John Lobb's shoes in Museum calf hide

After visiting Master Vass Laszlo's establishment in Buda-Pest, I could not get the John Lobb "Museum Calf" hide out of my head. So I looked around to find the different shoes made by John Lobb in this special antiqued hide. Now I am more than overwhelmed with the antiquing of the hide from the tannery directly. The hide has a almost interesting natural patina that is so beautiful, regardless the colour (be it Parisian, Plum etc). So I am even more anxious to see the outcome of my commissioned boot  from The Vass establishment in Hungary. The hide will be from Ilcea tannery in Italy from the Radica offering.

All good things come in due time, so I am very patient. Enjoy the John Lobb renditions in "Museum calf" and have a pleasant weekend.

Oxford Boot in Museum calf (both)

Chelsea Boot in Museum calf (left)

Double monk in Museum calf (right)

 Punched cap toe Oxford in Museum calf

 Full brogue (austerity brogue) in Museum calf

Photos sourced from Style Forum and Leather Soul Hawaii

Viennese Bespoke Shoemaker (Saint Crispins)

Living in the Nordic and being A Shoe AristoCat can be a challenge when looking for good, elegant & stylish shoes. Local shops tend to carry nothing.  Well, with that being said, does not mean, there are no good quality shoes. Yes, there are, Crockett & Jones (hand grades - yes), Church's (not my cup of tea), Santoni (not me) and lately I read about a gent offering G&G's.

Well, not much for me, but there more South of the cold Nordic, a Gent ventures, many doors to real good shoes open up.

Take Vienna (Austria) for example, besides the venerable Scheer Bespoke shoemaker, the city has other very good and well reputed Bespoke shoemakers, for example, Balint, Maftei (blogged about here), Materna, Petkov (blogged) & Saint Crispins. Just to mention a few. I will invite you into the world of Saint Crispin's, a name well chosen for the company. The Patriot Saint of Shoemakers.

Looking at SC shoes, one can see that special attention has been given to the details and the products are spectacular.

The usual suspects line up - love the colours

Brown and Black Full brogues

 Two tone slip-ons with side gusset and a brogued oxford boot

 A full brogue oxford and full brogue oxford boot

 More boots please, I am a sucker for boots, perhaps due to the long Winter days with snow. It be Balmoral boots, chukkas, booties, Chelsea's. Boots and more boots, please.

 Double strapped monks on crusted leather

 Quater brogued Oxford in two tones

Chukka boots and the sole details 

Full brogue and the little details of the sole and back

 Saddle shoes and the details of the back and side

Sole details of a Full brogue

 One tier Derby

 Two toned tassel loafer

Green double monks with an apron

 A brogued loafer

 A two toned antiqued punch cap toe oxford

 The hollowed shoe trees

 A brown Full brogue

Photos are sourced from: Home of Saint Crispins, Styleforum for information, Leather Soul Hawaii & lastly from The Shoe Snob