This beveled heel contains thick layers of leather that form a supportive base for the foot.



    The Process: Shoe Refurbishment



    Don?t let your shoes go into early retirement. Why refurbishment can be the better ? and cheaper ? option.



    Think of all the
    shoes you've worn to death. That lived-in pair of loafers from your
    college graduation. Those shiny oxfords that killed on job interviews.
    The handy lace-ups that carried you through three promotions. R.I.P.,
    the lot of them, and you've got their blood on your hands. And the
    worst part is, you could've saved your shoes (and the money you spent
    to replace them) by finding a good refurbisher.



    Take this pair of
    Allen-Edmonds oxford lace-ups, worked over something fierce by an
    Esquire editor and given an overhaul by Allen-Edmonds's in-house
    refurbishing team. For a fee of about $100, they added new soles,
    heels, welting, foot beds, and laces before conditioning and
    hand-polishing the leather. Most reputable shoemakers and repairers
    offer refurbishing services, and while they're not always miracle
    workers ? if your leather's cracked, you're out of luck ? they'll
    usually take what's old and make it look brand-new again.



  • matthewhk
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2007
    • 1049

    #2
    Re: Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

    i have wondered how the leather quality,hand craftsmanship, etc. of sz approved brands such as c diem, ccp, avantindietro, ma+ etc actually is compared to some of the more "polished" shoe brands like John Lobb or JM Weston. I'm not an expert on footwear so unless the differences are quite obvious its hard for me to distinguish the two, especially since many from the former list have gone through "aging" techniques or unorthodox construction, as in some soles of ccp shoes that have weird textures and whatnot.

    Comment

    • Faust
      kitsch killer
      • Sep 2006
      • 37852

      #3
      Re: Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

      Thanks, bakla. I was hoping for a much longer article though :-(
      Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

      StyleZeitgeist Magazine

      Comment

      • bakla
        Senior Member
        • Oct 2006
        • 902

        #4
        Re: Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

        Yeah, I agree. It looked longer when I cut and pasted it from that narrow column on the webpage. I should probably ask my friends what goes into their shoe designing - it would make for an interesting addendum to this article. I know a lot about the factors that consumers aren't aware of and often take it for granted that most of the SZ people do too, but I suppose that comes from my being in the industry.

        Comment

        • Faust
          kitsch killer
          • Sep 2006
          • 37852

          #5
          Re: Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?

          that'd be enlightening, bakla. [Y]
          Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months - Oscar Wilde

          StyleZeitgeist Magazine

          Comment

          • Fuuma
            Senior Member
            • Sep 2006
            • 4050

            #6
            Re: Esquire article: Why Does This Shoe Cost $900?



            One of the factor that explains the price of JM Weston is that they're a French company so you have to factor in the highly valuedEuro and the importation prices. This, of course, doesn't make for a compelling article.




            The quality is quite good and they have some innovative lasts in the Beaubourg and other collections designed by Perry, although the construction of some of the newer moelsused to be an icky mix of goodyear welted and something else. They have their own tannery so I'd assume the whole process is good from start to finish. I've seen people comment on how well they age and it is true that their leather is less papery than what is used by fancier, pantinaintensive companieslike Berluti.

            Selling CCP, Harnden, Raf, Rick etc.
            http://www.stylezeitgeist.com/forums...me-other-stuff

            Comment

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