Paris Part 1: Septieme Largeur Store Visit

On a relatively quiet street (Rue Saint-Lazare), just 10 minutes walking distance from the famous Galleries Lafayette and a spitting's distance from Saint Trinite' square, lies the wonderfully simplistic shop of Septieme Largeur. As I have become such a huge fan of the brand, since their introduction on my blog, it was definitely a place that I needed to visit, get some product from, and do a nice write up for all of you. That being, please enjoy what is about to come....

There are several things that set apart Septieme Largeur from the rest of the shoe brands of the world. One is that they offer a patina service for the shoes that they sell. So if you see a model that you would like but would rather have it in a non-conventional color, or maybe just one that they do not offer, it is not a problem, as they will do it for you for just an extra 50 Euros. Below, you can see an example of how a customer purchased a shoe in natural and gave it an aubergine patina. The other aspect that sets them apart would be their Allen Edmonds type pricing, in which they offer good quality leather and goodyear welted construction from a price range that starts at 245 Euros and ends at 295 Euros. It's not the lowest of the price scale but for what you get, leather and construction wise, it's a great deal for sure!

I was not able to be there for the beginning process of the patina which involves the application of the dyes to the shoe, but you can see that once it's on, they use this special brush machine to add the burnishing (dark areas) to the shoe. You will notice that in the top right picture (in this set of 6 above) has a before (left) and after (right), from the use of the machine and the special waxes that they use. And while you may think that a patina must be done by hand, surely it does not as you can see. The wax used on the brush burns onto the leather from it's friction, thus making it stick into the pores of the leather, remaining there as if it was the dye itself.

From this point on, as you will see above, they will add the shine to the shoe, in order to enhance the patina. I learned something new by going there, as they told me that using whiskey is actually better for the shine, due to the fact that the alcohol content will keep the liquid from becoming too humid (as water apparently seems to), which in turn makes it so the leather will dry quicker and absorb the polish better. I better go get a bottle of whiskey to keep at my shine stand!





































As you can clearly see, there were many beautiful shoes there, and I was literally like at kid in a candy shop, wanting to have everything there. I also really liked the simplicity of the store, not having any real fluff going on, just the shoes, some seats and the accessories. It was just how a shop should be: clean, simple and straight to the point. Now that I think about it, the only form of fluff, was actually something that corresponded to the shop and it's products and that was a bespoke shoe model, as well as some lasts, that were dated back to the early 1900's, and the model (shown below) had never had it's last taken out. This model, may I say, was absolutely exquisite! It was literally perfect, without any blemishes and the straightest lines I have ever seen.

But the real treat was this prototype that they had, which was the 'Miro' loafer with a forest green patina, pictured below. The only problem is that my camera could simply not capture the color in the way that my eyes were seeing it, due to my flash (or maybe because it only cost 90 GBP, which might be considered on the cheap quality side!). I must say that it was one of the nicest patinas that I have ever seen as it was simple yet extremely bold in coloring. Not that it was bright or ostentatious, but the green was magnificent and there was no mistaking what it was. It was lovely, and I will aspire to have it.....

Well, I hope that you have enjoyed the post. Going to Septieme Largeur and meeting the lovely people there was a pleasure and I will definitely recommend that if you are ever in Paris, and have some spare time, make a point of dropping by, as I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed, and may even leave a few euros lighter. Stay tuned for my future posts on Corthay and Paulus Bolten, the patina artist, who made a fine makeover of my shoes!

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Shoes -- Part 2: Style Names & Terminology -- Boots

As you many very well know, boots come in all shapes, sizes and styles. And even today they are ever-evolving, as I shall share an example (of something new and unique) with you either tomorrow or for my shoes of the week post that I usually do on Fridays. I was never a huge boot fan until I saw my first spat boot. After that, it was pure love. Now, I want every kind of style of boot in every colorway. I even had 3 of them made up for my first collection. Quite a bit for an introduction to the world. But as the days go on, I feel that boots are becoming increasing sought after, as the homogeneity of low-cut shoes (aka normal shoes) begins to bore many individuals. They therefore look to something else. And that something else is very likely to be a boot. 

