Shoes for everyone
Welcome to a brief, delightful showcase of 3 special pairs of shoes from The Noble Shoe.
These shoes were Made to Orders and designed by me by Paolo Scafora and Carlos Santos.
Specifically, a Shark Leather Derby in Tyrolese Construction and two Single Monks in Navy Suede and Bordo Calf.
I hope you will enjoy this!
March was a long month
Unbelievable how we are at the end of March 2022 already.
With school taking a lot of my time, it comes down to the wire to prepare the articles each week.
Since I did not have something specific to review this week, it was a good opportunity to remind you what I do.
The Noble Shoe is my creation and full time job and from time to time I need to showcase my shoes.
When this coincides with unique models, it also makes for great visual content.
Since these are shoes promoting my shop, I always label them “showcase” instead of “review”.
It is also a great way for me to show you exotic leathers, different constructions and manifestations of creativity.
made to orders rock
Group Made to Orders are my favorite because they allow testing creative ideas.
Then of course you have the single Made to Order where you can choose whatever you want and go crazy.
The only downside is that it comes with a 20% surcharge.
Each month, I upload 2 new GMTOs on The Noble Shoe.
I actually spend a lot of time brainstorming on those models too!
In today’s article you will see the result of a few that came in this week.
Luckily, my customers are awesome and allowed me to take photos before I ship them.
TURQUOISE shark by paolo scafora
My favorite shoemaker of all time did it again.
A few months ago a client and friend approached me about making a sharkskin pair.
Now, if you remember I have already one article about this type of leather (Click Here).
Shark leather is incredible, with dense, rich grain that ripples in an asymmetrical pattern.
Think of it as a heavier scotchgrain leather.
It is heavy duty, requires little maintenance and is actually quite supple.
Of course, being an exotic and unusual leather it comes with a premium surcharge.
Paolo Scafora finishes by hand the leather in antiqued turquoise color that really depends on the lighting.
Specifically, be aware that due to the properties of the leather coloring will appear slightly darker.
the art. 504 Derby
As for the actual model itself, it is a eye-catching 2 eyelet derby.
These types of derbies are growing on me by the day.
In particular this is the 504 Derby on the VOLA Last which is quite roomy and sleek.
A real treat is the triple braided Tyrolese Construction that I first covered here.
Lastly, you get the trademark embossed Paolo Scafora sole and metal toe tips.
Adding the must-have lasted shoe trees, the price for this would be around $2500 USD.
Such special pairs are available for commission only via email.
the cs132 handgrade monks
I swear I have the craziest ideas when I envision what a shoe can be.
Looking through an old catalog of Carlos Santos I found what would be the next smash hit.
It looked hideous, but I could see the potential.
New last, better color, handgrade make up and voila!
The CS132 is a Single Monk Strap with one of the most appreciated traits of the past few years.
It has folded, reverse stitched seams giving it a clean look.
Pair that with the fact that this is a Single Monk with a Gaziano & Girlingesque design and it is a recipe for success.
The fact that this has a cap-toe meant that the 387 Soft Square Last would be perfect for this.
Lastly, I finished it with the Bordo Shadow Patina and the results speak for themselves.
It is currently the most funded GMTO of all time in the shop with over 33 entries.
The price is $429.99 and it will be live until the 31st of March 2022.
Check out The Noble Shoe GMTOs Here!
Video showcase
You know, just in case you needed more convincing!
the premium blake navy suede monks
Lastly, this is one that arrived alongside the shark pair in the mail.
A GMTO we did back in October/November and I only had a stock picture to show.
The result was so good in my opinion!
A more classic single monk strap but with gorgeous navy, blueberry suede.
This one is on the 462 Soft Square Last and the unique thing about it is the construction.
One of the rare occasions where I dabble with Blake Stitching, using the new Premium Blake by Carlos Santos.
It has a closed channel and a thinner waist than Dita Von Teese.
This model is perfect for spring, summer and autumn and incredibly lightweight.
I also like how the more natural outsole looks in conjuction with the uppers.
If there are at least 6 requests (email me) I might do a short quick GMTO again now.
The price would be $330 USD.
short & sweet
It feels (almost) strange not having new shoes to review!
But at the same time I am so thankful about it as I have way too many!
This article was a nice breather for me and allowed me to show my creativity again.
Next week’s article will probably be another entry of my leatherworking journey.
In the future, there will be an exciting visit to a Spanish factory, as well as more suit reviews.
Suitsupply also decided to raise their prices again further torpedoing their value, which might be a fun article to explore.
Let me know in the comments what you would like to see!
Thank you for reading,
Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy