New Suede Shoes

[iammatt]

A month or so ago, the members of the London Lounge suggested that a suit which I posted a picture of, deserved a pair of great suede shoes. I searched high and low, and had a lot of trouble finding any RTW shoe that used a truly fine grade of suede in a shoe. I also was a bit unhappy with most of the models that I found. I was convinced that I was going to have to either order a pair MTM, or go bespoke. As I neared the end of my search, I found these shoes and purchased them. The suede is finer than anything I have seen in even a bespoke Lobb or Green, and to me, the design is perfect. They are actually quite reminiscent of some of the pairs that Tuttee posted in his guide to shoes from Apparel Arts. I hope you like them, they are a Silvano Lattanzi Oslo in a chestnut brown suede.



The suit:

[dopey]

Excellent.

Now do them in a heavy scotch grained wax calf with a triple sole and you have a resident of my wish list.

And please don’t take this as a negative comment on your shoes, but for me, I prefer suede in a more elegant makeup than the casual setup you chose. Yours are quite nice and if you gave them to me in my size, I would wear them with pleasure. I just mean that in the “design-your-oen-shoe” game, I would do them differently.

In fact, you inspired me to pull out a pair of brown suede JM Weston side gore slip-ons (medallion toe) that I bought in the summer and I will give them their first wear.

Thanks

[kidkim2]

Matt--

Spiffy suit! Perfect for whiskey reversed calf. (To me, your new shoes look darker than chestnut. Not that chestnut wouldn't work, too.)

[pchong]

love the shoes. Very nice.

[ThomasG]

I searched high and low, and had a lot of trouble finding any RTW shoe that used a truly fine grade of suede in a shoe. The suede is finer than anything I have seen in even a bespoke Lobb or Green]

Let me compliment you on your selection for they are great looking shoes. May I ask what criteria you use to determine "a truly fine grade of suede". And how exactly did EG and Lobb fall short?

[iammatt]

It is very difficult to find a RTW suede shoe from Edward Green where I am located. Also, I have had nothing but trouble fitting into their shoes. I have tried various lasts and sizes at their trunk shows, and have never found a good match.

John Lobb uses amazing suede for their bespoke shoes. For the RTW line, the suede has never really impressed me. It is not that it is bad, just not overly exciting.

What I would define as a truly fine grade of suede is one that is almost luminescent. Also, when you look at the nap in different directions, good suede looks lighter or darker depending on the direction, while great suedes read different amounts of reds, browns and golds depending on the nap. Since the nap on my suede shoes is rarely perfectly brushed, the variance in color rather than just shade is beautiful to me. Finally, the nap on these particular shoes is a bit longer than normal. On other examples of a longer nap, the nap tends to look a bit ragged and like it is bald in one area and full in another. These have none of that.

I do not doubt that I could have found equally great shoes going bespoke. I have done so in the past for shoes (not suede) and been very happy. This time I was looking for a bit of instant gratifacation. I ended up with a pair that is exactly what I would have ordered (if I had come up with the look in my head), with unimpeachable materials and construction, at a price that was about 30% less than bespoke. All in all, I am very happy.

[Incroyable]

I don't know if any of the shoemakers offer it anymore but I have seen bespoke shoes made in a chamois, which is the finest suede one can get in terms of texture, etc.

Chamois gloves are rather difficult to find enough.

[TVD]

Amongst the bespoke samples at Edward Green in London there is a tassled loafer in the finest suede I have ever seen.

[bengal-stripe]

What I would define as a truly fine grade of suede is one that is almost luminescent. Also, when you look at the nap in different directions, good suede looks lighter or darker depending on the direction, while great suedes read different amounts of reds, browns and golds depending on the nap.

It is possible your shoes are made from stag (deer) suede, as opposed to the standard “reversed calf”. Stag suede has a more pronounced nap and a higher sheen.

Edward Green used it occasionally for special orders. There is also a Scottish mail order company (which I cannot find any more) who offers a few shoes made from stag suede (shoes made by C&J).

Here is a German tannery specialising in stag and deer suede:
http://www.gerberei-sperr.de/saemischleder.html

Rolf

[iammatt]

Rolf-

That is interesting. I think you may be right about the material, but I cannot be sure. It sure looks as you describe, and the luminescence is different than any reverse calf I have ever seen. I may email them the model and material numbers and ask them to clarify. I never knew there was a difference, so I didn't ask what the material was.

I appreciate the info and the link. Thanks.

[manton]

Is stag suede different that "cape buck"? I have one pair of the latter, and I think it is finer than reverse calf. A finer, lower nap, but quite elegant.

[bengal-stripe]

Manton, the cape buck (Church’s) has rather a different look than stag suede. In stag you can write your autograph into the nap, just like in other heavy napped fabric. Cape buck is in appearance, rather resembles a brushed cotton (moleskin) or so, deeply matt but no visible nap.

In the website of the German stag skin tannery, they state that stag leather gets the top layer of grain (pores) removed, to reveal the suede. The side you see and feel is the grain side, while in reversed calf it is the flesh side. Whether in cape buck the “good” side is grain or flesh, I wouldn’t know.

Rolf

[Concordia]

Is stag suede different that "cape buck"? I have one pair of the latter, and I think it is finer than reverse calf. A finer, lower nap, but quite elegant.

Isn't that "Cape Butt"? Also don't know which side you're seeing on that.

[smoothjazzone]

Matt:

The shoes and the suit are both very nice and elegant in their own way. Like Dopey above, I too would have preferred a less casual design for the suede shoes with the suit in question.

One RTW maker that does have excellent suede shoes in a number of designs is Vass. You could call either Gabor Halmos or Andrew Harris. Their numbers are on the Vass website. Gabor is based out of NY and is a really nice guy.

Best regards.

[iammatt]

I don't disagree that a more formal model might have been good. There may be a regional difference in play as I am in San Francisco, and you guys are in New York (I believe), which is a more formal environment. The fact that the shoes material is quite lustrous gives them a bit dressier look than the pictures show.

I also have a preference for slightly less formal shoes in general. It is just sort of my personal style. Obviously, I do plan to wear them with more than just that suit, as I think they are a great match with a grey flannel as well.

I will definitely check Vass out as well. I am not a big fan of their budapest last shoes, but the U-last looks amazing. I guess you can't really ever have too many pairs of suede shoes.