Today I have been re-aligning the stripe direction for our final striped Oxford samples. The masking tape in this photograph shows the preferred direction.  When the stripes run almost horizontally over the toe the last shape looks wider and less flattering to the foot. By altering the angle to run the stripe more acutely down the shoe the overall look is sleeker and less chaotic on the eye!

- Annejkh

I searched for a suitable fabric for our July Oxford for quite some time…and found a superb fine navy/white rope-twist stripe linen in Scabal on Savil Row. Our Northampton workshop have been developing the patterns; and here is the latest version; almost perfect. In some ways linen is the perfect fabric to use on a summer shoe as it is lightweight and breathable; however due to its weight properties it is also very difficult to control!

We have experimented with how to strengthen the linen for footwear use and here you can see we finally backed the fabric with soft Italian calf lining. The calf not only adds consistency to the fabric; it  minimises wrinkling and tearing when the shoes are lasted. To prevent fraying we hand-folded the edges and added a flat-edged tan piping; known as slip-beading. This little flash of leather highlights the lines of the shoe and breaks up what would otherwise be a large expanse of stripe!

-Annejkh

Please come join us for the next “First Thursday” on the 4th of June to see the new Saddle Shoe, have a glass of summer wine, and catch up with a few Lodger friends.

We will also be offering a discount of 10% on any pair of shoes ordered on the night.  A perfect chance to pick up a pair of the new Desert Boots or to order the Shoe of the Month.

There is a good reason why most companies refuse to show you the real prototypes used in their developent process.  They are always, always ugly.  You might get a look at a nice drawing of what the finished product will look like, something like this sketch of our August Shoe of the Month, but rarely anything else.

In the spirit of sharing how we do things here at Lodger, here is the first prototype of our August Shoe of the Month.

It’s made in whatever leather is lying around that is close to the weight and charicteristics of the production leather.  In this case, a hot
pink.  The pattern lines are always awkward, because it’s a first try. And beyond that, stretching the leather around the last is more an art
than a science.  The first version is always lasted poorly.

But if you look behind the colour, and the design, and the fact that the stacked leather midsole was mounted upside down, this is going to be a sweet shoe.

As a change of pace, we will pre-order 25 pairs that will be available for immediate purchase over the month of August.  When they’re gone, they’re gone.  This is the first (and probably only) Shoe of the Month that will be available on the spot.  It’s our way of trying something new, both in terms of style and service.  Hope you like it.