July 25, 2019
Pattern Cutting is one of the most important aspects of shoemaking and the one that probably the one that gets the least recognition but deserves the most respect. You see, the reason why you like a shoe is pretty much boiling down to two things: 1. The shape i.e. the last and it’s cut and 2. The design i.e. the pattern and how carefully it was made. But shoe design is complex. A brogue is […]
April 16, 2019
People often think of conservatism when they think of British rules of dress. And truth be told, there are very strict rules and ideas of the way “one should be” and this ideology runs deep in British culture which dips into their sense of dress. But for a while now there has also been a strong opposition or rebellion to this ideology, especially in the way of dressing. The red dress sock, so often seen […]
October 11, 2018
Gaziano and Girling are on the road with a 5 city showing across the US coasts, highlighting not only their bespoke samples but also their new Fresco Range. For those of you still yet to see a pair now is your chance to get in there and see what real shoemaking is all about. See dates and times and appt emails below! Happy Thursday! Justin FitzPatrick
September 10, 2018
As painful as it is for some, sadly enough Summer is coming to an end. And while it might not feel like it, those massive drops in temperature are right around the corner. I, on the other hand, have had enough of Summer (especially the humidity) and am ready to welcome the Autumn season with my arms open and my jackets on them! I love boots and I love layering. My second sickness behind shoes/boots […]
April 13, 2017
While living in America and working at Nordstrom (way back when), I remember many of the Italian brands making shoes in what looked like a cross between calfskin and patent. Prada, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana loved the stuff! And to be honest, as I was young and a bit naive, I remember being quite attracted to these shiny things. They had all of the glitz & the glam and thus looked the part of […]
February 15, 2017
Making a good website is hard and it takes a lot of work. There are a million and one ways to do this too, so picking the right one for your company can also be complex. The idea of a good website (being e-commerce) should have two things in mind: 1. allowing for a seamless transaction for the client (i.e. buy shoes easily) and represent well your product/service through good description/photography. And you wouldn’t believe […]
November 14, 2016
Just in case you can’t tell, that is green pebble grain on the left….beautiful! The other day I was frequenting my favorite street, Jermyn St. (as I often do), seeing what the haps was on the latest and greatest. I walked by John Lobb’s shop and was blown away by what I was seeing in their window display. Not only was there red suede double monks, but even more unique and impressive was the deep […]
September 30, 2016
My friend Mr. Allan Baudoin has come a long way since being just a young computer science student from Paris to launching his own bespoke shoe label ‘Allan Baudoin’ and now going one step further by entering the RTW shoe game with his famous Belgian loafer, the ‘Sagan’ under the name of Baudoin & Lange. It’s great as well as I saw Allan a long time struggling to find his niche and figure out how […]
September 20, 2016
For those that may not know Gaziano & Girling have just recently celebrated their 10th anniversary and I couldn’t be happier for them. I still remember the day that I discovered them, like it was yesterday, in their first every bit of publicity in the US version of Robb Report. They have certainly come a long way since then and it has been well deserved. To celebrate their 10 years in business making beautiful shoes […]
August 8, 2016
Herring shoes has come a long way in the last few years. When I first started out as a blogger, I won’t lie, I was not a fan of what they were selling as it appeared to be predominantly the lower end shoes made by the likes of Loake and Cheaney (doing what looked liked their bottom end work to maintain those low prices). And it was overly English in my eyes. But in the […]
