The CNES brand has teamed up with one of the menswear industry’s leading authorities, Hugo Jacomet aka Parisian Gentleman aka Sartorial Talks, to showcase a new capsule collection and do so with a handful of Trunk Shows in France and Europe. Working together, they designed this collection with the inspiration of “imagining shoes for the contemporary men, who seek a balance of style and comfort while taking influences from French and Saigonese tastes.” And I dare say they did a great job as they are all very cool and quite striking, to say the least.
I have always been intrigued by the idea of putting a floating medallion at the top of a loafer’s vamp line, as they have here with their wholecut loafer model. I think it is refreshingly different and while some might loathe the idea, I actually really like it and would wear a pair myself. The reality is there is not one design here that I would not wear. They are all appealing. It is hard to guess which will be more popular. Part of me wants to say the adelaide as they are all the rage at the moment, but am thinking that the wholecut loafers might take it as I think that with as successful as the welted industry is right now, so many people have the classics and are looking for something more unique. And that model definitely has uniqueness.
To launch this collection CNES and Hugo have been on a handful of Trunk Shows across France. They also teamed up with French sock brand, Mes Chaussettes Rouges and have been touring their two shops in France, first in Lyon and soon in Paris with two-day trunk shows to showcase their footwear for the 1st time in France. It is good to see the CNES brand expanding, not only in terms of clients but also in new collections, ones that keep getting better and better too.
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Here are the factual details with regards to the shoes and the Paris Trunk Show:
- St Tropez loafer
- Florentin loafer (2 colors)
- Rennes oxford (2 colors)
- Arcachon Adelaide
- Last: V
- Construction: Bolognese Goodyear
- Upper: Full grain Italian crust calf
- Lining: leather
- Outsole: Full leather outsole with a tight waist
Price: S$450 / 320 EUROS / US$316 + shipping
9 Rue César Franck
Paris 75015
11am to 7pm
Am loving each of these and am planning to add a pair of each to my wardrobe collection.
Hey Ernest, let me know if you make good on that promise 😉
Awesome Shoes!
Thanks for sharing!