Vass shoes arrived

[Guest]

These are the Vass shoes inspired by the Berluti shoes I saw on another forum. They arrived. The P2 last fits me with plenty of room to spare, I wonder if I can use this to persuade Eva Vass to make me shoes on the U-last, which until now she was unwilling to do. The shoes are loose enough that creases will be a problem. Strong points of the shoe are the brown finish, which they got exactly right, and comfort. Weak point is that for some reason, the last does not serve the design as well.

Another problem is that on top of the shipping cost ($90) and the duty ($20), I had to pay a broker's fee of more than $100, which is outrageous. Courriers like FedEx have their own brokers so it is not an issue. I hope Vass will send my next pair of shoes via regular mail or via one of the better established courriers. I think the shoes were initially $380 dollars without the extra costs, and included shoe trees. My dog already bit off part of one of the shoe trees, I am vexed about that.

[Guest]

Sorry, I can't edit and I forgot to mention that pictures of the Vass shoes and the original are in my album.

[jcusey]

Did Vass modify the P2 last for you? It's not a snub-nosed square-toe last.

[Guest]

I did not ask for it, I don't know what they did. I am not sure how much of this is my perception, but their lasts seem to vary more than other lasts, from model to model, and this could be my lack of judgment from photos, except for the Budapest last, which always looks the same to me.

[Guest]

I jsut reviewed the photos on their web site and I see what you are talking about. They must have modified the toe to be closer to the shoe I asked them to copy.

[TVD]

When you first raised this project, I was sceptical that Vass could do it, mainly because the Berluti shoes are on a rather slim and square last, not exactly Cleverley style chiselled, but nearly. Berluti RTW achieves the effect of bespoke by using Blake stitching and cutting the sole close to the upper, as well as chosing rather thin calf hides.

Well, Vass must have spent a small age modifying their last. I guess that this is as close to the Berlutis in a properly welted construction (rather than Blake Rapid) as I can imagine possible without going to one of the great bespoke makers at ten times the cost. I am impressed.

Your comments about fit fully justify Eva Vass's reluctance to allow you to order the U-last without a fitting. She knows from experience it is a difficult last. Would you be happy to accept the responssibility for writing them off and NOT COMPLAIN if the experiment failed? She rightly does not want to risk your disappointment, no matter whose responsibility the fit would be.

I want to illustrate: seing the contemporary lasts made by Weston on the web, I was curious and thought I liked them. So I went to their store to try some. It turned out I could not stand the shoes: far too long toe box, clumsy curl of the toes upwards, large, inelegant. Well, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the shoes, they are a good example of the fasionable Parisian style. The real problem were my preferences. Had I ordered them by post, I would have nobody but myself to blame, but I would have probably been unhappy with Weston.

I am really impressed with the pictures of the Vass shoes. It would be worth for you to visit them and get the fit right. Then ordering by post would be easy for both sides.

PS: Vass may not be at fault for using a couriers. I recently discovered that the Royal Mail in the UK no longer accepts parcels heavier then 2.5kg addressed to foreign destinations. Blame the fashion for profit maximisation, but we are returning to the 18th century days when post was privilege of the rich.

[Guest]

You make good points. First, I cannot say I do not like this modified P2 last, I have to let it grow on me. Maybe I would be satisfied with the Therasianer on this last and not the U.

Also, I don't blame them for anything. And were I to have a mishap, and I DO complain, no one should take this as a slam against Vass. I am always trying to figure out "What is possible?' and as a result, I have made numerous mistakes, but that is part of my learning process. In fact, merchants whom I have dismissed as inadequate never actually did anything "wrong," they just were not knowledgeable enough (Rich Chai in Philadelphia) or pleasant enough (Harris Shirts in Philadelphia's Northeast) to deal with.

You have to realize also that I am a product of my (retail) environment. Shopping is AWFUL here. Were I in NYC, my behavior would be substantially different, and my brand preferences too. SEEING something in front of you is worth quite a bit. I might be more of a Lobb man and less of a EG/Vass man, for example. I might plunder the sales more and be less scheming (like my calling Weston's home city to find a reduced price on the Chasse, which I did, see my other post on this subject).

[RWS]

Sorry, I can't edit and I forgot to mention that pictures of the Vass shoes and the original are in my album.

I can't find them. Would you be so kind as to let us know where the photographs are located (I don't see a "D. Bresch" album under "Members' Albums")?

[Guest]

We are informal here: the album is labelled "David's album."

[RWS]

Thanks, David.

