Vass Shoes

[A Harris]

I spoke with Gabor after reading this thread, and he extends his apologies for any inconvenience that you gentlemen experienced. I would compare the Vass shop to the John Lobb shop in NYC in that its primary focus is ready-to-wear shoes (though in Vass' case, the rtw shoes are bespoke-quality.) The fitter is not always in the store. Also, if I remember correctly from my correspondence with Mr. Alden about his visit, the problem seemed to be a language barrier. For both these reasons I always advise anyone from the US or England planning to visit Budapest for custom shoes to contact Eva Vass and arrange to visit the shop while she is present. She is a charming young woman who knows the business inside and out and who speaks perfect English.

Mr. Spinola, I am very happy to hear that things worked out to your satisfaction, especially as I hear that on Easter weekend most all the shops in Budapest are vacant! Please do update us when you recieve your shoes!!

For those planning trips in the future, it is best to avoid the month of August, Easter, and the last two weeks of December/1st week of January. It seems most of Europe is on vacation during these times, and if the shop is open, the fitter may well not be in.

[BenedictSpinola]

Dear Andrew,

It's not that uncommon to encounter difficulties when having clothes made - it's how they are dealt with that counts. In the end Eva was able to sort out the situation in an exemplary fashion. She is, as you say, a charming lady. The shoes are very find indeed - do you know where they source their leather? (I neglected to ask Eva.) Please thank Gabor for his apology, though for my part it wasn’t needed.

Budapest was vibrant over the Easter weekend, and I was surprised by how many things remained open (such as shops and baths). I'd echo what you said about contacting Eva in advance, but would add to this the suggestion that members contact Eva by phone before making firm travel plans.

Spinola

[edhayes]

I find dealing with Gabor to be a great pleasure and I have three pair of shoes from him. One is the traditional Budapester, one is a their version of a Norwegian, and one is a dark brown on the P2 last,
Personally, I find his ready to wear very good and think that one might as well buy the house style which is much different from the English look.

[BenedictSpinola]

Mr. Harris,

I understand that Vass is developing a new last for the Japanese. Would it be possible for you to post some photos of shoes on this new last?

Spinola

[BenedictSpinola]

Dear Members,

Just back from Budapest having collected my shoes. They fit well, though they are a little snug - I'm sure that they'll be just right after a few dry runs. The only hitch was in initially picking up the shoes on Saturday - they'd given me sprung trees (instead of 3 piece trees) and hadn't put steel toe-plates on. Fortunately I was around for a few days and they had everything ready by Monday afternoon (though this necessitated a call to Eva). The lady employees in the store seem a little gruff, but I think this is simply down to the language barrier – they soon warm up with a bit of coaxing. Eva Vass is charming.

I'm off to India in a few hours so don't have time to take and post photos, but will do so upon my return.

Spinola

[risto]

I look forward to seeing the photos. Having just drooled over some of Vass' RTW samples at my favorite Viennese shoestore (http://www.schuhmann.co.at/), I can't wait to see what the bespoke ones look like.