Gaziano & Girling Report

[manton]

The gents are in New York today and tomorrow. Ed Hayes and I went today. Mpolanthan came in just as we were leaving. My impressions of the shoes, in no particular order:

• The catalogue photos do not do these shoes justice; you really have to see them in person.
• These are just about the most bespoke-looking RTW shoes I have ever seen. The heel treatment is better than anything out there. The waist bevelling is a shade behind Lobb Prestige, but the fiddling is better. The shape of the sole is also better. The finishing exceeds Green, certainly, and Lobb, maybe.
• There are four main lasts, which Tony and Dean refer to as "smart round," "soft round, "smart square," and "soft square." Basically, the smart versions are narrower and little more defined. I preferred the soft versions, though I could see a place for the smart square. I did not love the smart round, though perhaps it will grow on me. The first impression it made on me was "Too pointy." Soft round is like a mean between 202 and 82; smart round is more aggressive than 82. Smart square is little nicer than 888; soft square is significantly nicer than 606. Or so I thought.
• The overall lines of the lasts are otherwise basically the same, and very well done. These are classic lasts in that the inside lines are almost dead straight, and the outside quite curved. To really appreciate the lasts, pick up a shoe and look at it head-on. The tops are far from parallel to the sole, but really slope downward from inside to out, like a bespoke last. Also, the throat noticably cants outward, rather like this (taken from Dmitri Gomez's website):
  
  
• The emphasis is on contemporary and unusual designs. They want to distinguish themselves from the pack, and of course from Green. Plus, Tony really likes to do new and unusal stuff and I think enjoys designing more than making. There are a few classics in the line but they are the minority. Tony made clear that he considers those obligatory, and really has little personal interest in them. Nonetheless, he did a hell of a job with them.
• Highlights (for me): The plain black stitch cap was a thing of beauty. Such a boring shoe, so well done. The vamp seam sweeps much further back than is typical, all the way to where the heel meets the waist. The punch cap, also lovely. The austerity brogue rivals the C&J Tavistock in terms of design, and of course beats it in terms of make. The plain toe monk is hands-down the best RTW monk I have seen (excluding Jermyn II, which is really a different shoe). It has lovely V-cut quarters, a nicely swept-back strap, and a lovely burnished brass buckle of an unsual shape (not the typical, bland, rounded-corner rectangle). This last point is a small one, but it shows how well Tony and Dean have thought through the little things. I wanted to love the Adelaide brogue, but the pointy throat corners put me off.
• It's been a while since I last thumbed the EG swatches, but the leathers G&G had on hand seemed better to me. Better, richer, more varied colors. I have never seen so many distinctive and attractive shades of brown. Choosing is hard. A lot of the reddish browns were also lovely. Alas, I still could not cross the bridge into burgundy calf. Sorry, JLIb. Polo suede is the nicest non-bespoke suede I can ever recall seeing

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[Cufflink79]

Thank you for the nice report Manton. The shoes sound really nice and well put together. Do you know if G&G has a web site?

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[andreyb]

Do you know if G&G has a web site?

http://www.gazianogirling.com/

Andrey

[BenedictSpinola]

A lot of the reddish browns were also lovely. Alas, I still could not cross the bridge into burgundy calf. .

Get a burgundy pair. You know you want to.

[Cufflink79]

Thank you very much Andrey for the web page.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[bry2000]

Where are G&G staying? Is an appointment necessary to stopy by?

[manton]

Waldorf. Yeah, they say an appointment is necessary. Give them a call. If you end up going, PM me as I have a mild interest in going back.

[manton]

Our very own mpolanthan (under another name) has posted terrific pics:

http://www.styleforum.net/showpost.php? ... tcount=651

Going from memory here:

First pic (left to right): smart round, soft round, soft square

Third pic: all smart square

Fifth pic: soft square, smart round, smart square, smart square.

Eight and Nine: soft round (black) v. smart round (wholecut)

Ten through fourtneen: excellent handwork on the apron and toe of these Norwegians. Exceeds Green, in my opinion.

Fifteen: Best finished RTW sole on the market today

Seventeen: Love that monk! Thought I don't think soft round shows it to its best advantage. Soft square would be better.

[Hartline]

Stopped by the suite on Wednesday. The shoes are great! Tony and Dean reallty put in a huge amount of work, and it shows.

Alex was on his way out as I was on my way in.

A new pair of chukka boots on my sharp, square last are in the works.

I may go back this afternoon and order a pair of RTW.

Had a sighting of John Elkann going into The Four Seasons restaurant. Elegantly dressed as you might imagine for business.

[tteplitzmd]

Took the plunge and ordered the lace up model in their catalog shown in polo suede---

[smoothjazzone]

Met Tony at Jon Green's place on Saturday -- which incidently is very well laid out -- the shoes are wonderful. We discussed some tweaks on my bespoke last and I ordered his plain three-eyelet derby in the soft square last in fox suede (which is an absolutely amazing color).

[couch]

Had a sighting of John Elkann going into The Four Seasons restaurant. Elegantly dressed as you might imagine for business.

After the dedicatory letter in Manton's book, it would have been lese-majeste for him to appear in New York any other way . . . .