Saint Crispin's MTOs Summer 2016 August 22 2016
Every month we receive a bunch of great MTOs from our friends in Transylvania - here are a few we enjoyed especially.
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Enzo Bonafé MTOs and GMTOs Summer 2016 August 22 2016
Here are a few recent pictures of Enzo Bonafé made-to-order shoes. Enjoy!
Edward Green by Dandy Shoe Care August 22 2016
Recently we received a special request from one of our regular Canadian clients who asked us if we could help out with a little experiment. Mr. P wanted us to send down a pair of Edward Green Westminster in Maple to Alexander Nurulaeff, better know as Dandy Shoe Care, in order to have them stripped and custom burnished. We at Skoaktiebolaget love the unexpected so of course we agreed to help Mr. P. Here are a couple of pictures showing "before" and "after".
Don't be surprised if you see more of Dandy Shoe Care's creations at Skoaktiebolaget soon.
Pictures by Alexander Nurulaeff, with permission from Mr. P.
Dress codes August 22 2016
We get a lot of questions regarding dress codes in our store. Many people want to know what is considered to be correct attire and footwear at formal events. Basically there are three levels of formality in most Western countries; formal wear, semi-formal wear and informal attire.
Early 1900's formal evening wear.
Formal wear
This is the most formal dress code. If you are invited to an event where formal wear is the dress code then you’ll be expected to wear morning dress or white tie depending on the time of the event (white tie is considered to be evening wear and morning wear obviously day wear). Patent leather shoes are considered to be the most correct footwear with formal wear. What can also be added is that full dress uniform and national costume is also considered to be formal wear.
Edward Green patent leather shoes, available as made to order at Skoaktiebolaget.
Semi-formal wear
This is a dress code mostly used for evening events where black tie, or tuxedo, would be the correct apparel. This is however considered to be evening wear only and should preferably not be worn during the day. On rare occasions you will find this dress code appearing on invitations for daytime events and you would then expected to wear a stroller outfit; black or grey coat and striped or checked trousers, preferably with a waistcoat and grey neck-wear. Although the stroller is mainly an American invention, it will be largely accepted in most parts of the world. A mess dress (military) is also accepted as semi-formal evening wear. Patent leather shoes will be considered correct, but a pair of black oxfords polished to a very high shine will also be accepted along with evening footwear (bow pumps etc).
Gaziano & Girling bow pumps, available as made to order at Skoaktiebolaget.
Informal attire
Although this may sound as you can show up in almost anything it’s quite the contrary. You will be expected to wear a navy or charcoal two or three piece suit with a white shirt and neck-wear. A black suit is also acceptable but preferably only as evening wear, because black is considered to be evening wear in most western countries. Always wear a pair of black oxford lace up shoes, like the Carmina model 732 below. People may argue the validity of this claim, but to no avail - in our opinion black oxfords are the most correct footwear with informal attire. That said, feel free to wear burgundy oxfords if you're feeling rebellious.
Gaziano & Girling Deco August 22 2016
Here are a few pictures showing Gaziano & Girling Decos. The Deco line of shoes was created in 2011 as a further elevation of the product available at Gaziano & Girling. Inspired by the Art Deco movement, the shoes display long, sweeping curves and tight corners, culminating in the ‘spade waist’, which hooks the broad front sole into a slim, beautifully rounded waist. The amount of handwork required means that these shoes are only available made-to-order.
Lasted Deco shoe trees and MTO fees are include in the price.
A talk with Phillip Car of Saint Crispin's August 22 2016
In an earlier blog post we mentioned the Austrian/Romanian shoemaker Sant Cripin's, a firm focusing mainly on made-to-order and bespoke shoes. Our store manager Gabriel had a chance to ask Phillip Car a few questions.
SKOAB: Tell us about your role and responsibilities at Saint Crispin’s…
PC: I am the owner, operatively in charge for sales, development and strategy.
How was the company of Saint Crispin’s founded and initiated?
It was founded by my cousin in 1992 out of a bespoke shoemaking company.
How were you introduced and involved in the business?
I was asked to join the company in 2002 to initiate a first pret a porter collection next to the bespoke line.
Tell us about your first experience with handmade shoes.
Very early, I was as 17 when I got my first Saint Crispin’s bespoke pair from my cousin and nearly died financially because my own cousin charged me the full price for it.
How would you describe your shoe wardrobe?
I wear mostly elastic sided Chelsea boots in suede and our signature shoe, the model 108, French Norwegian apron Derby in a dark blue.
What do you find most rewarding with your job?
Travelling all around the world and meeting very interesting people who share the same passion for the craft as I do.
If you only could wear one pair of shoes for the rest of your life, what model and color would it be and why?
A lower, elastic sided Chelsea boot in light sand suede.
Describe a normal day at work.
Half of the year I am abroad meeting customers, if not I am in Vienna in contact with my team to discuss orders, new developments, internals and strategies. A part of my day is to answer questions from partners, retailers and customers personally. Sometimes I am answering later but I always do this myself to stay in contact with the people who are wearing Saint Crispin’s.
If you would describe the shoes and craftwork of Saint Crispin’s in 1-2 sentences, how would that sound?
