The London Lounge

A member asked me to put together a comparison of a number of different expressions of the basic chasse style of shoe, highlighting what I considered to be the differences between them and what the aesthetic impact of those differences is. Well, that’s quite a tall order; but in a fit of bravado, I agreed to give it a go. Here’s to hoping that my effort doesn’t give him cause to rue the day that he asked me.

Let’s start with a definition: a chasse is a split-toe derby shoe where the side panels below the apron are integrated into the quarters of the shoe. In other words, there is a single piece of leather running from beneath the apron all the way back to the heel of the shoe. I’m not familiar enough with shoemaking history to know where or when the term originated, I do know enough French to know that the word means “hunt;” and that the prototypical version of this shoe would certainly be appropriate for stalking after game in the muck.

That prototypical version of the chasse is the JM Weston Hunt shoe, ref. 677. I call it “prototypical” not becaue it is the first chasse that was ever made (I have no idea if it was or not) or because it is the most outstanding version of the chasse (it’s not) but rather because it’s the first shoe most shoe enthusiasts will think of when the word “chasse” is spoken. It probably doesn’t hurt that the model name is Chasse in the original French. In any event, the Hunt shoe is a big boat anchor of a shoe. Many states and most foreign countries ban felons from owning this shoe because it can be dangerous in the wrong hands.



It is triple-soled, Norwegian-constructed, and has steel plates in both the toe of the sole and the heel. The apron and toe stitching are structural, meaning that they actually attach different pieces of leather together, with the apron stitching being done on the top of the leather and the toe stitching being done on the underside of the leather. Notice the arc running from between the first and second eyelet to the heel of the shoe that parallels the top of the shoe. This is a feature of many chasses, and it is one that I associate with casualness and sportiness. The last used for the Hunt shoe is consistent with its massive character. It is blunt-nosed, deep, and shapeless, very much like some of the lasts that Tricker’s uses for their country shoes or like Alden’s Barrie last.

Second in our parade of chasses is lancepryor’s Santoni Fatte a Mano version:



Unlike the Weston chasse, the apron and toe stitching on this version do not appear to be structural, although it is difficult to tell for sure without actually examining the shoes. The most striking detail of this shoe, however, is the length of the toe stitching. It comes well up the vamp, which makes the toe look longer and slimmer than it actually is. This is still a massive and rugged shoe, with extended soles and Norwegian stitching; but the configuration of the toe stitching and the increased shapliness of the last make for a more elegant shoe than the Weston Hunt.

Still in the realm of a sporty, country shoe but more elegant than either of the previous two examples is Jona’s Norwegian chasse made by Riccardo Bestetti:



There is no doubt that this is a sporty shoe. It has the same arc running from the second eyelet of the shoe to the heel that the Weston Hunt shoe and the Santoni chasse have. It features rather prominently braided Norwegian stitching at the bottom of the upper, and the sole is only lightly stained. The apron and toe stitching (unusual in that they are structural but are done in the “molehill” style common to non-structural hand-stitching) are done in lightly-colored twine that calls attention to itself. The material used for the upper is shell cordovan, which is generally associated with country shoes. And yet, despite all this, this shoe has none of the clunkiness of the Weston or even of the Santoni. The reason for this, aside from the obvious virtuosity of the maker in constructing it, is the shape of the last. It is not the bloblike mass that was used for the Weston shoe. It does not have to rely on a trick like the extra-long toe seam to give it the appearance of elongation, as the Santoni shoe does. Instead, it is a graceful, shapely round-toe last, neither blunt nor too pointy. Although it appears to have more depth than one would typically find on a last used for a city shoe, I don’t think that many people would refuse to wear a city shoe made on this last. It would be lovely.

Smoothjazzone’s bespoke Edward Green shoes are one step further down the sporty/dressy continuum:



Again, we see the arc from the second eyelet to the heel of the shoe, but there are several details on this shoe that make it more citified than any of the previous three that we have discussed. This shoe has significantly less sole extension than do any of the three preceding Norwegian-constructed shoes. In addition, although there is a notched reverse welt, that is less attention-gathering than the Norwegian stitching that the other three shoes have. The style of hand-stitching on the apron. There is no molehill. There is only a pie crust. I have previously written that if I had commissioned these shoes, I would have had the toe seam continue perhaps a half an inch further up the vamp. I continue to believe that that would improve the visual appeal of this shoe, but consider what the impact of the toe seam is in its current configuration: there isn’t much of one. That makes these shoes look more like strictly apron-stitched bluchers and consequently more citified than a split-toe usually looks. The grain pattern of the kudu skin, of course, is another reason why this shoe must be classified as a country shoe; but the overall effect is far less rustic than the Italian chasse examples that we’ve looked at.

Finally, no discussion of the chasse style would be complete without saying something about Edward Green’s Dover:



Gone is the arc running from the second pair of eyelets to the heel of the shoe. Replacing it is an ordinary external heel counter. There is no notched welt, nor a reverse welt of any kind. One could, of course, order this shoe with one if one wanted; but I cannot recall having seen that configuration on this shoe. The soles are closely-trimmed – even though this example has double leather soles, they don’t look massive. The example in the picture above is made from smooth leather, although there are certainly many examples made from Scotch-grain or willow calf:



Still, even when made from some sort of grained calf, the patterning on the leather is much less noticeable than that on the kudu skin of smoothjazzone’s shoe above. Of course, because the canvas that the apron and toe stitching appear on is so much smoother than on the kudu shoe, the stitching itself stands out much more. Still, the Dover is the most citified of all of the shoes that we’ve examined here.

