The addicted menswear enthusiast may have already known of the online retailer Shoes & Shirts (https://www.shoesandshirts.nl/) - well known as the few retailers having a large collection of Bontoni shoes. In a sense, shirts and shoes have certain similarities as fundamental wardrobe pieces - often neglected, usually not well-maintained, but both can display the excellence of handmade production in the most nuanced and subtle manner.
The year 2018 was a turning point for @shirtingfantasy, as there was an unstoppable cascade of Meccariello shoe purchases, to the point that other makers were largely neglected or even marginalized. This post is dedicated to the series of purchases, arguably reckless and unplanned, but nevertheless resulted in a collection that can be enjoyed on a daily basis.
My first pair of Meccariello. A single-pair MTO. Argentum-welted. Meccariello said it was made in a baby calf leather. As there weren't many pairs in this leather colour, I had the suspicion that this pair received the "first cut" from the hide.
The leather was rather soft and delicate. A slight regret was that I accidentally scratched the toe box on a concrete plate on the road a few weeks after I received the pair - it became a learning experience in its own right.
2. Indigo Janus reverse calf double monk
First taste of Meccariello Aurum - his "bespoke standard" ready-to-wear range. Handwelted. Premium cut of baby calf leather.
A very special thing about Meccariello's patina is how well his leather resists white creases even wrinkled. While his colouring may seem less "transparent" compared to Berluti, Bontoni and Paolo Scafora, especially under indoor fluorescent light, his shoes do flourish in outdoor daylight.
My pair of Cheaney tan full brogue oxford was "accidentally" destroyed in a patina experiment. So I suddenly ran out of tan brogues. And Medallion webshop opened just-in-time...
Handwelted construction as part of the Titanus line for Medallion, China. Very aggressively bevelled waist. Meccariello said it was specifically requested by Medallion.
5. Mixed vegetable-mineral tanned baby calf wholecut oxford with decorative brouging
Handwelted. Single-pair MTO (via retailer). A very special leather - "Baby Vegetable calf ,1 leather of 8-10 sfq.size is used for 1 only 1 pair museum effect made with red wine Aglianico del Taburno,it needs to be lasted full by hand , very carefully". I must say I was attracted by delicate stuff in general (whether shirting or leather), and so was hooked into this special leather since my first MTO pair.
As soon as my first pair arrived, FINE Shoes (https://www.fineshoes.hk/) started selling Meccariello shoes locally. So it also gave me the chance of ordering MTO through them (as, at that time, the price and delivery time quoted compared favourably to those obtained from Meccariello's official site). Steven of FINE Shoes is clearly passionate about shoes - as he basically does not care too much about making a big profit, and would sell brands with limited profit margin (e.g. Carlo Santos, Carmina, Vass, and of course Meccariello) just to let more people wear nice shoes. I think this is rather respectable in its own right.
In the next post we shall continue our journey in shirts - but for now, please enjoy the beautiful sight of beautifully handmade shoes...
Until then, goodbye!
The year 2018 was a turning point for @shirtingfantasy, as there was an unstoppable cascade of Meccariello shoe purchases, to the point that other makers were largely neglected or even marginalized. This post is dedicated to the series of purchases, arguably reckless and unplanned, but nevertheless resulted in a collection that can be enjoyed on a daily basis.
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| As usual, these sins in menswear require bad influences. The most significant, obviously, was @bamboohkg, to whom I tried to inflict the intoxicating effects of superfine cotton shirting (he is a seasoned menswear enthusiast himself, just not thoroughly addicted to high count stuff yet) - but the malicious act only backfired as uncontrollable shoe purchases... 😣 |
1. Walnut museum calf wholecut oxford
My first pair of Meccariello. A single-pair MTO. Argentum-welted. Meccariello said it was made in a baby calf leather. As there weren't many pairs in this leather colour, I had the suspicion that this pair received the "first cut" from the hide.
The leather was rather soft and delicate. A slight regret was that I accidentally scratched the toe box on a concrete plate on the road a few weeks after I received the pair - it became a learning experience in its own right.
2. Indigo Janus reverse calf double monk
Shortly after the first pair, I decided to get something a bit special. As I have already had a few other pairs of brown and black oxfords (from other makers), I felt I could be a bit more adventurous. Another single-pair MTO. Handwelted. Dainite-style Vibram rubber sole.
3. Patina dark brown faux full brogue oxford
3. Patina dark brown faux full brogue oxford
First taste of Meccariello Aurum - his "bespoke standard" ready-to-wear range. Handwelted. Premium cut of baby calf leather.
A very special thing about Meccariello's patina is how well his leather resists white creases even wrinkled. While his colouring may seem less "transparent" compared to Berluti, Bontoni and Paolo Scafora, especially under indoor fluorescent light, his shoes do flourish in outdoor daylight.
4. Burnished amber calf full brogue oxford
My pair of Cheaney tan full brogue oxford was "accidentally" destroyed in a patina experiment. So I suddenly ran out of tan brogues. And Medallion webshop opened just-in-time...
Handwelted construction as part of the Titanus line for Medallion, China. Very aggressively bevelled waist. Meccariello said it was specifically requested by Medallion.
5. Mixed vegetable-mineral tanned baby calf wholecut oxford with decorative brouging
Handwelted. Single-pair MTO (via retailer). A very special leather - "Baby Vegetable calf ,1 leather of 8-10 sfq.size is used for 1 only 1 pair museum effect made with red wine Aglianico del Taburno,it needs to be lasted full by hand , very carefully". I must say I was attracted by delicate stuff in general (whether shirting or leather), and so was hooked into this special leather since my first MTO pair.
As soon as my first pair arrived, FINE Shoes (https://www.fineshoes.hk/) started selling Meccariello shoes locally. So it also gave me the chance of ordering MTO through them (as, at that time, the price and delivery time quoted compared favourably to those obtained from Meccariello's official site). Steven of FINE Shoes is clearly passionate about shoes - as he basically does not care too much about making a big profit, and would sell brands with limited profit margin (e.g. Carlo Santos, Carmina, Vass, and of course Meccariello) just to let more people wear nice shoes. I think this is rather respectable in its own right.
In the next post we shall continue our journey in shirts - but for now, please enjoy the beautiful sight of beautifully handmade shoes...
Until then, goodbye!
can you comment on fits between various last
ReplyDeleteI wear UK 7.5E in CJ/ JL/ Carmina. Same size for Meccariello Chisel lasts - fit is comfortably narrow.
ReplyDeleteChisel Aurum: fits me best, toes and heel areas are comfortable, and look is very elegant. My coming MTM pair will be based on that.
Chisel 2: fit is okay, but heel is a bit narrow for me and sometimes does lead to pain (which led to some shoe tree modifications I did, to change the fit slightly); lateral toes sometimes feel pressure as well
For the Titanus pair I wasn't sure about the last. On Medallion website they say "A88 Last". Their CS said it was Chisel 1. On Meccariello Instagram it says Soft Square. A lesser degree of toe problem, but heel issue is similar to Chisel 2.
I know this is an old post, but what was your thought on the instep of your AM's? I have a really low volume instep and wear tongue pads on a lot of my shoes. I can fit a TLB artisa 8.5 and a simpson 8 fairly well
ReplyDeleteSoft square 9 would work for you. It has low instep and size is comparable to Artista 8.5.
ReplyDelete