Pictured Above & Below, Left: My own Gaziano & Girling 'Wigmore'

Balmoral Boots

Gaziano & Girling

Alfred Sargent

Crockett & Jones

Septieme Largeur

Balmoral boots are are definitely among my top favorites of all the boot options. Let's call them my adopted favorite. Adopted because the spat boot is my true favorite but considering the fact that they are very very hard to come by and will most likely run you a minimum of $1000, I have to say that for practical sake, the balmoral boot is what I prefer. What's nice about them is the fact that they are simply a dress boot. A boot that you can wear as if it was a shoe, i.e. with your suits. Not too many other boots can do that, because at first site you can easily tell that they are a boot. But with a balmoral boot, it looks like a shoe when your trousers are covering it. I feel that for this very reason, they have become increasingly popular in recent times, as people may be bored of wearing traditional shoes and are therefore opting for something a little different, and this being the perfect example.

Derby Boots

I can't say that this is the exact proper name for them, but this is what I like to call them. They are really just like a balmoral except the fact that they have open lacing. Just as beautiful too, as they allow for a more casual look. This pair above, by Edward Green is probably the nicest derby boot I have ever seen and I could definitely see myself in this everyday, paired with my jeans. Then again, I could easily see myself in all of the boots that I am putting here, especially since I come to think about it, I really don't own a pair of derby boots. Boots, in general, have definitely been something that I did not put much effort into getting, in the past. But now that I have amassed a huge collection of laced shoes, I think that I need build up my loafer and boot game.

Helm

Gaziano & Girling

Spat Boots

Jan Kielman

As I have mentioned a million times before, I believe that men dressed at their best during the Edwardian and Victorian eras. Clothing seemed to be appreciated so much more and elegance was something to uphold. And during those times, many men wore high cut boots, particularly spat and balmoral boots. I don't know why makers were inclined to make them then, but nowadays they are virtually unheard of in a ready-to-wear option. Maybe its because, today, men walk harder and are more aggressive in their nature, which makers feel that the buttons will therefore break too easily. This will then cause headaches for the customer with the broken buttons and in turn will lead to the manufacturers having to deal with those broken buttons. Whatever the case, it sure is sad that they are not more readily available.

Anthony Delos - Spat cover + shoe

Perfetto

Chukka Boots

Corthay; Picture via Leffot

Chukka boots are among the most versatile shoes in the shoe industry. If done right a chukka boot, such as the one picture above, can transition between jeans and suits within the same wear. The cleanliness of them, being that they tend to be stitch free on the vamp and toe area, allows for them to dressed up. But at the same time, the fact that they still are a boot gives it that automatic jean and casual appeal. Out of all of the shoes that I own, I am almost without a doubt that aside from my commuter shoe (which does not count), I have worn my chukkas more than anything. You just can't beat their versatility!


Whole Cut Boots

Septieme Largeur

This is the second time that I have seen this done before. The first time was by Japanese bespoke shoemaker, Imai Hiroki (pictured below). It's like an oxford version of a chukka boot. It's quite strange to see in picture, but they look really nice in person, as I was able to check out the last time that I was in Paris at the SL shop. My only concern with them is the ankle area and how it will feel with that whole piece of leather. But then again, it would most likely not be designed and selling if it was not comfortably wearable. They are pretty cool nonetheless. Being a whole cut fan weather it a laced shoe, loafer or boot, means that I have to like this one too! I just need to get my hands on a pair!

Septieme Largeur

Imai Hiroki

Septieme Largeur

Chelsea Boots

Ahh, the chelsea boot. Probably my least favorite boot, up until recently, which as I stated above will share with you on Friday. I don't know why I have never really been the biggest fan of them. I guess it's because I really see that gore as being too casual to be "nice." Don't get me wrong, a good chelsea boot is an amazing casual shoe, but it's tough to make them dressy. This Koji Suzuki model above is probably the nicest that I have ever seen. He seemed to make all of the proportions in just the right way, allowing for a sleek and dressy look. It may seem trivial, but I believe that for a chelsea boot, getting these proportions down right is much harder than it seems, at least to make the boot on the dressy side. Beatle boots are another form of chelsea boots except that they are cut much more lower. It became a style that was popularized by the rock group, The Beatles in the 1960's. They can also have a zipped side, but they are usually regarded to be a descendant of the chelsea boot. Beatle boot picture below by Corthay.

Jodhpur Boots

Rider Boot Co.

Originally used as a riding boot, the jodhpur boot has now been transformed to be one the coolest jeans boots ever. Not really that dressy due to the straps, I find them to be perfect as a great jean boot. There is something that is rugged and manly about them, even though they look nice and elegant. Another boot that I do not own, but will definitely be adding to the collection!

Barker Black

John Lobb via Leather Soul

READ MORE - Shoes -- Part 2: Style Names & Terminology -- Boots