I only need one: Saint Crispin’s shoes are real hand made shoes in combination with the perfect design and fit.
What recommendations can you give people trying to find their first pairs of really high quality shoes?
Choose an Oxford pair and buy only one pair at once, wear it, tell your experience and then go on with more. Choose no extravagant color or clownish style. Get the big picture in terms of fit, style and comments you get.
Why is it so important with proper and continuous shoe care?
Why is it important to put oil into a car?
Describe the perfect shoe wardrobe.
This depends on the person himself, in my opinion there is only the individual look that’s always appropriate. You must feel authentic and confident. I just want to quote here Hugo Jacomet (The Parisian Gentleman): First you must learn the rules, then break them. And I see this confirmed all over the world: Some guys were only black, some never, there are guys who only wear monks, some only loafers, others only full brogue oxfords. And you immediately see: Looks like a perfect wardrobe (for that particular guy).
Written by Gabriel, Store Manager at Skoaktiebolaget
Carmina made-to-order shoes Fall 2013 August 22 2016
Our clients keep letting us making up some really epic Carmina made-to-order models, here are a few examples from November. Thanks for your continued support dear clients, keep making up awesome shoes!
Carmina Jumper Boot in Dark Cognac Shell (Group MTO)
Carmina plain toe Derby in Loden Green suede (MTO)
Carmina Balmoral boot in Ruby Cordovan (MTO)
Carmina tassel loafer in Loden Green suede (MTO)
Carmina Adelaide in tanned calf (MTO)
Shoemakers in a New World August 22 2016
We live in a world were small, little-known shoemakers have to be skilled in using social media channels in hopes of ever reaching a wider audience outside their home country or even home town. Easily put they don’t have the necessary financial capacity to advertise their products in any other way. Two well-known success stories are Saint Crispin’s and J. FitzPatrick Footwear.The first has produced top quality shoes in Transylvania since the 90’s but it was not until renowned shoe stores like Leather Soul and Leffot not to mention The Armoury started promoting them through their well-established social media channels that they reached International success. Before this they were almost unknown outside of Austria and Germany.
J. FitzPatrick Footwear is a newly established company that has taken a different route to reach a wider audience even though this has also been done through social media channels. Justin FitzPatrick is mainly known through his vastly popular blog The Shoe Snob; a source of inspiration to many of us who love shoes. Through a very sympathetic personality and a knack for social media marketing he has come from nowhere to found his new brand J. FitzPatrick Footwear. From nowhere is of course an exaggeration, he has trained in Italy to become a shoemaker and has been tutored by Tony Gaziano himself, but it is still a remarkable journey in a very short time. And it has only been possible because of the potential that modern technology presents to us.
On the other side, we also have very skillful shoemakers who seemingly have no interest or no experience how to reach out through these new and extremely powerful channels to meet new clients. A good example is a brand that we at Skoaktiebolaget recently added to our line-up: Enzo Bonafé of Bologna, Italy. Try to find them on Instagram, Tumblr or Twitter. Here are a few other interesting shoemakers that we would like to mention that are hard to find but easy to love.
Antonio Meccariello, Naples
I could not get the English section of Antonio’s website to work so I basically have no background at all to share with you (other than that I now know he fancies saxophone music). Obviously the man is active in Naples, is in his thirties or so and has had some kind of connection with Kiton where I think he used to work before starting up his own business. Meccariello’s models range from sublime to deranged. All shoes are made-to-order. It should be said that Mr. Meccariello is active in social media channels like Tumblr, but he has not yet reached the level of success as above mentioned brands.
Sublime wingtip from Meccariello...
...and on the other hand, deranged boots from Meccariello.
Maftei, Vienna
Alexander Maftei is a Romanian born gentleman who immigrated to Vienna as a teenager where he soon found employment at a renowned shoemaker’s workshop. Several decades later has his own workshop and brand and is considered a master at his craft although he is largely unknown to a wider audience. His son Lucian runs a showroom nearby the workshop where you can sample some of Alexander’s work and make appointments for a fitting. The Maftei style runs from sturdy Austro-Hungarian shoes to sleeker models suited for the International client. To my knowledge Maftei does not make ready-to-wear shoes, only bespoke and MTO.
Interesting Balmoral from Maftei
Details of a Maftei bespoke pair
Materna, Vienna
This is another interesting Austrian brand, founded in 1907 and still run by the same family. With Materna Schuhe we’re talking Austro-Hungarian shoes that are built for comfort and a good fit, not maybe so much appeal to an International client or the “sprezz crowd”. It’s very rewarding to see different types of schools of shoemaking even though I personally prefer styles that are a little less sturdy than the classic Materna models I've come across through browsing on the Internet.
Of course, there are many more fine shoemakers that deserve acknowledgement and respect, but I am sure that if you dig deep enough and venture past the #wiwt tags on Instagram and the Tumblr posts that have been shared over a thousand times I’m sure you will find them. They are waiting for you deep down, at the bottom of some thread in StyleForum or AskAndy that has not been posted in since 2008. Or maybe, just maybe, you will find them someday at Skoaktiebolaget.
Written by Patrik, founder and manager of Skoaktiebolaget.
Note: pictures were found on various places on the internet, please drop us a line if you own the copyright and wish to remove the pictures.