[bry2000]

Thanks for posting your new Vass shoes along with the Berlutis for the sake of comparison. Looks as if Vass have done a decent job in duplicating a shoe, but on Vass' own last and construction. Just out of curiosity, I cannot think of an occasion when I would wear those Vass shoes. With what outfits, on what occasions would you wear those shoes? What part of your wardrobe were you looking to enhance with them? I am not being critical, just asking perhaps to expand my own sartorial range.

I have checked out Berluti shoes many times both in NY and London. I think they are, for the most part, beautiful for what they are. I have not yet bought a pair because I feel, for the price, I would not that much use out of them, particularly their more avant-garde models. For their more basic models (ones, say, that I could wear to work), I always feel that I would be better served spending the same money on a pair of Edward Greens. The appeal of Berluti lies in the myriad of possibilities for design and coloration. Berluti pair those elements with very much slim, elongated lasts and streamlined blake stitching. On the other hand, elegance is not one of the virtues that comes to my mind when considering Vass shoes (except maybe for the U last). That is not a criticism of Vass shoes, which I think look wonderful and are made like tanks. But the Vass P2 and especially the Budapest lasts are fairly clunky, have thick soles, and are welted. It is hard to create the effect of Berluti on a Vass shoe given the Vass shoe making sensibility. So while Eva can duplicate the color and superficial styling, she is not going to be able to create the effect of Berluti. One cannot fault her for not being able to pull it off exactly. It is not an experiment that I would try.

As for Vass fit, I have had difficulty fitting into the Vass RTW shoes. I would not order a pair unless I could confirm the fit first hand, even if that means I go years without getting a pair. But that's just me.

[Guest]

I am no fashion maven, but a black/brown oxford will look nice with a variety of suits I have (steel blue with tan stripes from d'Avenza, a grey-brown sharkskin from d'Avenza). I needed another oxford and the Berluti looked beautiful to me. But buying anything from Richmont or LVMH is galling to me, plus I know I would not find that particular shoe in NYC, so I went with Vass.

[tteplitzmd]

I have read with some amusement the posts on Vass. I happenned to be in Budapest in August, and with some inconvenience, went to get measured by Eva, since virtually no one can fit me on 'stock' sizes (small, narrow foot). To make a long story short, notwithstanding the very, very, high price paid for these 'custom' lasted shoes and notwithstanding the 25% VAT charged despite the shoes being exported two months after being measured, despite the 'courier' fees added on.... I share David's dislike for 'couriers' and add/on charges. I stopped using Dege after they disregarded my requests in this area.

the shoe were sent back to Eva (by United States Global Express Mail (TM)) for $20 as unwearable. I have not heard from her since. Blessed is the man who can be fitted on their RTW stock. However, reading the posts carefully, I have heard hints that their reproducibility in sizing and fit is....how should I say this: variable.

For my so called Vass 'custom' shoes, the measurements Eva took, and the tracings made, appeared to be done identically to that which I experienced with Edward Green.

[Guest]

I spoke to Mrs Vass about the issue of the broker's fee. She was not aware of this problem until I informed her. So far as the regular mail, apparently they have lost several pairs of shoes in the regular mail and are unwilling to risk that method. She is willing to send shoes via any courier one selects. But I can tell you from experience that courier services are MUCH more expensive in Eastern Europe than they are in the USA, even though this is for the same route, in reverse.

So far as RTW shoes, I am blessed, as I have said repeatedly, I could not get away with the nonsense I have if I were not an easy fit.

I feel for you Dr T, but truly, after numerous interactions with Mrs Vass I have concluded her misteps are truly unintentional and the products of difficult East-West relations. No one on this forum knows Eastern Europe like I know Eastern Europe, and you cannot imagine the unintentional misunderstandings and mishaps that can occur between us and them, until you have been married to an Eastern European. I swear, I would blame everything on the bad phone connection with Eva Vass if I did not have the same problems with my wife every morning.....

[TVD]

Having had the pleasure to be at the mercy of Czech postal services (which I assume to be similar to Hungary), both inward and outward, I can confirm that delivery times can vary enormously and losses do occur. The real problem with the latter is that seeking compensation from the post is near impossible bacause of the byzantine complexity of the process and the administrative burden placed on you. There is only so much time a busy tailor or bootmaker wishes to wait in a queue in some drafty corridor at the central post office.

You are also in a Catch 22, even if you use the post: if you specify the value correctly, all export and import duties will be applied, but you can claim proper compensation should your parcel be lost; if you try to save the duty you cannot enter the true value in the appropriate form and risk a complete loss.

As a consequence, I fully understand that a tailor or bootmaker wants to use a reliable means of delivery with an convenient claims process, and also play by the rules on declaring the true value. After all, are you going to happily take the hit should a mishap occur?