Looking for a last minute gift for your Valentine’s? You might want to consider…

Psycho Bunny Socks $30

Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots – $325

Saphir Polishing Box – $275

Cordovan Watch Straps – $120 – $160

Edward Green Polishing Rolls – $135

Abbeyhorn Shoe Horns $30 – $90

Alden Snuff Suede Chukka’s $385

Basil Racuk Weekender – $870

Ephtee Polishing Maps – $160 – $275

We first met Jonathan and Mindy in October when this charming couple came in looking for shoes for Jonathan to wear to their wedding at the breathtaking Riverside Farms in Pittsfield, VT. Jonathan was already well into the process of having his English “country-wedding suit” made up by the venerable Alex Wilcox at Lord Willy’s.

Naturally a country wedding and country suit called for country footwear, which in this case came in the form of the perfect English country boot, the Edward Green Galway.

Congratulations Jonathan and Mindy you both looked fantastic, and a big thank you for sharing your special day with us.

Looking for a last minute gift? There’s still time to perform a miracle.

Saphir Voyage Polish Box – $275

Psycho Bunny Socks – $30

Quoddy Canoe Moc – $210

Abbeyhorn Shoehorns – $30, $60, $90

Tingley Trim Overshoes – $30

Ephtee Polishing Maps – $160, $275

Edward Green Buffing Mitts – $95

Saphir Renovateur – $20

Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots – $325

Ephtee Professional Polishing Casket – $1,395

Psycho Bunny Scarves – $125

Borsalino Duckbill Cap – $175

Shell Cordovan Watch Straps – $130 – $160

Ephtee Figaro Polishing Seat – $2,750

Alden Suede Chukka’s – $385

We recently attended an exhibit  presented by ANCI (Italian Footwear Manufacturers’ Association) of historical models originating from Italian footwear Museums and seen for the first time in the United States. The venue was MoMA, the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

The theme of the selection, which has been curated by ALDO PREMOLI (Art director) is the PLATFORM shoe: “INNER TREASURES – The secret story of the fashionable platform in Italy”.

On display are examples of designs that run through the history of Italian footwear from the 1930’s to the mid 1970’s. While Women’s shoes make up the majority of the collection it was surprising and quite amusing to see the Men’s styles from the 1970’s. Long ago and oh so far away, we were “Superstars”.

1970; Men’s shoe with black polka dot yellow platform. Heel and upper in white leather.

P. Bertolini International Footwear Museum, Vigevano

1970; Men’s boots with multicolor upper. Platform and heels in contrasting leather.

P. Bertolini International Footwear Museum, Vigevano

1972; Men’s loafer with kid suede upper. Cork wedge and leather sole.

Zaffaroni private collection

1972; Men’s shoe with upper in multicolor kid suede. Cork wedge and leather sole.

Zaffaroni private collection

1973; Men’s laced shoe in black and burgundy buffalo. 5 cm heel.

Giannini private collection

1973; Men’s clog with two color suede upper. Wood painted platform. Grained plastic sole.

Zaffaroni private collection

1974; Men’s loafer with nabuk upper, large metal buckle and para rubber sole.

Zaffaroni private collection

1975 – Men’s loafer in grain calf with laced strap and fringe. Natural para rubber wedge.

Renzo Rossetti private collection

We love hearing from our clients, so this letter was music to our ears. Nothing is more satisfying to us than hearing how much pleasure you derive from maintaining your footwear.  Thank you Mr. A. for sharing with us your new-found pleasure, and keep up the good work.

Hey Steven,

I don’t know if you remember me – last Christmas I came down there (from Toronto) with my friend and agonized for a good while over spending money on shoes, when I knew how bad I was at taking care of them.

Well, lo and behold, it’s been a year and I’ve been taking care of my Aubercy’s, as per your instructions. And if I may say so myself, I think they look great.

You were so right about the feeling I get when I wear a great pair of shoes. Especially within the context of how much I spend on my attire from the ankles up.

You taught me that I could, in fact, take care of my shoes. I have learned to treat them as investment pieces. And because the shoes are so beautiful, I WANT to take care of them. It gives me pleasure.

I hope to see you over the holidays, when I intend to pick up a few pairs of Corthay’s. I no longer have the hang-up I previously had, about spending four figures on a pair of shoes. To tell you the truth, I’m actually really looking forward to it!!!

