Aubercy Shoes – A Review

So it would appear that Christmas came a bit early this year as I received a lovely gift in the mail the other day. I usually know everything that is arriving for me, so I was shocked to hear when I had a package waiting with my name on it. When I saw the ‘from’ address, I was pleasantly surprised but had a good idea what lay inside waiting for me (since it’s shape was giving it away). Of course, it was none other than the lovely model that I had tried on at the Aubercy store (in Paris), of which I had gone to in order to get to know the brand better and thus share all of that information with you…….(see original posts here: part 1, part 2, part 3)

Straight from the get-go, I was very pleased with how elegant and detailed the packaging and presentation was with my new pair of Aubercy shoes. Everything was matching, from the box to the dust bags, to the tissue paper and even the lining of the box. It was so carefully thought out and this was quite surprising, yet very appreciated. It showed, to me, that Aubercy truly cares about the details and as I firmly believe, the details are always what separate the greats from the ordinary. And to top it off, the shoes not only came shined, but also came with an tin of polish to go with it. A nice touch to complete the perfect package! (not to mention the beautifully lasted trees……..)

As you probably saw from my first post, Aubercy shoes are nothing shy of exquisite. The only thing that I would have ignorantly critiqued (prior to going there), was the fact that they are blake-stitched construction. But after spending time there, trying on the shoes, talking to Xavier and understanding the hand-work that goes into each pair, I can say that I was naive to think that black stitched was inferior. And after wearing them and being amazingly comfortable and easy to break in, I was even more impressed and surprised! The one thing though that for me, makes them more superior than any other blake stitched shoe is the fact that they have an arch stiffener in them, which is something that you will only find in hand-lasted shoes. That stiffener makes a world of difference, not only for support but for comfort too.

Because of the care, attention to detail and quality of the materials used, I definitely rate Aubercy shoes with the best of the goodyear welted makers. You always take a risk that it might be harder to re-sole your shoes, but in all honesty, if you are able to afford the shoes, then you are able to afford sending them back to the maker to get them done properly, so there really is no excuse.And what I probably love most about them, is the fact that for me, the chisel toe that they have is the nicest chisel I have ever seen. Sure, many of you may think that a proper chisel toe is something that is English, but I have to say that this is a myth and that French chisels are far nicer, as they are more balanced and not so definitively harsh!

Aubercy is top notch in my book and even though I am starting my own line, I will definitely save up to get their lovely spat boot!

http://www.aubercy.com/

-Justin, “The Shoe Snob”