I have never actually had the pleasure of holding a pair of Carmina shoes in my hands, but I have always appreciated what I have seen in pictures and all of the nice things that most people have to say about them. While they tend to not stray too far outside of classic styles, I did notice this pair on Ethan Desu’s blog a little while ago and was quite taken aback by their uniqueness of them. There was no description of what they were for, but I could only imagine that they must have been an MTO, as this is not a combination that you see often, especially in RTW circulation.
And even though this Carmina balmoral boot did not make me say ‘WOW’ for some unknown reason, I feel that I would love to have them and would gravitate towards them more than I think. Something about them really captures me, but in a way that is almost indescribable. They seem to have these little subtle qualities that make them really stand apart, but only after 3 or 4 glances do you notice them. I feel that they come up higher on your leg than your average pair, the stitching along the facing is not quite straight but not quite as curved either when it comes to the edge of the vamp/quarter, and the opening of the boot shaft is a lot smaller than most openings. And all of these details make me think that this is truly inspired by what they used to wear in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I applaud the person that designed them. Well done!
Learn more: https://www.carminashoemaker.com/
Beautiful lines. It is amazing how many small quality cobblers are out there. thanks for bringing them out to the open. this particular Spanish cobbler Carmina, I was knew about, yet never saw its products in the State.
The correct term, I would guess, is “cordwainers” not cobblers. And no, I’m not a shoe snob.
I don’t think those are MTO : while passing by in front of the Paris Carmina store earlier in the day, I noticed a pair of these boots through the window. Carmina does favour classic upper but they also seem to match suede with box on a frequent basis.
Love the blog and looking forwards to your shoe line.
Ike – Indeed, a lovely boot…
Anon – Ah okay, interesting. Well it’s good to know that they are releasing things that are a little bit out of the ordinary to the general public.
Glad that you enjoy the blog. Thanks for the kind words.
-Justin