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Nome: J. Ang-angco Data: 08-11-2006 Cod. di rif: 2667 E-mail: giovanni.angco@gmail.com Oggetto: Scarpe Due Commenti: Egregio Sig. Nocera, Molte grazie per la sua risposta, In my original note, I had made some suggestions regarding the finishing of shoes as it relates to the various countries, and I will try to more deeply explain how they compare as it relates to my own experiences. What do we mean by “finishing” of a shoe? The polishing? The antiquing? Beveling of the waist (cava chiusa). The ‘fiddleback sole’ (a schiena d'asino)? The trimming of the leather of the upper? The edge finishing of the sole? As you can see, there are many steps in the final ‘finishing’of the shoe, and that all the countries have their own specialties. Let us return to the English shoe, and the image that they have as being the most beautiful, most refined, most elegant, and most well finished shoes in the world. As I have noted before, the finishing of the English shoes is also done by this small group of artisans that all the shoemaking houses share. The English shoes have very nice finished details; well blacked sole edges, nice and tight welt stitches, nicely trimmed leathers and highly polished leathers. The house of Edward Green is probably considered to have the most desirable antiqued (anticato) polished shoes in England. As for the sole beveling/fiddlebacked waist, in England there seems to be mainly three or four people who specialize in this aspect. The shoemaking house will send the shoe to be finished by one of these people if that kind of sole is what you wish for. In France, they have finishing at least as good as the English, and in some respects even better. For example – John Lobb Paris. Of all the bespoke shoes that I have seen, they probably have the tightest/densest stitches in the welt and in the upper (cucitura piu’fitta). The welt stitching is artisan dependant, and the second is machine dependant. The welt stitching CAN be made more dense by an artisan, and this all depends on the skill of the person. The second is easily done, since all the person has to do is to change the setting on the sewing machine to make more stitches per centimetre. Lobb Paris also makes some of the tightest beveling of the waist that I have seen. This is dependant on two factors: the skill of the artisan cutting and shaping the waist, and secondly, on the client. If you have a wide flat foot, the sole cannot be as beveled as the shoe for a person with a narrower foot. Overall, Lobb Paris makes a nicer beveled waist than the English shoes. As for polishing and antiquing, the French are masters of this artform. Take for example Berluti. Although the shoe is not for everyone’s taste, the POLISHING/ANTIQUING is incredible, the imagination, skill, and artistry of the company cannot be denied. No English artisan can do such finishing. The level/amount of antiquing is up to the client: you can choose to have it as subdued as you want, or as flamboyant as you want. Now we turn our discussion to the Italian shoes. The ‘finishing’ is dependant on the artisan that you choose to commission with. From what I have seen, especially with Maestri Bestetti e’ Scafora, they can rival the French in most aspects, and exceed the English. One point needs to be stressed: that the LEVEL/TYPE of finishing is mainly dependant on the client. You can choose to have it as lurid and loud as you want, or as quiet and subtle as you wish. How well can Italians compare when they create a beveled and fiddlebacked sole? They can make it at least as well as the English; the sole tightly against the waist of the shoe with a beautiful curva underneath. In fact I believe that they can make it even better. I have a flat foot, and although it is not really possible to make a true fiddleback sole with my shoes, Maestro Scafora was able to do it, and the Cleverley people were not! The Lobb Paris and Berluti I have has a small fiddleback, as that was the best that they could do for me. Regarding the welt stitching, my Italian shoes are at least as tightly stitched onto the welt as any of my English shoes. They may not have as many stitches per cm in the welt as the French, but it is very close. One point to make about Maestro Bestetti: he is the only shoemaker that I know who hand punches holes for the welt stitches (a mano!!). All others (in France and England also) use a machine or a special tool to do this. When I mentioned this to an English shoemaker, he thought it was just incredible, as he did not know anybody who can still do such a thing. In discussing the way the Italian artisans polish and antique the shoes, I believe that the best of Italy rival the French in this art. The Italians can make it as fantastic as Berluti, or they can make it as subdued as the English. The point that I want to make is that it is dependant on the skill of the artisan (and there are many in Italy), and also VERY dependant on how much antiquing and polishing the client wants. As in all bespoke, many of the design errors are the errors of the client. One final note; there is a shoemaker that is considered to possibly be the best in the world. To those who are lucky enough to have examined the shoes and to own a pair, these shoes are supposed to be stupendous. There is a long waiting list to get measured by this artisan, and the waiting list was even two years long. His name: Koji Suzuki, he is Japanese. You can see some of his work here: http://www.o#!&@ate.com/products/other/spigola/koji-suzuki/clientele%20products.htm Where did he learn his craft? Italy! Cordiali saluti, J. Ang-angco ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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