Tag: derby
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Full Metal Brace Shoe
Full metal braces drive these shoes. I never thought I would make shoes like this, but the guy who needed them rather charmed me. He had Polio when he was 4 and has been getting around on braces ever since. Now over 80, any of his contemporaries, or older shoemakers with experience with these kinds…
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Orthopedic Boots
My first pair of 100% orthopedic shoes. I’m not an orthopedic shoemaker, but many of the shoemakers I studied from in the Netherlands are. Why call these orthopedic? I’ve made lots of shoes for people who wear “orthotic inserts.” These boots different. They are a textbook case of how to handle hallux valgus – your…
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Green and Brown Medium Hiker
It’s been a few years since I made myself a hiking boot. (I gave the last pair to a lifelong friend with the same size feet.) It’s been even longer since I first got the pig suede I wanted to use for them. I really liked the sage green color when I saw it at…
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Color 8 Cordovan Derby Boots
The client requesting these boots wanted a roomy fit in the front, but also needed room for an orthotic insert that takes a fair amount of room in the back. I really like the quality of this particular orthotic. It is better than most I have seen. At the last minute, he requested a bit…
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Red Cordovan Derby Boots
These custom boots, made for winter use, feature a basalt fiber shank which covers the entire heel and arch area, giving very solid support. I have recently started making shanks and reinforcing components using basalt fiber because it’s much safer to work with than carbon fiber. I assembled this pair using welted construction. The welt…
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Lis Royal – Rocinante – Cordovan Derby
I was given a sample cordovan shell from a tannery in Argentina called Lis Royal. The line of cordovan leather is called Rocinante the color is “Dark Brown.” It is a lovely dark brown. I’ve written about cordovan before, but this sample was my first opportunity to make a pair of cordovan shoes for myself.
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Two tone cordovan wingtips
I made these two tone cordovan wingtips for a client who really wanted dress shoes, but he has wider than average feet, and much wider than average heels. He had never found a dress shoe that fit. The uppers feature quite a bit of broguing. Broguing is often done with a tool that has a…
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Black Derby
This derby shoe was made for instructional purposes. Plain old black upper leather with a pebble grain, basic lines with English quarters. The construction is welted and hand sewn to a vegetable tanned leather outsole. Natural finish leather heels. Straight outsole stitch on the welt. Depending on what you wear it with and your mood,…
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Red Derby
These shoes were for a female client who wanted a woman’s shoe without compromises. She likes knitting and needlepoint so I tried to put something special into the design for her. This derby design with English quarters features an ornamental stitch similar to a wheat ear embroidery stitch on the wing tip toe cap and…
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Blue and Brown Derby
Derby design with French quarters. Welted construction, Italian vegetable tanned brown leather vamp and blue quarters. Leather insole and midsole. Vibram Gumlite outsole for a little extra cushion. Casual or formal? I think it’s right on the edge. The rubber sole and the more rounded curve of the toe suggests it’s more casual than formal.