I should probably make it clear that “citified” is not synonymous with “elegant” or “better”. Jona’s Norwegian shoes, though certainly rustic, are nonetheless elegant and superlative. Likewise, another shoe, perhaps the Weston ref. 598 demi-chasse, would rate as more citified than smoothjazzone’s Edward Green chasses although hardly more elegant.

JCusey:

Thank you for taking the time to write this comparison. It is most useful and instructive.

Best regards.

Thank you, JCusey, for an excellent survey of a subject that had hitherto been a mystery to me. Would that you in time might similarly treat other types of shoe and boot!

If you might add a few words (and, perhaps, a photograph or two) on the distinction of the demi-chasse, I shall think myself sufficiently well-instructed in the subject to hold my own with all but such devoted enthusiasts as you and Rolf.

jcusey:

Thank you. This is really a fine essay and exemplifies everything the London Lounge is about - members possessing a vast store of knowledge, a fine eye and the willingness to share. I am certainly grateful for your effort. I will no doubt have some follow-up questions after I have had some time to think about what you wrote, but I thought I would include a shoe here I had not remembered before. I apologize for not thinking of it earlier. And while it is not necessarily a true-prototype - the accompanying text indicates that there were others making the same design - it is certainly an early example. The photo is from the old Lobb catalog in the photojournal (probably very early 40s) and I have reproduced the text.

Brown Grain Calf is used for this shoe, which is excellent for either golf or country wear. The Norwegian is a waterproof as a leather shoe can be and this is due to certain essential and unique features. There are only two vertical seams in the uppers; one of these appears at the toe, under which a stout "toe box" made of hard leather gives great protection, and the other, slightly curved, can be seen on the inside of the heel. The shoe has been photographed on the inside to show this latter seam, which is purposely not placed symmetrically at the back, where the greatest strain occurs, but at the inside where it is much stronger and less noticeable; the stitches of both these seams are made from within through half the thickness of the leather only and are therefore invisible. The sole, too, is fixed to the uppers differently from any other type of shoe. Instead of using a welt, the upper is turned outwards and stitched to the sole and this operation necessitates an extra row of stitches just above the sole, which can be seen in the photograph. The characteristic Norwegian pattern, i.e., the crescent-shaped piece of leather on the front, is today commonly used for ordinary walking shoes but the features described above, essential to the true Norwegian, are seldom to be found in any but the best quality hand-made shoes.

Note the comments on the two vertical seams - how they are stitched from behind and only halfway through the leather. Note also the placement of the rear vertical seam. The toe seam placement is very similar to the Hunt shoe, but I see that the decorative “casual” stitching you refer to in the Hunt and its derivatives has not yet made an appearance. The attachment of the sole is also described in what I assume is a description of a true Norwegian sole.

In any event, the one thing your essay has made clear to me as that I find the brutishness of the Weston chasse inescapably compelling. Lobb’s example and Jona’s bespoke version are equally if not more appealing in some aspects, but the others do not spark my interest.

Thanks again for the fine work.

John,

Here is an ad for "chasse" shoes and boots from a French men's clothing magazine from 1934. The shoe in the center of the picture looks like the split-toe derby. It must be a model that predates Weston.

RWS wrote: If you might add a few words (and, perhaps, a photograph or two) on the distinction of the demi-chasse, I shall think myself sufficiently well-instructed in the subject to hold my own with all but such devoted enthusiasts as you and Rolf.

Thank you for your kind words. Here are three versions of a demi-chasse. First is the JM Weston ref 598 model (and yes, you can get them in something other than blue suede):



(As an aside, this shoe features a different kind of the apron and toe stitching from what we have seen so far. The piece of leather comprising the apron is machine-stitched to the side panels, and the toe seam is a stitched on the underside of the side panels and then reversed.)

Here is John Lobb Paris's Bordor model, which has the same method of apron and toe stitching as the Edward Green Dover:



And finally, here is the Alden split-toe blucher, which has twin-needle apron and toe stitching similar to the Santoni shoe pictured above:



The principal difference between a demi-chasse and a chasse is that a demi-chasse one piece of leather for the quarters and another piece of leather for the side-panels where the chasse has the side panels and the quarters integrated into a single piece of leather. To me, the argument for a chasse rather than a demi-chasse is that the single piece of leather used for the side-panels and the quarters makes for a cleaner, sleeker shoe. It's much the same reason why I like adelaides more than more conventionally-cut cap-toes and wing-tips.

A fun and educational post. Thank you for taking the trouble.

Brilliant dissection John!

The Weston Demi Chasse is wonderful in tobacco suede.

Excellent feature.
Despite all the various variations shown, I still have that soft spot for EG’s Dover.

They truly are Whistler’s mama of the shoe world.