Japanese rate right
Posted: Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:48 pm
It surprising to me how many times out of ten the Japanese get things right. They came over to Europe a few years ago and bought up all the vintage cloth they could find. And they are about as keen about bespoke and dressing in general as any nation in the world. Japan is probably the number one market for bespoke in the world today from all reports.
They even got this one right. The 32 last may not be the most comfortable for all feet, but it has always been considered, by collectors on this side of the Atlantic, as being "the" last for the English country shoe and most notably the Dover by EG. The 32 is very much the round toe cousin of the soft squared great 88 and they have similar fitting characteristics.
The trick in ordering a 32, like the 88, is to go up a 1/2 size in length and down a width. The extra length will help wearers avoid the more narrow, shallow toe box of this last and it will give the shoe a bit more allure.
A country shoe should have a round toe. If one does not fit the 32 well, the second choice would be the 202 on a narrow last (a C if possible) or the 82.
They even got this one right. The 32 last may not be the most comfortable for all feet, but it has always been considered, by collectors on this side of the Atlantic, as being "the" last for the English country shoe and most notably the Dover by EG. The 32 is very much the round toe cousin of the soft squared great 88 and they have similar fitting characteristics.
The trick in ordering a 32, like the 88, is to go up a 1/2 size in length and down a width. The extra length will help wearers avoid the more narrow, shallow toe box of this last and it will give the shoe a bit more allure.
A country shoe should have a round toe. If one does not fit the 32 well, the second choice would be the 202 on a narrow last (a C if possible) or the 82.