I’m back! Sorry for the long time without posting, but I did not have time nor much access to anything while away on my quick trip to Spain. But alas, I am home and decided to give you another little morsel of what I have been up to. So needless to say, you can see here just what I have been doing while away, and how I am going through the rounds of adjusting my prototypes in order to create the ideas that I had floating in my head. Now, you might think that what I have been showing you is nothing that special (in terms of unique designs), and that is purposefully done as I don’t want to give away of my ideas before my shoes are ready for distribution. So, at first I showed you my take on a cap-toe and now I am showing you my take on a nice brogue. I decided that I did not want to go straight into designing a full brogue, as every other shoe company in the world has one. Obviously I will eventually need to make one, for all of you classicists out there, but in the meanwhile being the sucker that I am for saddles, I decided to introduce the ‘saddle brogue.’
As you can see, there have been adjustments made with a silver pen indicating what needs to be changed. The sharp corner of that saddle did not flow well with the smooth, soft line of the wing cap below it, so I am having the pattern maker round it out a bit in order for the lines to be in sync with each other. This will give the shoe a little bit more balance as I believe that it is a bit on the clashing-side at the current moment.
For some odd reason, it would appear that the toe sits very high off of the ground, but I can assure you that this is not the case, as I am not a fan of toes that curve upward. Obviously, a shoe needs a bit of space between the toe and the floor, due to the way that we walk, but I think that the fact that there is a piece of glass that sits on top of the table, it would appear as if the surface is lower than it actually is, giving off the illusion of a toe that curves too high upward.
So, here is one more of my shoes to hold you over and to let you know that I am indeed working as fast as I can to release my collection which will consist of around 12 different designs, having two of the designs using two different lasts, making it seem that there would be 14 different designs. I am hoping (optimistically) that they will be ready by mid to late January (assuming there is no more need for adjustments) and that I can put my first order through by sometime in February (but don’t hold me strictly to this). So for all of those patiently waiting, I can assure you that it is not long from now…..
I REALLY like this design.
It is subtly very different.
Good work! Can’t wait to see the rest of your collection.
A great looking classic. Have you toyed with the idea of making this a saddle brogue? Possibly with only a subtle colour difference so that on the face of it they appear monochromatic but on closer examination are discrete saddles?
Best regards,
Snapper
I really like the shape of your design, it’s just how I like a shoe to be. I can’t wait to see them all, I’m sure that you will offer something out of the ordinary when you launch the collection…
Right now I am saving up to buy a couple pairs of loafers for the spring, one will be the Miro by SeptiemeLargeur and the other one I hope to buy from your collection.
All the best, Valeriu
OwenB – Thank you! I can’t wait to show all of you the rest of the collection…
Snapper – To be honest, I have not as I have another, more in your face saddle shoe in my first collection, of which I will do this. For this I simply wanted to make a brogue that was different from the rest but was fairly classic in the coloring, i.e. single colors for the entire shoe
Valeriu – Yes, there will be a few that are a bit different, nothing crazy but definitely different. Well, I am honored that you are saving up for that, I hope that you will find one in my collection that you will love!
-Justin
Nice design Justin. Are you going to any shoe designing school?
What stores do you hope to sell your stores through?
Sorry- should read to sell your shoes through!
KRM – Thank you. I did not go to any design school. I just taught myself….
Mr. Retailer – Well, let’s just say that I am thinking about Japan for sure, France, Sweeden, the US, South Korea and here in England. Heck, in all honesty, I would love to sell at any respectable store that would have me….but obviously, the store has to appeal to my idea of quality products and great customer service..
-Justin
This shoe design is a nice idea although I think there are too many parallel lines running down the side of the shoe. It’s a bit much to look at considering how much they are highly emphasized by the brogueing,. What if the toe wingtip line came down closer to the toe instead of coming down at the waist? This would leave more empty space on the shoe and separate the saddle from the wingtip. Just some food for thought….
D
Derrick – Thanks for the input Derrick, I will have to hold that idea for the future….I never mind a nice short wing….
-Justin
Love to read a more technical post on your shoes, like where they’re getting made, by who, construction details etc etc…. [maybe there is one if so please link me to it :)]
really enjoy your blog keep up the good work!
Jimmy – Well, all I can say for now, is that they are made in Spain, they are goodyear welted, and that the leather is French box calf from a respectable tannery in France. In the future, i will try and be more descriptive with it. But for now, I cannot, I am sorry. While I won’t claim them to be the best in the world, quality-wise, my goal is to give a great bang for your buck… Glad that you enjoy the blog though!
-Justin