Affordable Bespoke/MTM Shoes?

[All over the world]

Hello everyone,
After much thinking I decided that I want shoes over suits or shirts for now. The reason for this is that I have never, not once been comfortable in a pair of shoes. I walk a lot and I walk very fast and so my feet are in contact with the shoe a lot and so get hurt a lot as well. Due to something I have always had, one of my legs is shorter than the other and so I need insoles about 1 or 2 cm higher than normal on the right foot. I have a lot of back pain due to these problems and my toes are permanently arched back and never in a "resting state". Nothing can be done about this other than wearing insoles and perfectly sized shoes which I have never had. You see my feet are rather short but large.

I love shoes but above all I love quality shoes and I would like to for the first time of my life have shoes that will actually fit and not hurt my feet. Shoes that are made of the toughest leather and so made to last at least a decade with proper care!

The thing is I am on a budget, as some of you know I am just a 20 year old student with limited means but a very eccentric taste for quality goods!

Where would you suggest me to go if I wanted to have bespoke or MTM shoes made for under £800? I mostly wear Mocassins with casual wear and Elegant Loafers when wearing a suit, unfortunately I get terrible pain from wearing brogues and such because my feet are also higher than average.

I heard that Church had a MTM service for about the normal price of a shoe plus 150 euros. Not sure if they're any good.

Other than that I am mainly looking for someone in either Paris or London (I'd prefer Paris as this is where I am living now). Thanks!

[Cufflink79]

Try Alden and Allen Edmonds.

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

[snapper]

You could have a look at The Shoe Snob website or contact Justin FitzPatrick at Gieves and Hawkes

Regards, Snapper

[pur_sang]

What's MTM shoes? The ability to choose different leathers etc.?

I doubt MTM will address the problems that you have, you might have to go for bespoke, but then I doubt you can get bespoke shoes for that price budget. I have never had bespoke shoes made, so I might be totally wrong.

[ay329]

If the OP can travel to the Northampton, England area a couple of times...there is hope...Clifford Roberts coupled with a Springline bespoke last is a respectable option. I've done it and am awaiting delivery of my 2nd and 3rd pair of shoes

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.ph ... rd+Roberts

http://www.askandyaboutclothes.com/foru ... t=Clifford

[Simon A]

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[yialabis]

In Rome .. http://www.sartoriaripense.com/ ask for Gian Luca . MTM services mainly on existing styles , but your own wooden last created for 1000 Euro !

Vassilis

[levantine]

I have also used GianLuca. He is excellent and he will work from existing styles (if you go to his shop in Rome that means around 60-70 styles or maybe more). But he will also work with you to accommodate all your requests. He is both professional and inspired. The soles are regularly blake or Blake-rapid but he will also make a handmade goodyear if requested.

[cathach]

Does anyone have contact details for Clifford Roberts at all? On the two threads above there are no contact details for him. By the way Tuttys in Co. Kildare in Ireland http://www.tuttyshandmadeshoes.ie/ will do bespoke shoes (welted) from around E725 including the last. I've a pair from them that I'm happy with. I might put up a photo if you're interested.

[Rowly]

From what I've read, one might expect bespoke shoes to be made from the highest quality calf leather and that this quality is above that which is economically viable on even the highest quality rtw shoes. Is this true? Usually, high quality rtw shoes fit me well....therefore, I see no reason to pay for bespoke unless it opens up a quality that is simply not available otherwise and the improved quality is an obvious justification for the price difference. Is there a recognised trade standard or name of this bespoke quality leather, which can be expressly specified , rather than simply being told that, we use the finest calf leather available? Can you not specify a particular leather from a particular supplier (and there can't be many at this level of quality), as you do with bespoke suitings?
Also,....Are the best bespoke shoes always goodyear welted and stitched..or are there other equally bespoke quality methods?....thanks,Rowly.

[Slewfoot]

All over the world,

You could also look into Vass shoes made in Budapest. They fit me incredibly well and are around $700 in price in USD. Sizing can be tricky, but if you do some online research I'm sure you could come to a conclusion on what will work best for you. Good luck!

[cathach]

From what I've read, one might expect bespoke shoes to be made from the highest quality calf leather and that this quality is above that which is economically viable on even the highest quality rtw shoes. Is this true? Usually, high quality rtw shoes fit me well....therefore, I see no reason to pay for bespoke unless it opens up a quality that is simply not available otherwise and the improved quality is an obvious justification for the price difference. Is there a recognised trade standard or name of this bespoke quality leather, which can be expressly specified , rather than simply being told that, we use the finest calf leather available? Can you not specify a particular leather from a particular supplier (and there can't be many at this level of quality), as you do with bespoke suitings?
Also,....Are the best bespoke shoes always goodyear welted and stitched..or are there other equally bespoke quality methods?....thanks,Rowly.

As far as I understand there are different qualities and from talking to the shoemaker here in Ireland he goes to different tanneries in the UK/France & Germany for different shades or strengths as he requires. One company used to do a very good burgundy shade which is now shut so he bought a whole pallet of it, for example.
Cleverly & Co. for instance make a point of using Freudenberg leathers which are now made by a German company in partnership with a Polish tannery (info available online)

As for construction, some make a fully welted shoe but there are different forms of welted construction including storm welt, Norwegian welt, depending on where you move the lines of stitching it can change the shape of the shoe, especially making it look 'slimmer' I think.

Also there are 'flat-lasted' shoes where the sole is bonded on for instance, this makes a much lighter shoe, and makes it easier to be resoled. It should also make the product cheaper as the stitching does not have to be done.

Anyway, let me know what ye make of these shoes I got recently. My first voyage into the unknown of bespoke. A sort of an Oxford brogue with stitching instead of the toe-cap. It really is a revelation to have a pair of shoes that fit.

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[All over the world]

Thank you gentlemen, sorry I didn't have access to a computer for a while because I was finalising my move from the UK to France. I appreciate all your recommendations but I did some thinking and came to the conclusion that it might be a bad idea to go abroad to find a shoemaker since I am now in France. Travel is expensive and going back and forth using the Eurostar already costs 400 euros in most cases. Perhaps there are some shoemakers who, like tailors travel to Paris on occasion?

[MTM]

DW Frommer is very reasonable. He's based in Oregon, US, but he makes shoes and boots for people all over the world. He's possibly the world's greatest cowboy boot maker, but in the past few years he's been making men's shoes. And since he still considers himself an apprentice in this, his prices are a fraction of his cowboy boot ones.

He made these shell cordovan boots for me, and I am very pleased with them:


DW was also a pleasure to work with.

[All over the world]

DW Frommer is very reasonable. He's based in Oregon, US, but he makes shoes and boots for people all over the world. He's possibly the world's greatest cowboy boot maker, but in the past few years he's been making men's shoes. And since he still considers himself an apprentice in this, his prices are a fraction of his cowboy boot ones.

He made these shell cordovan boots for me, and I am very pleased with them:


DW was also a pleasure to work with.

Does he make brogues? Does he ever come to France?