On Thursday the 27th, Thanksgiving to all the yanks out there, we celebrated Lodger's official opening.  We gathered a few friends together, popped a few corks, and raised a glass to the new shop. 

Thank you to everyone that joined us!  And for those that weren't able to join, we hope to see you in the shop some day soon. 

   Back in June 1937, the cover of Life magazine featured an image of a pair of dangling feet clad in socks and saddle oxfords. This picture became iconic overnight and its immediate effect on the shoe business was seen globally as the saddle shoe rapidly became the first popular unisex footwear style. 

 I've always been rather fond of a chap in saddle shoes; Sinatra sung terribly well in them; Fred Astaire wore them to dance in, and they became the signature shoes of jazz musicians, gangsters and zoot-suiters through the early 1940’s. 

This week I've been developing some ideas for a weekend range we plan to launch later next year. As well as a great pair of unlined butter-soft deerskin loafers, I'm working up a contemporary version of the afore-mentioned saddle shoe. I like to think Frank would have approved……

- Annejkh

    I had a very interesting chat with a gentleman last night about a very special bespoke commission.  A lot of the bespoke customers I've worked with are interested in bespoke to get a better fitting shoe.  And some go the bespoke route to make changes to one of our existing styles, like choosing their own colour or altering a detail or two.  But I very rarely meet someone that has such specific ideas for a bespoke project. 

The customer has been looking for a special slip on, cut very low on the sides and vamp.  The inspiration was a vintage style from a bespoke atelier in Paris.  The customer has been to visit the original aterlier and their response was that they no longer have the ability to make a shoe like that.  The customer found a similar style at a bespoke maker in London and was again told that the company was no longer able to make that shoe. 

The commision will require a last with a completely unique shape and a very complex pattern.  Because it is to be a very low cut slip on, it will be a very delicate task to get it to get it to fit the foot correctly and not slip off. 

After hearing that two premier bespoke makers (that I have a lot of respect for) have declined the commision of a very complicated shoe, I reckon the right response would be to avoid it all all costs.  But we really love a challenge.  So we are going to give it a try with the help of our Italian maker. 

If the customer decides to proceed, and he allows us to share the story, I'll update the blog with our progress.  Cross your fingers for us. 

The Christmas season is fast approaching, and with it the season of Christmas gift guides.  Departures Magazine, the American Express publication for Platinum and Centurion card members has mentioned Lodger in their list of sartorial suggestions.  Perfect timing, as our shop now takes American Express cards. 

There was a brief note on the opening of Lodger in today's (Saturday, 22 November) Telegraph Magazine.  It's nice to see the word starting to get out. 

Thank you Telegraph.

Another topic of discussion during our Italian trip was crocodile shoes.  As mentioned in a previous post, I have been amazed at the response to the example of bespoke croc shoes in our shop. 

The hallmark of our Italian factory is the hand painted finish the apply to all of our shoes.  And this doesn't stop at the calfskin in our Ready to Wear and Shoe of the Month collections.  Our crocodile shoes are made in a very similar fashion. 

The skins are bleached and tumbled so that they are a light neutral colour and very, very soft.  The skins feel almost like a goat skin, much softer than a traditional cow hide.  Colour is then built up by placing layers of stain and polish over the top of each other.  Here are a few images showing the preparation of a sample for a customer that is considering a pair in a matte, medium brown.  The final two images are the finished sample back in our shop next to the bespoke sample and a bespoke pair that was just being finished while I was in the factory.