Weston Chasse

[tattersall007]

I must rise to the defense of the demi-chasse!!! ... I have both the ref. 598 and the EG Dover and while the Dover is truly one of my favorites, the demi-chasse certainly has its place. It's tough as hell with a double sole that took forever to break-in but it's a great shoe for the damp climate that surrounds me for half the year. I think it pairs well with flannels, corduroys and moleskins and while the last isn't as elegant as the 606 it hardly looks like a tuber!

[alden]

Dopey,

As is often the case with your posts, you've provided a great idea.

I thought about it for a minute and do agree that the Weston Chasse is a shoemakers tour de force. It does possess character and that is something most of us like. The problem is the shape of the shoe and the choice of leathers.

But what if the LL got together with one of its most talented members and said "let's make an LL Chasse." Let's give the shoe some line, and lets give it a proper chestnut brown color. And what if 25 or so men stepped to the line, could it be made for them?

I think it would be a very wonderful shoe and worth the expense of time and effort to have it made. Do any of you agree? Please let me have your thoughts. Think of the 82 or 32 lasts as possibilities.

Cheers

[dopey]

Dopey,

As is often the case with your posts, you've provided a great idea.

You not only overstate my contribution to this project, but also very kindly omit reference to all of my bad ideas. It is not hard to have the occasional good idea if you are willing to have a lot of very bad ones as well. I rely on this forum and its members to help me tell the difference.

I thought about it for a minute and do agree that the Weston Chasse is a shoemakers tour de force. It does possess character and that is something most of us like. The problem is the shape of the shoe and the choice of leathers.

The shape is dowdy and can be improved upon. I cannot understand the reason for producing a Chasse in black. The yellowish/gold color Weston also uses has lost it's appeal as the quality of same has deteriorated over the decades. It's a pity.

But what if the LL got together with one of its most talented members and said "let's make a Weston Chasse the way it should be made." Let's give the shoe some line, and lets give it a proper chestnut brown color. And what if 25 or so men stepped to the line, could it be made for them?

I think it would be a very wonderful shoe and worth the expense of time and effort to have it made. Do any of you agree? Please let me have your thoughts. Think of the 82 or 32 lasts as possibilities.

Cheers

Alden:
I am afraid that I would not be likely participate in this project unless I could be sure of a decent fit in my orthotics, and the price was reasonable enough for me to not go bespoke instead. If this project does go forward, I would be eager to see if it could be made to work for me.

I think one question that needs to be addressed immediately is the purpose of the shoe - I don’t mean how Lounge members may use it themselves, but rather, from a design perspective, what is the shoe trying to be. The essentials for me are the triple sole, and weather resistant welt. There are limits to how elegant a shape you can or should have when you have a triple sole. The shoe is meant to be a brute, though your desire to teach it some manners is entirely sensible. Just do not expect too much grace or you might tame it into feebleness. Whether the shoe is a chasse or demi-chasse is less important to me. I do think, though, that I need to understand better the intent of the stitching on the “lake” of the Weston hunt shoe. It appears to be an actual seam, rather than a decorative one. I would think that a shoe of this type should avoid a seam in a location and position where water might accumulate. I would be curious to know if our shoemakers or shoe aficionados agree.

[jcusey]

But what if the LL got together with one of its most talented members and said "let's make a Weston Chasse the way it should be made." Let's give the shoe some line, and lets give it a proper chestnut brown color. And what if 25 or so men stepped to the line, could it be made for them?

This is an intriguing idea. Let's start off by posting a picture of the shoe to facilitate the discussion (once again, thanks to mpolanthan. I don't know how I could post about shoes without his archive of shoe pictures):



To my mind, the Weston Hunt shoe has three outstanding design characteristics that make it unique and give it its charm, aside from its general overall status as a chasse. First is the style of handsewing used on the apron. As with the EG Dover, I believe that it is structural: the piece of leather comprising the apron and tongue is separate from the pieces of leather comprising the quarters, and the stitching on the apron closes those separate pieces together. The style of handstitching is different from that used on the Dover. Where the Dover's stitching has a delicate pie-crust appearance (thanks to dopey for that metaphor), the handstitching on the Hunt shoe is bulkier and more rustic. Each style has its place, I think, but the Hunt style is more appropriate for a bulkier, more rustic shoe. Second is the Norwegian welting. It's not as flamboyant as you find on some Italian Norwegian models, but it is attractive and it does contribute to the rustic appearance of the shoe. It probably also contributes to the water resistance of the shoe. Finally, there is the configuration of the apron. It's a short apron (a fact that's more readily apparent from the overhead shot of the shoe on the JM Weston website), meaning that the area of the apron is relatively small and that the split of split toe comes relatively far up the vamp of the shoe. It's a configuration that I very much like and that is a nice change of pace from the more-common long apron configuration.

I would imagine that Edward Green would have no problem whatsoever with the short apron configuration. The style of handstitching could probably also be replicated. I don't know what they would do about the Norwegian welting, however. Perhaps a reverse welt with stitching along the upper half of the welt could replicate the appearance if not the actual construction of the Hunt shoe. Of course, Tony would be far better equipped to answer these questions than I am.

Would Edwardian Antique or Chestnut Antique be more appropriate? Or perhaps a willow or Scotch-grain calf?

I think it would be a very wonderful shoe and worth the expense of time and effort to have it made. Do any of you agree? Please let me have your thoughts. Think of the 82 or 32 lasts as possibilities.

Don't you think that 82 might be a bit too refined for the kind of shoe that we're trying for here? Perhaps something with a blunter rounded toe like 202 or 404 might be better. On the other hand, 82 is such a beautiful last that it's hard to resist. Unfortunately, I have only seen 32 in pictures.

[alden]

John,

Excellent points. The Chasse is a chasse. The idea would be to take it from Hummer down to Range Rover dimensions. It's still a rugged 4 X 4 but you don't need a hangar to park it in, you can use a garage.

The 32 would be most appropriate and there are many who still feel that the Dover looked best on this last.

If I remember correctly, the Weston Chasse is available in one fitting, E. That limitation is a problem, especially for those who require a C or D fitting. Having to come down in length to make up for the excessive width of the E, made the shoe even bulkier looking.

The 32 was available in the narrower fittings and hopefully EG still has the forms.

[Guest]

No, that is why I hesitate to order it. It is available in five fittings I think and supposedly they run large. So I have to get to the NYC boutique to try it on to even consider getting it.

[alden]

The Weston Chasse is available in C, D and E fittings.

[Guest]

What about the demi-chasse? Or the Golf? Can anyone defend these models? Am I the only one who hates the Weston web site? jcusey's words are clearer than the lousy pictures.

[T4phage]

I personally like the demi-chasse and have two pairs. In my eyes, it has a different aesthetic than EG's slighty dressier Dover. The demi-chasse in dark brown suede is beautiful.

[Concordia]

What about the demi-chasse? Or the Golf? Can anyone defend these models? Am I the only one who hates the Weston web site? jcusey's words are clearer than the lousy pictures.

Golf is adequate to the task, but somewhat clunky. When mine wear out in 20 years, I will likely look for another solution.