Anyone have handmade shoes?

[caspur]

What happen to regular cobblers that made shoes, where they measure your feet with a pencil, carve the lasts from hardwood, stitch the leathers with a boar hair, stuff like that?

And no, I'm not paying $3000/pair for that bespoke European stuff.

 

[guyver01]

Originally posted by: caspur
What happen to regular cobblers that made shoes, where they measure your feet with a pencil, carve the lasts from hardwood, stitch the leathers with a boar hair, stuff like that?

Cheap Mass production of shoes in all sizes basically destroyed their business.


There are still SOME shops that do that... but who wants to wait weeks and pay 10x what a regular pair costs?

 

[Locut0s]

Originally posted by: guyver01

Originally posted by: caspur
What happen to regular cobblers that made shoes, where they measure your feet with a pencil, carve the lasts from hardwood, stitch the leathers with a boar hair, stuff like that?

Cheap Mass production of shoes in all sizes basically destroyed their business.


There are still SOME shops that do that... but who wants to wait weeks and pay 10x what a regular pair costs?

So you can post in threads like this. I have hand made SHOES.. WHAT DO YOU HAVE? AAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAH Look upon my wealth and weep!

 

[troytime]

my wife has some handmade shoes that she bought in italy

they don't fit her anymore, but they're pretty fricken nice

 

[caspur]

Interestingly, while people buy custom shirts and suits for good prices in Thailand/HK, etc., shoe crafting in Asia seems to pale in comparison to what is available in the UK/France, etc. Its almost like in Asia they have no extensive leather working experience...probably some correlation with the lack of beef in Asian cuisine...?

 

[BoomerD]

Sort of. My workboots are custom made for my feet.

There are a couple of ways to do it. MOST people use their measuring chart and send in the measurements to have their boots made...and it works very well. My feet are a bit different than most...so I went up to the factory, had my foot measured by one of their bootmakers. He takes far more measurements than normal...and they fit like a glove. (heavy steel shanked glove, but...)

My feet have changed quite a bit over the past 5 years as I've gotten fatter...and have lived in sandals, sneakers, and flip-flops...so my boots no longer fit quite as well as they used to fit. IF I decide to order another pair, (since I'm no longer working construction, I may not) I'll make the trip to Spokane and get re-measured first. The "regular fit" boots start at about $425.00, adding custom measurements tacks on another $150 or so.

 

[0roo0roo]

the best ones are made by children..

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
the best ones are made from the hides of children..

:Q

 

[daniel1113]

There are still bespoke and mead to measure shoe makers out there, but you're gonna be paying a fortune for it. John Lobb is probably one of the most well known.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Old school

Older school

 

[IronWing]

Whites and Limmer still custom build boots.

 

[xavier es]

I had a pair of handmade boots, they were not made for me, but were a hand me down for my gf's father who wore the same size as me. they were made by a famous boot maker in austin. they were practically new when i got them and once i broke them in they were the most comfortable boots i have every owned, i had them resoled twice and wore them until the stitching was falling apart. If i had the bucks now i would get a pair of handmade custom boots.

 

[Leros]

My grandfather has massive feet and had all of his shoes handmade. Apparently there are local shoe people who normally the sell the standard sizes but can order or make any size/dimensions you need.

 

[LegendKiller]

Most benchmade shoes by Alden or Allen Edmonds are far better than the trash you find in most retail stores. If you want higher end Crockett and Jones are good.

I've thought before about MTM shoes, mainly because I have very high arches and very wide fronts. Usually a 11.5EEE works well, but even then I get creases along the inside due to my arches not conforming to the curvature of the shoe.

Personally, I stay away from any Bostonian, Florsheim, Johnston Murphy, Ecco, or anything else like that.

 

[LS21]

http://www.styleforum.net/showthread.php?t=12201]gayforums.com[/url]

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: ironwing
Whites and Limmer still custom build boots.

Yep. I've worn Whites and Nick's Boots for over 30 years.

White's is the company I was talking about in my earlier post.

Best dammed work boots you can buy...but they're not cheap.


http://www.whitesboots.com/store/Whites_Boots.php

http://nicksboots.com/

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

A number of folks I play with in the SCA make shoes and boots. They're expensive, about $600 for a nice pair of boots but, unique and well made with lifetime resoling and heel repair.

 

[gooseman]

I don't have any handmade shoes made by a cobbler but I have some cobbler made by a shoe salesman!

 

[BoomerD]

Originally posted by: gooseman
I don't have any handmade shoes made by a cobbler but I have some cobbler made by a shoe salesman!

I LOVES me some cobbler. Preferrably peach, but blueberry, blackberry, boysenberry, all are just fine with me.

 

[zanejohnson]

that would be totally sweet, another thing i must have in this lifetime...

my best shoes are a pair of 100 dollar doc martins...

 

[Rifter]

I own a pair of whites custom made to my specs by hand, cost me $600 CAD. Best pair of boots i have ever owned by FAR. I do alot of hicking and camping in rough terrain though so it was worth it. I have owned boots by Danners and Redwing in the past and neither can hold a candle to the whites.

 

[EGGO]

Yes. One pair by Pierre Corthay when he visited Leffot a few months ago. My shoes are very near being done.