Thanks for giving me a very important sartorial lesson.

Below is a pic of the Aubercy’s today – not bad, huh?

See you soon,

M.A.

I went to Uniqlo yesterday for the first time in a very long while. I wasn’t really looking for jeans but I spotted these, which looked much nicer than the rest  of the styles (and they have a lot of styles). I was in the market for a new pair anyway and since my usual source (A.P.C.) was closed for the night I thought I’d give these a try.

I like jeans that are plain, no names, no tags, or fancy stitching. I like dark raw denim and who does that better than most? Japan. These jeans are not just made in Japan they are as the tag says “All Made in Japan”. Without further adieu I found my size and took them home. I wasn’t in the mood to try them on in the store.

I guess it was meant to be because they fit perfectly, I didn’t even have to hem them (a first) since they’re made in different lengths. They’re also sold cuffed this way and as I read recently in Men’s Ex  this is the perfect cuff size (of course).

Alden Suede Chukka 1493 in Snuff

My only hesitation was the two different color  threads, one a light yellow the other the traditional burnt orange. Then I stopped myself and realized “Hey, they’re “All Made in Japan” they must be right.” Hard to imagine them putting out a product that wasn’t tested, evaluated, critiqued and tweaked a thousand times over. They get my vote.

We have been sold out of the Keep Calm and Carry on tote bags for a while, due to the fact that our supplier was out of stock until now. We’ve received a new delivery of Navy and for the first time, Red.

Keep Calm and Carry on Canvas Tote Bags $45

I can’t begin to count how many men have told me they haven’t had their feet measured since they were kids. Not really surprising considering these days you’re lucky just to find someone to get a pair of shoes for you in most shoe departments

I would venture to say that many stores don’t even have devices to properly measure your feet. The Brannock Device is the standard foot measuring tool for the world’s footwear industry. But few people are able to call the device by name, much less identify its inventor, Charles Brannock.

Brannock was born into the shoe business. His father, Otis Brannock, joined with Ernest Parks in 1906 to found the downtown Park-Brannock Shoe Co. in Syracuse, New York. As a Syracuse University student, young Brannock wanted to find the best way to measure the foot. He played around with the idea for a couple of years and finally built a prototype using an Erector set. In 1926 and 1927, Brannock patented the device and created a company to build it.

Prior to inventing the device that bares his name the most common foot-sizer in the 1920s was the Ritz Stick, made by the American Automatic Device Company of Chicago. A wooden ruler, the Ritz could measure a foot’s width and its length from heel to toe, but not at the same time. The Ritz stick is still a very common device for measuring feet in the U.K. and Europe.

In a day and age when so many high tech gadgets constantly bombard us it’s comforting to know such a low tech devise withstands the test of time and quietly provides a valuable service.

On July 20, 1969 a 12 year old boy in the suburbs of Detroit along with his friends and family watched in utter fascination as Neil Armstrong became the fist man to step foot on the surface of the moon. Many events have come and gone since that warm July evening in 1969, and we take for granted many things we could only have dreamed of in our youth.

In reflection it was a moment of shear amazement, a solidifying act of hopes and imagination played out on millions of television screens right before our eyes.

How poignant watching Walter Cronkite, overcome with emotion deliver the news that “Armstrong is on the moon.” Yet all the while we, fixed firmly on earth were soaring high above it.

I wanted to share this letter I received from our client who lives in Singapore. He contacted me via email and placed an MTO for a pair of Corthay Arca’s in Black, which we sent on to him in Singapore.

Dear Steven,
The shoes were in last week and I was trying them on.  Excellent
recommendation on the sizing.  The fit is great!  Love these shoes.

I’ll definitely get another pair again – I like the eggplant/deep purple
MTO you ordered for the Japanese client.  But then again browsing
through your blog brings up so many other interesting choices.  I’ll
take my time to decide and let you know again.

It was a pleasure to have ordered from you, thanks for making these
special shoes so much more accessible.

Regards,
-Singapore

Arca Black with Purple Lining 001 Last

We work very closely with our clients and manufacturers to ensure the entire MTO process is a positive one for everyone. For more information about Leffot’s, MTO Program click here or “MTO Program” on the the right under Pages.