had a look in the window of Doc Cobbler today, sadily it was 4pm on a saturday and they were closed :S.
there was however a very nice pair of boots on display that looked like they had seen some use,

Mr X has now returned from O/s, so now it is full on with building my bespoke shoe. lt will be done properly in true bespoke tradition, that means: a trial shoe and perhaps 3 - 4 fittings overall, a bespoke pattern made, my choice of leather and linings, orthotics.

Fitting 1: make a trial shoe to see if the last works for my feet, and to see if any changes to the last need to occur.
Fitting 2: make a trial built in orthotic made of leather (not cork)
Fitting 3: trying to make the orthotic fit perfectly after the initial trial
(more fittings if needed)

l'm not sure what to do with the heel. John wants a machine made heel nailed on, l don't. Maybe Mr X or Alex can do a handmade heel that is wood pegged on. lf l could get a handmade heel then the shoo will be 100% true bespoke, not 95% bespoke.

Mr X is also going to do build ups in about a dozen of my highend shoos (i'm very very lucky, it is a true luxury to have that done. Hey Cruz, l haven't forgotten what you have said about this; your solution is longterm; right now l need a short term solution).

l will be running a tight schedule with Mr X and John because Mr X leaves the country near the end of year. Lots of projects to do and not much time to do them. Mr X said that he'll make me a last also; that means l can try getting at least one bespoke shoo from Mr X before he leaves. He was also saying that the `keep leather' is about the same quality that Vass uses, up there with the very best. One of the few things Mr X doesn't know about is `shell cordovan'...no industry folk in Victoria know about it and most have never seen it, even those who widely travel know nothing about it.

This project has taught me so much, but it keeps on dragging on and on and on, it's never ending. First was the extremely difficult problem of locating the talent to make a troo bloo bespoke shoo. Then the other problems associated with having to co-ordinate various tasks, visiting numerous parties many times, many hours of talking about how the project will be done amongst the various parties....this project is HUGE for any aussie to undertake. l wouldn't recommend anyone ever trying to take on a project like this unless you KNOW exactly what you want and have a good decent general knowledge of your feet and shoemaking. lf you're a laymen off the street (knows nothing about shoos) and want a bespoke shoo, you are headed for big trouble, there are pitfalls/land mines to fall into EVERYWHERE; you can't rely on industry people to guide you and get it right when there are so many parties involved in making the shoo, you have to make sure it's done right....the result will largely depend on how well you communicate what you want (must know what you want) and how you co-ordinate the parties. lt's all up to you to get a great result. l could have rushed into this, but l would have got a poor result. Taking the time to think things out has made all the difference. Most of my ideas on this project have come from driving my car home late at night; in fact, nearly all of my shoo-ideas and learning have come from driving my car home late at night.

ln regards to shoos: using common sense and thinking deeply about things and observing is the most powerful tool for learning and understanding footwear. Learning off experts is second, and reading the internet is a distant third. lf you don't have the ability to come to logical conclusions yourself about shoos, there will never be any hope for you, no matter how many experts tell you stuff. That's my experience. You may have mind blocks for years, but think about it long enough and the answers will always be revealed in the end. lt's all good fun....kinda like a big game, that's why even kids can do it.

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-03-01 08:15:06)

l like making long posts with no pictures in this thread. lt's a good way of finding the people who are really interested, not the stickybeeks from the other forums who only read it to see what i'm up to and are ready to shoot me down in an instant. The blog will be more exciting of course and much more work is going into it.  l wish l knew how to draw lines on pictures, l still need to learn that basic skill, it is essential for the blog.

I have a low instep which creates as Bruce loved to call it the 'bag of wind' effect, as the top of my foot does not sit flush with the upper. This was the problem I had with my RM.W's, I have 2 foam insoles in order to raise my foot up in the shoe, its temporary until I find someone who can remove the leather sole liner and glue a substantial strip of cork in and replace the leather liner again. I imagine (however I could be miles off) RM.W does this for 2 reasons;

1. Because they are a boot and need a little more vertical room to get feet in,
2. It increases the number of people who can wear the shoe, most of the problems people have (that I have seen with shoes) are due to high insteps. people with low insteps like me can add liners, those with high insteps can fit into them.
The reality is that most feet don’t fill in that 'bag of wind' thus giving the unflattering 'baggy' appearance.

It’s very interesting that Mr. X is also a talented well versed last maker as well as a shoe maker. Those that I have spoken to generally have said they are two separate fields because both are so involved and complex individually, you’ve got yourself a gem there.

i was toying with the idea of a revised last based off the RM.W Maquarie toe shape.
however,  bruce is currently in Japen till april.
And still no trees, after a year, but thats another story haha.

Moreschi
People on the forums bag Moreschi and call them junk, but as usual they are uninformed laymen. Most of the shoemakers in Melbourne regard Moreschi very highly, and so do l. The leather quality is very good. I don’t know all the facts, but Moreschi actually source special leathers and have special quality control over what they use. They may even have part ownership in a certain tannery or farm to ensure they get leather of a certain breed and quality. Don’t write off Moreschi, they are doing good things, they won’t skimp on leather, it’s too important to them.


Interesting how many stores in Australia stock Moreschi and in the USA as well. Yet they are the biggest bargains on eBay for quality and price.

Message to Sammy Ambrose re his  time wasting unhelpful and bizarre postings - FUCK OFF!

Last edited by meister (2011-03-03 04:55:50)

Last edited by The_Shooman (2011-03-04 09:17:12)

Last edited by Sammy Ambrose (2011-03-04 03:47:54)